I'll take you by the hand. And I'll show you a world that you can understand.

Pul? Nip? DNiped?  Pocket? AIO? One Size?  Fitted?  CD?  EUC? Sherpa? GUC? BG? GM?  PP? PPD? Unicorns?!

Chances are if you know what any of these mean, you're a member of the exclusive cloth diapering community.  Although there are no requirements for being a member of this community (that I'm aware of) I wouldn't have considered myself a member for a long time.  I cloth diapered, and that was it.  I didn't go on forums to talk about diapers, I didn't shop for diapers a lot, I didn't have much advice to offer people.  All that changed when a friend introduced me The Okinawa Diaper Swap Group on Facebook.  My husband hates her for it. ;-)

These are what started it all by BrookiEllen

Although I fell into cloth diapering nearly a year ago, my experience was not the norm.  I didn't research my options, I found cute diapers I wanted and figured out what I needed to go along with those.  My stash consisted mostly of bumgenius, a couple cute diapers, and I was satisfied for a long time, even though BumGenius diapers are not exactly the cutest.  They worked well though for awhile though.  Due to my negligence in diaper knowledge, I'm currently on my 3rd stash (I started with velcro, moved onto snap pockets, and am now on fitteds and AIOs).

BumGenius aka BG's

Unfortunately though, "one size" is a lie.  My son has a 22 inch waist and is quickly growing out of the "one size" pocket diapers I have used nearly exclusively, so it was time for me to take a trip into a different type of diapers....and I quickly fell for good mamas after decided to purchase a couple used and trying them out.  Although these are one size diapers also, they still fit him!

My husband refers to Goodmamas as the Oakleys of the diapering world (I haven't told him about the more expensive brands.  When I first heard about GM's, I won't lie I thought it was ridiculous.  $35ish for a fitted diaper that you need to use a cover for?!  They were cute, but if you needed a cover it's not like you would see them....right? And then I tried them...and got hooked.  This style of fitteds (diapers to be used with a cover) are the most absorbent diaper I have ever tried...and they are extremely cute.  There is a huge variety of designs available to fit any child's personality.  They have great resale value also.  Prices tend to range from $5 (needs repairs) to $ 400+ (priced paid for auctions with proceeds going to charity).

Unicornic                                  Sk8 4vr  

Goodmama Land, is a land like no other, although it's an off shoot of cloth diapering world, it's a special place, with their own language (and funny names) and full of skulls, glitter, rainbows, and unicorns (hey I love all those things!).  But what makes this land so special, is the members of it.  Goodmama land is the closest to Eutopia I've ever seen.  Occasionally there's drama, but 90% of the time, the mamas (sorry dads) of Goodmama land are the most helpful, nicest women I've ever met.

Suzanne Atwood invented Goodmama in 2005 after she began cloth diapering and was frustrated with what was available.  Most GM employees are work at home moms.  GM's are made with US milled organic bamboo and constructed by workers in the US.  Suzanne Atwood chose to keep the construction of GM's in the US which is what causes them to cost more (but it's better for our economy and US workers).  GM is also a supporter of Miracle Diapers, a charity that provides cloth diapers to low-income families.  I think that makes the prices worth it.

When I asked Suzanne Atwood about good-mama land, she said:

"It grew up all by itself, around the diapers. I didn't create it, but I am honored to live there. It's a privilege to send diapers out all over the world and see them on babies in photos, and hear about all the happy healthy bottoms because of the work we do.

I'm also passionate about keeping US manufacturing alive, one small business at a time, and while I have been pushed countless times to go overseas with our product, I have doggedly refused and keep everything in the United States where I pay US workers fair wages for the work they do to create the product. Most of our employees are moms themselves, and many, after they have proven their abilities in house, are allowed to take work home and earn more hours by making diapers at home too.

I'm proud of the work we do, and proud of the way most of the goodmamas behave and treat others. From what I have seen, they look after each other, welcome newbies with open arms, and only get the pitchforks out for the dishonest, the greedy or the scammers."

There's also a designers group where you can can find a fabric, and get a goodmama, wipes, blankets, or wet bags designed out of it.  

While purchasing goodmamas on Oki, I met several new ladies, all whom are amazingly helpful and sweet.One of the ladies helps me price my diapers, and fixes my snaps as we do it without a second thought.    She loaned me some diapers she's never used to try with my son.  I purchased a diaper in my goodmama fever that I wasn't in love with, and although I was willing and ready to pay, the momma came by, picked it up, laughed at me and said she understood.  All of the ladies have been crazy patient with my dumbassicity when it came to goodmamas, gave me tips, hints and awesome deals!  On the goodmama facebook pages the women have the same type of attitude and it amazes me.  I didn't know people like this existed and to find a community of them?! I feel like I hit the jackpot.

You can get a ton of information on different types (pockets, AIO, AI2, fitteds, prefolds, covers etc) and brands (too many to list) all over the web.  If you're in Okinawa The Okinawa Diaper Swap Group on Facebook is a great resource to find out information and buy/swap diapers.  

Facebook Public Announcement #1

Quit liking and sharing stupid shit.  PLEASE. I hate having to write this.  

Every time I see one of these things on my wall, I feel a little pang in my heart.  I'm not kidding, it causes me discomfort to know that friends are falling for this crap.  You are being manipulated in the most transparent way and either a) don't care or b) don't realize it.  Neither is a good thing and I feel like I'm watching society crumble every time I see one.  The people who create this just want their image liked a trillion times so they feel Facebook famous.

1)  Just because something says "like this if you love your mom" doesn't mean you have too.  Tricky huh?  . It's a pretty general acknowledgement that everyone loves their parents, jesus, siblings, children, aunts, uncles, etc.  I don't need a Facebook post informing me that you in fact are like every one else around.  Liking something takes no effort, it means nothing and is lazy.  Take 5 seconds and give someone a hug, or tell them you love them.  Just quit spamming up my wall.

However, if you have 11 toes, and there's an 11 toe one going around, feel free to like it.  It's probably something I didn't know about you, unique  and interesting.  I would also be jealous that I couldn't like it.  If they're cute I don't mind either.

2)  You don't have to like something just because you know what it is.  I'm not going to lie, a couple of them brought back memories in the beginning.  90% of these things you would have to be under the age of 20 not to know.  Seriously? I'm seeing them with Spongebob now.   Who doesn't know who Spongebob is?  Do you think the creator of this stupid "share thing" thought he was being tricky.  No, he did it so everyone would like and he would feel cool because a stupid picture of his was liked 10000000 times.    

3) Just because you see it on a picture or its a shared status on Facebook doesn't make it true.  Google or Snopes that crap, because you post things that aren't true, you look like an idiot.  

4) For the love of trees, liking and/or sharing pictures of dead/abused women/children/babies/animals IS NOT going to stop the cruelity.  These are posted by sick f-ers who don't care how disturbing the picture is, they just want to be facebook famous.  Don't give into it.

And while we're here, if you're still sharing the "share this post so little Timmy can get surgery" there's a way to help all the kids get their surgery at once:

1) Press the windows key + D
2) Alt +F4
3) Press enter.

Okinawa Foodies

This post is completely self serving.  I just want you to make me food.


I'll admit it, we're a dining out family.  We dine out at least twice a month and there doesn't need to be a special occasion (unless empty cupboards and lack of motivation to cook constitutes one).  I've heard from several people (including my husband) that as a kid, he didn't dine out very often and it shocks me.  I was very lucky that my grandparents didn't mind taking a little brat (me) around Michigan testing out various restaurants.  I look back on my dining experiences as a child,  and I look back on that fondly as one of the best parts of my childhood.  I want to share that fun with my family now (even though my children do not understand this is fun and exciting).

Moving to Okinawa really put a damper on this.  There's so many restaurants (with Japanese menus), however I don't know if they're kid friendly, take card or cash, what they serve, where they are, what time they open.  Okinawa Hai is a great place to start when it comes to information, however it can be dated and confusing.  And then I found the OkinawaFoodies.

Foodies was started by a group of ladies (4) whose husband's wouldn't go off base to dine, so they started going together. The group has grown to 322 members and evolved to much more than just meeting up for lunch.

You can see up to date reviews of restaurants, pictures, directions and ask questions!  These women (myself including) love food.  The page isn't only about restaurants, you can ask anything regarding food! They still do get together for lunch at local restaurants.

The best part of the page is the dessert chains.  I'm currently participating in my first one but I love this idea, and can't wait to do more! It's exactly as it sounds.  Someone makes you dessert, you make someone else dessert and so on and so forth.I love the "adventure" of it.  I know how lame that makes me sound, but I tend to stick to a few favorites in the kitchen and that's it and it's rare for me to cook for strangers.

I dream of dinner, lunch, breakfast and snack trains (I'm only semi-kidding).    If you would like to participate in fun activities or just learn more food here in Okinawa, like the page!

If you aren't here in Oki, remember it just took one person, one Facebook page to start a dessert chain. ;-)

Know a baby? Have $1? This post is for you!

Have a baby?

Want a baby?

Know a baby?  

Then, this post is for you! 

Brookiellen has made my day folks.  When I started this blog, I knew I would have to do a post about her cute, awesome covers, but I didn't realize that this post would also benefit soles4souls!

That's right.  This awesome small business owner has donated two of her covers (which double as swim diapers) and they can be yours!

For every $1 you donate here you will receive one entry into the raffle to win one of these awesome one size covers.  Make sure you specify which diaper you'd like to win (you can comment on the donation form).

If you would to do it another way, let me know, and we will work it out.

Please share this post, it's for a great cause, and it's good karma! :-)

Two years ago, I was a disposable using momma.  We lived in Yuma, and often had play dates at the pool.  I hated the disposable swim diapers, they're ugly, expensive, and crappy.  The pool once had to be closed because one of these couldn't contain my sons "load".

I knew if there were reusable cloth diapers, there had to be reusable swim diapers.  I jumped on etsy, found Brookiellen and fell in love.  I couldn't decided on one to get (there's so many cute designs for boys and girls) so I bought two.  A couple months later I saw some of her newest designs and needed them.  But how the heck could I convince my husband to let me get more than two swim covers?  And that began my journey into cloth diapering.  Yes, Brookiellen's cute diaper designs got me into cloth diapering.

I started cloth diapering with TWO of these and a dozen borrowed prefolds and snappies (thank you Celia).  I didn't know you weren't supposed to use regular detergent, put them in the dryer, or use fabric softener, so I did all three.  However, my original two held up through two years of intense wear, lots of chlorine from pools, my ignorance, and these babies can still be used today. These are some heavy duty covers folks!

My son is almost two, I'm coming to the realization that I won't be able to buy these anymore, and it tears at my heart.  However, Killian just convinced me to order more and informed me he plans on wearing them as undies.  I <3 that kid.

                                                                                                                                                                     

Brookiellen isn't only in the cloth diaper business.  She also sells custom lunch totes, baggies, wet bags and more.  She does covers in a variety of sizes (included one size) and you can request velcro or snaps.  She's very willing to work with customers if they have something in mind that isn't listed on her website.  She also has specials and codes on her facebook page all the time. Please visit her website and support small businesses!

Balls are life changing! *GIVEAWAY*

Be warned, my husband helps proofread my blogs before I post them, and he made lots of additions to this one.  His creative (perverted) mind, came up with everything in italics.

I stumbled into the world of balls, soon after I started cloth diapering.  Although I read about them, I wasn't sold.  My biggest concern was how this would effect my skin (I cannot wear wool).  Happily I decided to give them a try, it hasn't effected my skin negatively at all. Apparently balls and I get along.

I wanted to add some pictures of my favorite balls .

I have one with an amazing looking tree, flowers and a smiley face but they are all mia.

The three reasons I started using them were:
a) to save money
b) for diaper laundry
c) to get rid unnecessary chemicals in my families life
d) so I could tell everyone how fantastic my balls are!

There are several ways they save you money.  You buy them once, and they last several years.  I have been using my balls for about 7 months now, and I haven't had any issues with them whatsoever. These balls have some real longevity!  When you use 4 balls, it's said to decrease the drying time 25%, and goes up the more balls you use.  The more balls you add the better!  It decreases the time because they bounce around in dryer, fluffing and absorbing water.

As I already mentioned in THIS post:  Fabric Softener and Dryer Sheets contain harmful chemicals (including ones know to cause cancer), that get into your bloodstream through your skin.  They can cause rashes, irritation, acne, cancer, respiratory problems and more.  Wool balls are exactly that.  Wool in a ball shape.  Some come containing essential oils, some do not.  No chemicals!  They are better for the environment too.  Mother nature loves balls.

Dryer balls help support small businesses.  Most dryer balls are made by very small businesses, so buying them helps out a family, instead of a corporation.  They leave a smaller carbon footprint also, because the wool is shipped to the maker, and the maker ships it to you.  If you buy FS or DS, they are made in factory (probably in China), shipped somewhere in the states, shipped to stores, and then you drive to and back from the store  Talk about a big footprint!

Using fabric softener on cloth diapers causes the fabric to repel water instead of soak it up.  Cloth diapers are supposed to soak it up, and if they don't, you'll end up with leaks.

They are so easy to use.  You throw them in your dryer.  That's it.  If you choose, you can add essential oils to scent them (about 10 drops a ball), but it's optional.  This is really fun because you can change up the scents or mix them if you get bored with one.  Your nose gets used to smells it smells over and over and over, however if you change it up, you won't run into this problem.   Fabric Softener can clog your lint trap, but these do not.

Everyone in my house loves them.  Our cat, my 2 year old, I've even caught my 9 year old attempting to juggle with them.  Sometimes after the kids go the bed my husband and I have ball fights, he loves when we play with the balls. I have 12 balls but do to a certain 2 year old, several can often be found around my house instead of in the dryer.

Now, the part you've been waiting for....


Who wants free balls?!   You will get 4 brand new wool balls to try out yourself! No balls!


Feba is helping me with this giveaway.  When I looked into balls, I had no idea what to get, and some of them seemed overpriced.  I got on etsy  (if you don't know what etsy is, check it out.  It's a great website for small businesses, unique and mostly handmade products) and found her.  Her store name is Fondle My Fiber, and that's when I knew who I was ordering from.  She and her daughter work together to create these and she is amazingly helpful.  I requested a complicated order, she worked with me and got it out super quick.  She even offered to wrap it for me since I was sending someone else balls.  Her prices were very reasonable, and they have some cute designs.  If you would like some awesome, cheap, quality balls, check out her etsy store! She is really balls to the walls about balls.



How to win:


Comment on this post or email me at mildcrunch@gmail.com with a question (being green, who I am, military or okinawa life, etc etc) or a subject you'd like me to cover in a post. Make sure I have a way to contact you to let you know if you're the winner! The giveaway will end on August 5th at midnight (Okinawa time).

With such a new blog, your chances are extremely good!It's not required, but subscribing and sharing my blog with others is a nice thing to do for someone who is giving you balls. :-)



And stay tuned for a post about which wieners should make it to your mouth!

The BEST way to help get shoes on feet that need them, cheap, easy, and is great for the environment, and economy!

Introducing Soles4Souls to you! I feel so honored to share this with you!  I found out about them through my research of Bobs by Skechers (read that post here).  Skechers donates a TINY portion ($2...I'm not impressed) of their Bob's proceeds (when they are are purchased for full price ) to Sole4Shoes.


As I said in other posts, there's never a one size fits all solution to saving the world.  I endorse soulRebels (apparently if the word soul is in a name, it's awesome), it's the best company I've found to buy a new pair of shoes from.

However, this is a great option, if you don't need/want new shoes, don't have a lot of money, or have shoes that you no longer wear, laying around.  Lost one shoe from a pair?  That's okay, they'll take it too.

Ready for more awesomeness?

They help all over, including America.  You donate shoes.  They give the shoes that need to be washed, repaired, or in bad condition (but can be used for parts) to micro enterprises around the world.  The shoes in good condition are given to needy people. Check out their grading system, to determine where your shoes would go.  You can even choose! Micro enterprises are an amazing thing. Instead of just giving items to people, these poor people who receive will wash, repair, and fix the shoes to sell.  This creates more jobs and follows the "give a man a fish, he eats for a day, teach a man to fish, he eats for life" motto.  My eyes are seeing so much green and I love it!

Ways you can help (an extended list can be found here):
Text 20222 to make a donation.
You can donate as little as $1.  That $1 will provide one person with one pair of gently used shoes, you can make a donation online via their website (paypal, credit cards) or in person.
You can send (or bring them in if you are close enough) your gently worn shoes.
You can hold a wide variety of different types of fundraisers.  They've got tons of great ideas to get you started!

You can also help with The Mild Crunch drive!
The link above will take you to The Mild Crunch profile page on the Soles4Souls website, where you can donate money. :-)  A huge thanks to the Okinawa Kid's Clothing Swap for helping collect shoes!  You can check out my post about the swap here, and get free points!

If you're in Oki you can donate by:
a) contacting me about your unneeded shoes.
b) contacting me to donate money in person (and online).



It's up to you as to what you choose to do, but with $1 or one shoe, you can make a difference in someone's life.  You know you've been meaning to replace those old ones with soleRebels anyway.

If soleRebels and Tom's were in a boxing match, soleRebels would knock out Tom's with the first punch

I don't believe there is way to help the world and it's inhabitants that supersedes all the others.  I believe it's up to the person who wants to help, it's not a one size fit all answer.

That being said, if you like Tom's, you're going to love soleRebels.  The only reason I can imagine anyone liking Tom's more is because of brand recognition. 




Let's start with some of the soleRebels shoes.  

top row: $75 $60 

bottom row: $75 $65 via soleRebels

These are just a few of the types available...from the summer 2012 collection!  They have a wide variety of colors and styles available, which is much better than the competition.

The shoes are made out of recycled tires (the soles), hand spun and hand loomed organic cotton, hemp koba, jutes and leathers (more information here).  The shoes are hand crafted by Africans  in Ethiopia, (paid 4x the minimum wage AND 3x the industry standards), subsequently creating dignified jobs, using local resources, and preserving artisan traditions.

I'm pretty sure I wrote the world's greenest paragraph right there.

These shoes are a bit more expensive that Toms and Bob's, but not much.  I believe and fully support soleRebels cause, and *gasp* my thrifty self doesn't mind spending a little more money for the environment pleasing, economy helping, shoes full of character. (check the amazon prices out)  If I bought Tom's, I wouldn't think twice about who made it (coughsomecoughsweatcoughshopcoughincoughchinacough).  These shoes though, I would feel differently about.  They'd stir my imagination, I'd imagine stories about the person who made these shoes, how they felt, where they live, etc.  I would feel honored wearing shoes that someone put so much work and effort into, and would be excited to talk about soleRebels anytime someone commented on my spirited shoes.  These are not your everyday shoes folks.

soleRebels has blown my mind. The founder and ceo, Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu (blog here) was born and raised in Addis Ababa and created the company in 2005.  Half a decade later, and hundreds of jobs later, soleRebels became the world's first and only World Fair Trade Federation footwear company AND the first footwear brand to emerge from a developing nation.  soleRebels partnered with Amazon and several other online markets and became the first (and only to date) Ethiopian company to use multiple major credit cards and paypal online. Her "goal is to see soleRebels become as ubiquitous as Apple".  Can you imagine what would happen if a recycling, green, job providing, no factory having company became as well known and sought after as Apple???

Although I have not personally met Bethlehem, we have emailed and she provided my tiny little brand new blog with plenty of information.  You know how sometimes you can just tell what type of person someone is through their words?  The aura she gives off breath taking.  She IS changing the world in a positive light and I believe she will do whatever she could to make the world a better place.  Keep an eye on this one, I bet we'll be hearing a lot more about her in the future. She also informed me that


 "giving people hi quality, sustained employment in a growing, successful enterprise - thats  always the way to "help" people . actually i have never looked at it as "helping people" .[ to me that's a tired bit of PR  , too often abused] . i looked at it as maximizing the talents that were here inside the community i grew up in , then  leveraging those talents into a sustainable, world class company creating SUPER COMFORTABLE, XTRA COOL FOOTWEAR. THAT is the best way to BUILD people + communities - leverage the strengths, make or invent something amazing, create independence through prosperous employment, scale the whole thing and make  a lot of happiness everywhere!!!"


I don't know if I've ever related to a stranger so much.  In a paragraph she summed up how I feel, and what I want to do (minus footwear). 


soleRebels website
facebook

Buy some shoes. 




Can't afford a pair, or don't like the style?  I've got another great idea for you coming up soon.