Nappyneedz

If we’re honest about it, we all have one or two weird quirks, or maybe even more than that.  So for today’s blog challenge post, the last blog challenge post in fact (sob) I thought I’d share a couple of my weird quirks. The car radio When I’m listening to the radio or a cd in the car, then I prefer the volume to be on an even number.  If someone next to me adjusts the volume and it ends on an odd number, then I have to alter it up or down by one so that it’s back on an even number. Even more importantly it must never EVER be on 13. I’m not sure where this odd quirk comes from, but I’ve always felt like this as long as I’ve been driving. The clothes pegs I mentioned this briefly in a previous post  but I do have a ‘rules’ when it comes to hanging out the washing.  Some of these could certainly be counted as weird quirks.  The yellow peg thing is certainly a weird quirk.  On my rotary clothes line, each row of washing has to st...

Mmmm, comfort food, what food always makes you feel warm and nice inside? For me, comfort food has to be warm, filling and generally quite stodgy, but maybe that’s just because that’s the kind of thing I grew up with.  There are lots of foods that I really like, but only a few of them would qualify as comfort food for me. Cheese and potato pie To be totally honest, cheese and potato pie isn’t really a pie as such at all.  It’s made by mixing mashed potato with cheese and then putting it into an oven dish with more grated cheese on top, and then baking.  My Grandma always made a cheese sauce to go with it, but that was always a bit of overkill for me.  I preferred Mum and Nana’s version that was always served with bacon, sausages from the local baker ‘Birds’ and most important of all Branston pickle.  I feel hungry just thinking about it, total comfort food. Mince and spaghetti on toast The last comfort food I mentioned is something from I used t...

Do you have a bucket list? Are there things that are at the top of your ‘to do’ list? Today’s blog challenge post is about the things that are at the top of my bucket list.  I don’t really have a list of must have-dos in my life, but there are a couple of things that if I did have a bucket list, would be at the top. The book As long as I can remember I have written; creative pieces, short stories, articles like those in this blog.  I was always planning on being a ‘writer’ (whatever that was exactly) when I grew up, and it’s still something that I aspire towards.  The bucket list part of this, is that one day I really will get around to writing my book, my novel.  Or maybe more than one, but I suppose I have to start somewhere. My main stumbling block at the moment is time, but I shall have to make time for it at some point, as it really is a must do, even if I’m the only one who ever reads it. Seeing more of the world I grew up in one con...

I don’t cry very often, so remember the last time I cried isn’t always that easy. This blog challenge post has obviously come at the right time though, as it was only the other day, so I can remember clearly. Things that make me cry As a rule, I don’t tend to cry at sad films or the like.  When I was younger it was very rare that I would cry at something like that, although since having children I do cry more readily at things that involve children. It’s something that friends have commented on to, once you have children, things like that seem to affect you more.  It wasn’t over something like this though the last time I cried, although before that I suppose that it might have been. The last time I cried For Christmas I got a book called tragedy at Pike River mine, I don’t normally like books like that and if I’m totally honest it wouldn’t have been my choice.  I felt I had to give it a go though, seeing as it was a Christmas present. Had...

There are four things that make me happy, they are also the same four things that make my house messy, drive me crazy on a regular basis, make me tired when they don’t sleep, and generally fill my every waking hour. But most of all they are the things that make me happy. My children I suppose that it’s a cliché to say that my children and the things that they do are the main things that make me happy. Of course it being a cliché doesn’t make it any the less true, and I have to say that it really is true, they do.  As I said, they also do many other things, but I suppose that if children didn’t make use happy, then it’s unlikely that the human race would continue.  Without wanting to sound like a total bore, I find them so interesting, fascinating and wonderful.   Other things that make me happy Of course there are other things that make me happy, a good book that I can’t put down, a cup of tea or a meal out with friends.  And of course there...

I like reading blogs, although I don’t often get as much time as I’d like to to spend looking at them. So when I saw that today’s post was called five favourite blogs, I was quite excited about going back and looking at some of the ones I really like.  The main problem is that I can’t always remember the names of blogs I’ve enjoyed, so this list is my five favourite blogs (that I can remember). 1. Tiaras and Prozac I’ve been reading this particular blog on and off for a long time, recently it’s been a lot more off than on, I really ought to make more of an effort. I ‘met’ the author of this blog via a birth board when my oldest son was born. This is one of my favourite posts from the blog: In the still of the night 2. Five degrees of chaos This is a more recent blog, and I do try to remember to read this one regularly. The writer of this blog is another person I know via a ‘birth board’ but this time my youngest daughter....

Day 25; all about my best physical feature.  The answer to this one has changed over the years, the one that I would have picked as my best physical feature has changed since I had children, but I’m guessing that that’s the case for a lot of us. My best physical feature in my youth When I was younger I had a good body, slim, firm, flat stomach, so I may well have said that my best physical feature was my figure.  These days things are rather different, carrying four children have left me with stretch marks, a love of chocolate hasn’t really helped me keep things toned, and an emergency caesarian has, I’m sure left me with less than impressive stomach muscles keeping everything where it should be. Not that I can complain, my figure may no longer be my best physical feature, but it was worth it for four children. My best physical feature now Child bearing, child birth and breastfeeding does all sorts of things to your body.  It means that once where I had quite sma...

Another day, another challenge post (day 24 already) and I have to write about a difficult time in my life. The problem with writing about difficult times or things is that they are just that, difficult. Moving to New Zealand In some ways, moving to New Zealand was a difficult time in my life.  I had just had my second baby (two months previously) so added to the hormones of having just given birth, I was leaving behind my friends and family and moving to somewhere totally new.  It did help that my husbands family were already out here, but even so, I did find it a difficult time. New baby Although having a new baby is wonderful, it does mean big changes and combined with moving to the other side of the world it was a difficult time for me.  I was worried about feeding him, as I’d struggled to breastfeed my oldest son, and with the stress of moving, he lost quite a bit of weight in the early months.  We struggled on though, and before long I was more settled and he was gaining wei...

Today’s blog challenge post is about a pet peeve, it took me a while to remember what mine are (I’m obviously such a laid back, relaxed kind of person) and I had to ask my lovely facebook likers for a bit of imput .  It was quite interesting hearing what their pet peeves were. Any way, when I thought about it for a bit, they soon started to come….. Coffee in the sugar bowl I’m a tea drinker, and I like a spoonfull of sugar in my tea, what I don’t like are little bits of coffee in with my tea.  One of my major pet peeves would have to be when someone puts a teaspoon into the coffee and then into the sugar and leaves bits of coffee in the sugar bowl.  It’s not hard, if you’re going to have sugar in your coffee, do the sugar first, then there’s no contamination. On top of the laundry basket This pet peeve also applys to the nappy bucket, if you’ve got some dirty clothes, or a dirty nappy, don’t put it on top of the basket (bucket)...

I struggle with posts like this; my ten favourite pieces of music, a personal top ten if you like.  The problem I have is narrowing it down to just ten, you can guarantee that whatever I come up with today as my personal top ten, will not be my personal top ten tomorrow. Any way, enough of the moaning, here goes. My personal top ten count down: In at ten Adagio for strings; Samuel Barber. I know that this is one that a lot of people would list, but it really is lovely. There is a lot of classical music I love, (random fact, I used to play the flute) but this is an all time favourite piece.  At university this was one of my relaxation tracks while revising. Adagio for strings   Last weeks six, this weeks number nine Under the bridge; the red hot chilli peppers. This is a lovely track, when not being sung by girl bands.  It also reminds me of a very specific time in my teenage years. Under the bridge This weeks number eight, a non mover with Crashin’ in, the Charlatans. Actually, th...

Today the post is about things I miss.  I’m honest, there are lots of things I miss.  I suppose that’s mostly because I live now on the other side of the world to where I grew up.  Some of the things I miss are silly things, I’ll suddenly get a craving for some kind of food that you can only get back home. Other things that I miss are bigger, much bigger. My family One of the biggest things that I miss is my family, I have ‘my’ family here with me, my children that is.  But Mum and Dad and my brothers are on the other side of the world, and that can be very hard. Still, at least we have family over here too, so it’s not all bad. My friends I’ve got friends over here in New Zealand, but I do miss my back home friends. Particularly those that I grew up with or went to University with.  I haven’t got a photo with all the university girls in, but there are nine of us in this picture (if you look really closely).  It’s quite a while ago n...

Ten years from now it will be 2024, which although only ten years away, sounds like some distant future date.  Where will I be ten years from now? Or where would I like to be? Home life I’d like to think that ten years from now we’ll have done all the work we want to on the house, and will be comfortable.  At the very least I’d like to think that ten years from now our half finished bathroom at least will be done.  Of course I’m hoping that that will be a bit sooner than ten years from now.  It would be really nice to have things sorted by then. The business I’d like Nappyneedz to be going strong ten years from now. I suppose that there’s a chance by then that I’ll have sold it on, but either way I’d like to think that it will be doing well. It would be nice to think that ten years from now I might still be running it though. The children ten years from now. I find this bit the hardest, I still find it hard enough to get my head round the ...

Bad habits? We’ve all got them, as much as we might like to pretend that we don’t.  What are yours? I don’t pick my nose, or chew my nails, but like everyone, I too have bad habits…. Bad Habits Bad habits are one of those things where quite often someone else’s bad habit can annoy us more than our own. usually, because we don’t notice our own bad habits, but someone else’s can really stand out.  As a parent, I try to stop my children’s bad habits (stop picking your nose, ewww) but it doesn’t always work. No doubt my parents did the same with me. My bad habits So what are my bad habits then? I suspect that my husband would be able to tell you some that I haven’t even noticed, but I do know that I have one habit that could be classed as a bad one.  When I’m cooking or serving food, I pick at it. I know that chefs taste their food as they go, but it’s usually a quick spoonful to check for taste, but I go further than t...

Do you like the idea of using cloth nappies but aren’t so sure about the washing?  Don’t have the time for washing nappies yourself? Then maybe a nappy laundry service is just what you are looking for. They wash the nappies Although I can give you all the hints and tips in the world about washing cloth nappies and how to care for them, there are always going to be people who don’t want to wash nappies, or for what ever reason cannot wash cloth nappies.  You might think that this means that they can’t use cloth, but  that’s where a nappy laundry service comes in. In most cases these companies provide all the cloth nappies you need, and then come and collect them once or twice a week, leaving you with even more nice clean nappies.  What could be easier? The added advantage is that you don’t have to worry about what type of cloth nappies to use, as they deal with that side of things for you too. Nappy Laundry Service Nappyline is one such nappy laundry s...

I think that everyone has something that they’re scared of. Fears and phobias that make them a little weak at the knees or feel all funny.  What are you afraid of? Do you have any fears and phobias.  Here are mine: Moths Like most fears and phobias, there is no logical reason for this one.  To be honest I can understand why people don’t like spiders or snakes, they look scary, even though neither are one of my phobias.  But moths? Yes, that is a bit odd.  I really don’t like them though, their big hairy bodies, the way that they flutter and fly at you when it’s dark.  Uggghhhhh. Completely irrational I know, but when it comes to fears and phobias moths have to be up there. I’m not sure what I think they’ll do, but I am sure that no good will come of a moth in my room. Space I don’t suppose that most people would expect space to come up when you’re talking about fears and phobias, but yes, I do have a problem with it.  The problem here thou...

I’ve mentioned before that I’m a bit of a book worm, so the thought of coming up with just one favourite childhood book for today’s blog challenge post….. Favourite childhood book I probably should ask my Mum the answer to this one, no doubt there were one or two books that I’d ask for over and over again.  I’m having difficulty remembering what my favourite childhood book was from when I was small.  I always loved the blackberry farm books, and the Mr Men books.  I also really liked mice, and remember having one called another mouse to feed, about a baby mouse that turns up on the doorstep of a big mouse family.  From a school fair I got a battered old book called the bed that knew how to fly.  It was quite old, and had a number of stories about a little girl who gets a new bed, and it can fly.  I loved it, even though it was quite old fashioned, and it would have to be one of my favourite childhood books. Older children’s books When I got olde...

What is your dream job? Do you have one? Has it changed over time? What I wanted to be as a child When I was little I wanted to be a history teacher, I’m not really sure why that was my dream job at that age. I love history, but I have to admit that I really don’t fancy trying to teach it to a load of teenagers right now. As I got older I wanted to write, I thought about being a journalist, but really I’ve always wanted to be a novelist, and I still would like to pursue that dream ‘job’ at some point. Dream Job Other than wanting to write, I have actually had two jobs that I would count as my dream job.  Unfortunately, I don’t do them any more.  I used to work as a tour guide at a brewery, the Marston’s brewery in actual fact.  It was such a great job, only a couple of nights a week, but so much fun.  I worked there from about a year before I had Kai and then another couple of year after he was born. After I had Kai I worked for one season at ...

We’re nearly half way through our 31 day blog challenge, and today’s post is a time line of my day.  I thought I’d leave it until the end of the day, and give you a time line of my day today, rather than a ‘typical’ day, whatever that is. Timeline of my day Somewhere before 6 am; get woken up by little miss. 7 am; woke up properly, about an hour after little miss woke up and wanted a feed.  Convince her to go and see what the others are doing while I grab five more minutes in bed. 8 am; Discover a parcel on the doorstep, full of yummy minky for my fabric site minkylicious . Try to find out what the kids want for breakfast. 9-10 am; Getting the kids dressed, playing with them, trying to restore the kitchen to something vaguely resembling a kitchen rather than a bomb site. 10.30 pm; Finish dying some yarn I started yesterday, and hang it out to dry. 11 am; Take the kids to the library for some new books. 12 pm; Lunch time 1 pm; Nap time for the younger two, s...

Today’s blog challenge post is supposed to be about what’s in my handbag, but seeing as I don’t actually have a handbag, and seeing as this is a cloth nappy blog, talking about my change bag, and what’s in it seems a little more appropriate. My change bag These days, with only one baby in nappies, and as she’s past the newborn stage, I don’t really need as much in my change bag as I once did.  It usually consists of two or three clean nappies (depending on how long we are going out for) some washable wipes, a wet bag (or carrier bag if I can’t find my wetbags or they’re all in the wash), some nappy liners, a long sleeved bib and some eternal essence bum balm .   Really, that’s all you need in a change bag at this stage, although having some spare clothes can be handy too. Change bag essentials When it comes to packing your change bag, you need to make sure that you have all of the essentials, without being too weighed down with thin...

What’s your favourite quotation? Do you have one? I’m not entirely sure that I do.  There are lots of quotations that I’ve heard, and that I like, but a favourite quotation? Or even a quotation that comes to mind for that matter? Not so easy. This too shall pass Strictly speaking, this isn’t really a quotation, but I think it will almost do and as it’s something that I remind myself often, I think it’s worth including in this post about my favourite quotation.  It’s worth remembering, not only when you’re dealing with something difficult, but also when you’re enjoying things.  I often remind myself when I’m playing with my children, they’re young now, and lots of fun, but “this too shall pass” and I really need to make sure that I make the most of them while they are this age, as it doesn’t last forever. She is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain This quotation is printed on the side of a bag ...

If I won the lottery it would be a flipping miracle to be honest, seeing as the last time I brought a ticket was nearly twenty years ago. Still, even so, I think we all sometimes have a little day dream about what we would do, how we would spend it all, so if I won the lottery… A trip home With four children, affording a trip back to the UK isn’t always that easy.  Apart from the fact that it’s a loooooong flight, even for us adults, affording to send six of us on the plane is a little pricey. So, if I won the lottery, one of the first things I’d do is book us a trip home.  Maybe with a stop off on route at some pacific island for a bit of relaxation and sunshine…. For the children Next on the list, if I won the lottery would be putting a nice lump sum to one side for the children.  Something for them when they’re a bit older so that they can afford to go to University if they want, but a down payment on a house, or maybe even just enjoy themselves wi...

Today’s blog challenge post is difficult for very different reasons than those in the last few days.  Not because I have nothing to write about, but narrowing it down to my proudest moment, that’s a little more difficult.  There are all kinds of things that I’ve done that I’m proud of, but more than any of the others, are those involving my children.  They do a million different things that make me feel proud.  If it’s MY proudest moment though….. Child birth I’m not totally convinced that pride is the first thought that comes to mind when it comes to giving birth, but if we’re discussing my proudest moment, then this has really got to be it, or rather them.  With my oldest boy, although it didn’t quite go as planned, it was still such a wonderful experience, to bring into the world this amazing little life that I had grown.  Such a proud moment.  Then with my next boy, I was even more proud as I’d also manage to achieve a vbac...

My first celebrity crush is the theme of today’s blog challenge blog.  If I’m totally honest, I don’t know if I can remember who my first celebrity crush was.  I’ve never really been one for lusting after celebrities. First Celebrity Crush I don’t know if a character in a children’s television programme really counts as a celebrity, or if you could call it anything like a crush, but I used to like the character Ziggy Greaves in Grangehill.  I would have been somewhere between the ages of eight and ten when he was in the programme, and a bit young for crushes as such. Later Crushes When I was a teenager, I had my only real celebrity crush, on Robbie Williams from Take That.  Like a lot of girls my age, I liked Take That, and it was Robbie who appealed to me.  It helped that he was a ‘local’ celebrity, coming from Stoke, which wasn’t a million miles away from my home.  I think I used to imagine that I might run into him one day, conven...

Although we are usually talking about the nappy stage, here at ecobots, at some point your little one is going to reach the stage where nappies become a thing of the past.  Before that of course, is the fun toilet or potty training stage.  I thought that it might be a good idea to look at toilet training and cloth nappies. Toilet training and cloth nappies So, is there any connection between toilet training and cloth nappies?  Do you have to do anything differently?  Research suggests that when it comes to toilet training and cloth nappies, a baby who wears cloth nappies will toilet train five months earlier than those in disposable nappies. Of course, that doesn’t mean that if you use cloth, your child will learn to use the toilet earlier than all children in disposables, but on average they tend to be earlier.  Again, on average, girls tend to learn earlier than boys too.  The advantage of toilet training when you use cloth nappies, is that your baby can already feel when they a...

I fear that today’s blog challenge entry may be a little on the short side, I don’t really have any piercings or tattoos to speak of. No tattoos I don’t have any tattoos, I did think about it for a while, but decided that I was far too fickle and would probably get sick of any design I had in a year or so, not so good when it’s a permanent mark.  Fora while there, friends and I while at university used to use henna for temporary tattoos,and that was always quite fun, but I can’t see me going the whole hog and getting a real one. Piercings It’s interesting how piercings and tattoos are often lumped in together, when so many people do have at least one kind of piercing, their ears.  I’m not sure that really counts in the category of piercings and tattoos though.  I have my ears pierced twice, but I very rarely, if ever wear earrings now.  Since I have small hands around to grab at my poor ears, I thought it probably wasn’t a good idea.  I...

An old photo of me is the title of today’s blog challenge blog.  I have to admit that I don’t have that many really old photos of me around, most of those date from the pre-digital era, and any that I have got are one’s that other people have scanned in.  I’ve had a hunt and found a couple, so here we go with an old photo of me….. An old baby photo of me   This really is an old photo of me, one of the oldest ones there are actually, as I’m only about seven weeks old.  I’m not going to share just how old it is, a lady doesn’t give the game away when it comes to age.  I can see my children when they were babies in me here, my girls especially An old school photo of me Whizzing forward a bit for this next one, to an old school photo of me, some point in the 90’s. I think that this must have been after a school trip or something, but if I’m honest I can’t really remember. A wedding pic   This photo is a lot more rec...

Today’s blog challenge post is about my favourite foods, although somehow I do have to narrow them down to only ten, eek. (Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, chocolate and erm chocolate maybe?) My favourite foods I’m not sure that this is the order of preference for my ten favourite foods, but if I had to come up with a list it would probably contain: Roast beef Steak Cheese and potato pie Stew and dumplings Steamed treacle pudding Chocolate cake Nachos Bacon Sandwiches ‘Bird’s’ sausages (not made from actual birds, that’s the name of the shop) and of course, Chocolate Why they’re favourite foods Looking at my list, most of the foods that I would count as favourite foods, are foods that I grew up with, comfort foods from my childhood.  Things that I’ve not mentioned, are foods from home that I find myself craving from time to time, not favourite foods as such, but being as I can’t ...

I have to admit, I’ve not been that keen about writing today’s blog challenge entry; 3 personality traits that I’m proud of.  It’s quite hard thinking of personality traits that you have, and then to select the ones that you are proud of, is even harder.  It’s almost like being in front of an interview panel, answering the horrible what are your strengths and weaknesses question. Creativity I’ve always been one for making things, should it be actual physical things, such as my one of a kind cloth nappies, or my knitting and crochet  or more abstract ideas and stories.  There’s no doubt about it, I am a creative type, and while, like lots of creative people I might be a bit of a dreamer, I do love coming up with new ideas and creations.  I have to admit that I’m quite proud of some of the results, and I’d certainly list creativity as one of the personality traits that I’m proud of.   Determination Some people might call it ...

Writing about guilty pleasures doesn’t really sound like the kind of thing that you’d expect on a nappy blog, but seeing as that’s  the title of today’s challenge, that’s what we’re going to get…. Guilty pleasures for parents Before I had children, my idea of a guilty pleasure was something a bit rubbish that I enjoyed, that other people might not really like, you know the kind of thing, a terrible pop song that you can’t help singing at the top of your voice, a dodgy sit-com that makes you laugh when really it shouldn’t, you get the idea.  But, once you become a parent, the idea of a guilty pleasure takes on a whole new meaning.  Suddenly you find that there are a whole range of things that you enjoy doing, but that you have to do while the kids aren’t around, to be able to enjoy. Eating chocolate in the other room I’m sure parents everywhere can relate to this guilty pleasure; you’ve got some chocolate (or other f...

Today’s 31 day blog challenge entry doesn’t really have a lot to do with Nappyneedz, but as it’s a blog entry a day, I suppose that this one is more about me, and my earliest childhood memory. Thinking about your earliest childhood memory Actually deciding what your earliest childhood memory is, isn’t that easy.  There are various things that I remember from when I was small, but deciding which came first, isn’t always that straight forward.  Then trying to decide what actually came first, makes it even more complicated.  The memory is a funny thing, some times we think we remember something, but it’s actually a memory that we’ve created from photos or stories our parents have told us.  Deciding on your earliest childhood memory actually takes a bit of work. My earliest childhood memory Having said all of that about remembering your earliest childhood memory, I am as confident as I can be that this is mine.  I was at toddler group with my Mum, s...

The blog challenge post for today is about our business name, where did the nappyneedz name come from? Early name When it comes to cloth nappies, there are heaps of business names out there, and I wanted to come up with something great.  To begin with I played about with the idea of ‘little ducks’ as a name.  Partly, because in the part of the world I come from  Duck, or little duck is a term of affection.  It seemed to follow that seeing as these were for babies, and something that got wet, it might be a good name for the business.  Except, when I looked into it a bit more, I found that quite a few people had used the name before. Nappyneedz name I started to try and think of a name that reflected the business; somewhere that provided cloth nappying needs for New Zealand.  Nappying needs? Nappy needs? But that didn’t really reflect New Zealand at all, Suddenly it came to me, New Zealand is also often referred to as NZ, so if I incorporated that into the name: Nappynee...

So today is day two of our 31 day blog challenge, and as I’m altering the titles slightly so that they ‘fit’ nappyneedz a bit better, today is going to be 20 facts about cloth nappies. 1. Cloth nappies will save you money Children are expensive, there’s no two ways about it, so anyway that you can save a bit of cash here and there, has to be a good thing.  One of the great facts about cloth nappies, is that they will save you money.  Even without the figures, it makes sense that something that you can reuse is going to cost you less long term than something you have to buy new every time you use it, even if you factor in washing. 2. Cloth nappies are better for the environment Again, it seems to be common sense that something that you use again and again must be better for the environment than something that you throw away.  Of course energy goes into washing the nappies, and it’s very hard to be totally carbon neutral, but reusable nappies are much better ...

Today is the first of March and also the first day of our 31 day blog challenge. 31 day blog challenge For the next 31 days, the whole of March, I’ll be adding a blog a day, with various topics attached.  It was mentioned a few weeks ago in a blog group I’m a member of on facebook, and I thought it seemed like fun, so here we go. Introducing the challenge Today’s post is just about introducing the challenge, but hopefully over the course of the month, if you follow the posts you’ll learn more about nappyneedz, more about cloth nappies and more about me.  Hopefully you’ll find it interesting and enjoyable too. Introducing me I suppose, just in case you haven’t stumbled across nappyneedz, or the blog before, you might want to know a bit more about me.  Actually I just updated the about us  section of the website. But for the purpose of this 31 day challenge, I thought I’d better share something here.  I’m Kelly and I founded nappyneedz back ...