Farewell Eco Kid!

It's been a long time since I've updated this blog.  I'm now pregnant with #2 (coming June 2013) and realized that if I don't have time to blog with only one child, there's just no way to convince myself that I'll do it with two.  This will be the final Eco-Kid post.  I'll leave this up as a reference and I hope that you've enjoyed it along the way!

Please visit the Topics page to search for a specific subject.

There are a couple things I'll mention before I close: 

I was able to continue using cloth diapers until Alison was around 20 months.  We'd switched to mostly BumGenius and all of a sudden, they started leaking regularly.  It might have been her size at the time or possibly something I screwed up with a wash, but I decided to abandon the cloth diapers since they were creating more clothes to wash and I didn't think their benefits were outweighing the drawbacks at that point.

We switched to the generic Target brand of disposables, but I continued to keep an eye out for greener alternatives that worked.  Luckily, a couple months later, Alison started to hate diaper change time and showed signs of being ready for potty-training.  Over Labor Day weekend last year, I decided to try the Three-Day Potty Training Method.  All I did was read this article, try it, and it worked like a charm.  I plan to use cloth diapers again when my second arrives.

I also want to thank everyone who sent me their excess children's and maternity clothing!  That was just about the best deal ever - for my wallet and the planet.  I can't wait to return the favor when we're officially done having babies.  If you're still looking for cheap consignment, it might be fun to try Thred Up, which is like a giant mommy exchange, but all online.

Finally, our favorite family activity as of late has been hiking.  Every weekend we go to a local park, pack a lunch, and enjoy a couple hours in the sun.  Notice that I'm writing this in the winter; we still go every weekend and Alison loves it.  I really think that we'll have a true uphill battle in protecting the environment if kids don't understand nature's value and the best way to do so is to spend a TON of time outside.  Many outdoor activities are free or cheap.  So, get out there and enjoy our wonderful planet!

I'll be posting more adventures on my personal blog: amberswaves.blogspot.com.  Hope you'll join me there!

Lake Accotink Park - January 2013

REI Guidepost

We became REI members last month when it became apparent that, now that we have a new member of the family, we were likely going to be buying outdoor equipment at an alarming rate and REI is our closest option.  We got the baby backpack carrier for 20% off, then ran to the store to buy last-minute camping supplies.  The co-op is $20 and you're a member for life which gets you around 10% back each year - that seemed like a pretty good deal if you're going to be spending money there anyway.

In their recent member newsletter, they shared a link to their guidepost website.  It's a slick little search engine for finding hiking and biking trails in your area (content from trails.com).  A quick search of the DC area brings up hundreds of options from local parks to state and national trails, which is great for when I want to go out with that baby backpack.

 Sample Guidepost Query