Over the weekend as I was revamping the tots room I cleared out all of the cloth diapers and put them in laundry baskets until I could figure out what to do next.  Tonight I organized them and placed them into pretty piles and matched up all of my orphaned inserts.  Now, what should I do with all of these beautiful fluffy diapers that I’ve collected over the past (almost) three years?

I have so many options on what to do with them.  I know I could find good homes for all of them in less than 24 hrs but I’m picky (stingy, clingy, etc) and want to make sure I make the ‘right’ decision.  Help me decide where I should send my fluff!!

• Friends and Friends of Friends! Remember my neighbor who just switched to cloth diapers?  I know she could use more and hasn’t had much luck finding them on Craigslist locally.  Also – she told me that one of her friends is interested in switching to cloth too.  At least I would know who they are going to if I passed them along to her.  I also have several friends who are only using cloth diapers part time and/or who have just given birth and not yet committed.
• Resale – I have a LOT of diapers!  I still have a few that are brand new.  I know my husband would be happy if I sold them all and made a little money but my heart is telling me that if I sell them I should do something good with the money instead of being greedy and keeping it all to myself.  You can resell diapers online at DiaperSwappers, DiaperPin, Craigslist, Ebay, Facebook groups, and so many other places.  I’m telling you…resale value on cloth diapers are crazy!
• Giving Diapers, Giving Hope – a new non-profit organization that is always looking for cloth diaper donations for low income families.  I meet Emily this year at the ABC Kids Expo and they seem to be headed in the right direction with their organization and I’d be happy to help out – even if it’s only a little bit.
• Donate to local low income families. Our church has 2 organizations that we support that I think would benefit from cloth diaper donations.  I still need to talk with some of my church friends who coordinate their needs and see how many infants/toddlers they actually have at this time in need of diapers.  This one will take a bit of effort and time to organize but I would really like for most of them to stay local.
• Holding on to them for a very strange collection! I’m a pack rat and don’t let go of things easily.  I won’t make a Hoarder’s episode or anything but I do save stranger things.  I could call them samples for work – reference for when people ask about a specific feature of a diaper.  But I think my husband and my limited storage space would rather I let them go.  Don’t worry, I have lots of pictures of our stash!

Whichever option I decide to go with I know that my diapers will continue to be loved for years to come.  I think the hardest part for me will be parting with the diapers for good.  Lil’ B is growing up too quickly and she’s our last baby.  I’ve grown so in love with the cloth diapering community that I don’t want to let go just yet.  I mean, I still work in the industry so I’m not going anywhere but if I don’t have cloth diapers in the house any longer will I lose my passion for them?  Or will I be replaced in my role as a cloth diaper blogger and advocate?  As I wipe away my tears of insecurity I’m comforted knowing that I get to keep about 10 of them for nights. Lil’ B still wakes up wet so we’re not ready to get rid of all of them just yet.

Now, which 10 should I keep?

Related posts:

1. Win FREE Cloth Diapers in the Diapers Etc Blog Party!! For the Love of Cloth Diapers!  A Blog Party hosted...
2. 30 Reasons to Love Cloth Diapers – Real Diapers Industry Association Reason 19: Because it really it one big community working...
3. Potty Training & Cloth Diapers – Not there yet! I feel like I’ve been writing about potty training for...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Have you ever considered the environmental impact of a restaurant?  What about when a restaurant decides to remodel?

I’ve always held a special place in my heart for the Darden family of restaurants (Olive Garden and Red Lobster especially).  For years while I was growing up my mom worked at Olive Garden as a bartender.  One of my first jobs in college was with Olive Garden.  I remember the smell of the restaurant after coming home from a shift to this day.  My mom always had those little Ande’s Candies mints stuffed in her apron and on her night stand. I’m sure if I looked hard enough I’d still find some in her house today – many, many, many years after she left the company. My job was short lived as I quickly realized the restaurant life was not in my future.

I remember as a child going out to dinner with my family and Red Lobster was always one of our favorites. We always thought of it as a special treat.  I would always press my nose up against the lobster tanks wondering if they had ever snapped off anyone’s fingers with those huge claws of theirs.  Even today, I enjoy taking my kids to the local Red Lobster for some of their cheddar biscuits.

I was lucky enough to be invited to see the results of the recent remodel of our local store in Tampa/Clearwater.  It’s one of the first set of restaurants that the company is remodeling in their chain.  Over the next three years they will be remodeling about 700 stores in the US and Canada to resemble the small Maine town of Bar Harbor.

Have you ever wondered how environmentally friendly a restaurant remodel can be?  What happens to all of those fixtures and features in the current restaurant that are still usable?  Do they trash them, resell them, or something else? I was excited to learn more in one of my emails with my correspondent with Red Lobster.  Here is a short expert from one of our emails:

Knowing you’re passionate about eco friendly practices, I wanted to let you know that as part of the remodel process, Red Lobster donated the old art work and other décor, dining tables and chairs, booth seating and host/hostess stands from the remodeled restaurants to Habitat for Humanity International. These furnishings will be sold at local Habitat for Humanity ReStore resale outlets in the Tampa Bay-area.

Red Lobster also utilized recycled building materials throughout the remodel process; supplies such as sheetrock, doors and windows are made from recycled content. In addition the restaurant incorporated more windows more frequently into the building’s exterior to reduce the need for artificial light.

Until recently we’ve never had a personal experience with Habitat for Humanity but we’ve always respected the organization and the work they do for our communities.  My husband was honored to be selected to accompany a team to China recently with his employer and help contribute to a series of houses being built outside of Shanghai.  While I know there are many people in our own communities that could use the assistance I am so proud of my husband for dedicating his time and money to help others in a part of the country that has far less that we could eve  r imagine.  I know it was a life changing experience for him and those who served on their team.

I didn’t realize that Habitat had retail stores all around the country that offered deep discounts of items used to build houses (toilets, cabinets, paint, etc) as well as decorations (like those from Red Lobster stores) used to make those houses someone’s home.  You can learn more about the Habitat ReStore resale outlets and find a store near you by visiting: http://www.habitat.org/restores/default.aspx?tgs=Ni8yNS8yMDExIDEwOjI3OjMwIFBN.

About a month ago we packed up the family and went to go enjoy the new look along with some new menu items.  After a recent trip to Maine I was eager to try their New England Lobster Rolls and Lobster Bisque. Of course we had to start with their famous cheddar biscuits too and I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to try their new sangria.

I thought it was funny that my kids both pressed their nose up against the lobster tank just like I use to do as a child.  We all enjoyed a nice evening that reminded me of going out to dinner with my parents.  The kids always enjoy going out to eat because that’s the only time I let them drink sodas – but I know it’s more than the sodas they really enjoy.  We all devoured our food and I was able to get a few good pictures of  my food and drink while they looked as beautiful as they tasted.

After knowing that their previous decorations and furniture may be sitting in someone’s new home it made me feel a little better about a company that I’ve always loved.  I may just have to make a trip to a Habitat ReStore one day just to see what interesting finds they have.  Too bad these adorable Adirondack chairs are new to the remodel – they would look adorable out by our pool.

What restaurants make you think back to being a child?  Did you and your family have a special place where you would always go for birthdays and other special events?

Disclosure:  I was provided with a gift certificate for Red Lobster and decided I would share my experience with you along with information on how they considered the environmental impacts of their remodel.  All opinions expressed in this post are my own and were not influenced by Red Lobster.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Miracle Diapers is now The Cloth Diaper Foundation; empowering families, improving the environment!

As Miracle Diapers has grown so has the number of families they assist. In 2009, they helped over 450 babies directly, more than 100 babies through sponsorship and local distribution, and assisted other charities with the same mission as well! To better serve those families Miracle Diapers reaccessed it’s structure and practices. They have:

• New leadership with Roxanna Jolly—CEO and Lisa Johnston—Operations Manager and Board Chair
• Relocated their headquarters to Katy, Texas
• Restructured how they process and accept applications
• Opened a retail store for fundraising
• Founded a new membership program
• Welcomed several new board members from the cloth diapering industry.

In it’s fifth year Miracle Diapers wants to continue moving forward and has decided to take on a new name that better describes the organization and it’s mission.

Miracle Diapers is now The Cloth Diaper Foundation.

“We felt that a more appropriate name would help the community have a better understanding of who we are, as we have often been mistaken for a diaper manufacturer. Our desire to move forward and build a legacy of support for the cloth diapering community will be reflected in our new name: The Cloth Diaper Foundation.” -Roxanna Jolly, CEO, The Cloth Diaper Foundation

Monetary donations fell last year do to the economy. Which means there are more families out there for The Cloth Diaper Foundation to help! While diaper donations are always appreciated, we must be able to financially support organizational growth. Let’s make this happen together and spread the CD love. Visit http://clothdiaperfoundation.org today to find out how you can help!

To assist in fund raising efforts, in the month of February, Tracy Whittemore and Lisa Adkins from The Cloth Diaper Company have so graciously offered to match, product for product, each Cloth Diaper Company product sold (Drybees, Wahmies, Rocky Mountain Diapers) in The Cloth Diaper Foundation Retail Store with an equal donation to our organization.  (Example – Purchase a Rocky Mountain Diapers OS Pocket, CDC will donate our organization a RMD OS Pocket, Drybees for Drybees, etc.)

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.