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The average age for the onset of menstruation is 12 years old. The average age for menopause is 51 years old. So, the average woman menstruates for 39 years! That’s a long time! The average cost for a month’s worth of disposable pads is $7 or $84 per year. If you figure out the cost of disposable pads for the life time of menstruation, you’re looking at $3,276! Making your own cloth pads will save you money in the long run. For example the ones I made myself, when I’m done, will have cost me roughly about $30. Most cloth pads last between 5-7 years. So, going with an average of 6 years, my homemade cloth pads are will cost me $5 per year. This is a savings of $79 per year over the cost of disposable pads! Now look at it this way, I’m going to use my SIL and her 4 girls as an example (5 women total). When they are all old enough to menstruate, they will be spending $420 per year on disposable pads (at today’s prices). It’s really clear that cloth pads will save you money.
The cost is just one factor. Cloth pads are also better for our environment and they are healthier than disposable pads. Less ends up in landfills.
I’ve had several emails and comments about the cloth pads I’m making, so I thought I’d post the answers here.
FOR THE TOP AND BOTTOM
The flannel I’m using for the top and bottom is some that I already had on hand. It does look like I will need to buy some more. I’m going to try making a few out of fleece as well and see what works best. I have to admit, that the fleece sounds REALLY soft and comfortable! Use what you have, I have even heard about people using old flannel shirts and sheets. What about that old fleece jacket or blanket. Even old flannel pj’s. You can buy many of these things used at garage sales cheaply. Especially on the top, it would be nice to use something that is soft like flannel or fleece. I’ve also heard of people using corduroy on the bottom to help keep the pad from slipping.
CENTER CORE
I just cut up some bath towels that I bought at Walmart for $1.50 each for the center core of my pads. You can use your old bath towels. You can find towels in all shapes and sizes really cheaply at garage sales and thrift stores. We went into a thrift store this weekend where she was selling towels for 10 cents each! You can use flannel as well, pretty much any kind of fabric that is absorbent.
WATERPROOF MATERIAL
For mine, I’m using a PUL table cloth that was given to me in a box of fabric. You can use old waterproof mattress pads or baby lap pads. Some people use fleece or nylon to help prevent leaks (these will not totally prevent leaks, but will help). I’ve also heard of people using flannel backed table cloths . I’m not going to have enough of the PUL table cloth to make all of mine, so I’m going to give the flannel backed table cloth option a try.
HOW TO ATTACH THE PADS
To make things easy, I’m going to use a safety pin to attach the pad. I don’t have a snap inserter and I hate making button holes, but both are other ways to make the pads attachable. Another option is velcro, but to be honest, I don’t think I want velcro anywhere near a sensitive area of the body!
SIZE
The length of these pads is just a little shy of 14 inches. The front length is 3-1/2 inches, the back length is 4 inches. I made the back a little wider to help prevent night time leaking.
I hope this answers many of the questions I’ve received. If you have anymore, please feel free to leave a comment or email me!
GARAGE SALE SEASON!!!
Yesterday, we made out like bandits at garage sales!! The first one we stopped at, we bought a big plastic tub of duplo blocks, a package of lincoln logs and a brand new fly wheel for $3. The next one we stopped at we got 10 pairs of jeans and 7 shirts for Colt for $5, nearly EVERYTHING he needs for this winter!! The jeans were Wrangler (western cut), Levi’s, Cinch and Twenty X. The next garage sale a I got 8 old school books from the 50′s & early 60′s, mostly elementary readers, but also a math book and a grammar book. I collect these and use them in homeschooling. I also got a new ironing board an another garage sale for $1. Plus Marty picked up a few things, can’t remember what all. We didn’t spend more than $20 the whole trip! Oh, yeah! I also got a Cattle Kate Swisher skirt for $2!! This skirt costs $175 new!! I LOVE IT!!
Then today on the way home from town, we drove by a house with a ton of stuff down at the curb. We asked and they said take what we want. We got a tent, a razor brand electric scooter, 2 picnic baskets, a paint ball gun, 2 boxes of School of Tomorrow homeschool workbooks, some ACE brand homeschool readers, 3 camping chairs, a bunch of bags, a boppy breast feeding pillow, a baseball bat, and a bunch of other stuff…all for FREE!!!
So overall, we did really well! I absolutely LOVE weekends like this!!
I think I’ve finally perfected my pad pattern!! When I can get to a scanner, I’ll post a pattern. For now, I’m going to post a tutorial on making this one.
You will need 3 layers of terry cloth for the center of the pad.
1 layer of waterproof material
2 layers of flannel for the top and bottom
Stack the material in this order. 1st layer is 1 flannel piece wrong side up. 2nd layer is the waterproof material, waterproof side down. The next 3 layers are the terry cloth. This is the “sandwich”.
Zig zag stitch all around the pad “sandwich”, just around the terry cloth pads (don’t go around the wings yet, just the terry cloth center panels).
This is what it looks like after you’ve done the zig zag around the terry cloth.
This is a close up. I would suggest going around the terry cloth at least 2 times in zig zag stitch.
Place the last piece of flannel on top of the terry cloth, right side facing up. This finishes the “sandwich”. I trimmed any mismatched areas and then zig zagged all around the pad, wings and all. I zig zagged around the pad twice. Then I straight stitched between the terry cloth center pad and the wings. This makes the wings fold easier and makes the pad look neater overall.
This is what the finished pad looks like.
This is a close up of the final zig zag stitching.
This is a picture of the pad with the wings folded in.
This is a picture of the pad all folded up for storage or travel. For travel, I will store them in zip lock bags.
If you had asked me, “Why do nature study?” when my children were young, I would have replied, “To get them outside and burn up some of that energy”(that we all wish we could tap into now at our age!). If you had asked the same question when they got a little older, I would have answered, “To increase their skills of observation . . . and the fresh air doesn’t hurt either.” Just last year my answer would have been, “To cultivate a love for God as creator.”
While those answers are all true, the reasons to do nature study are so much more! Let’s look at eight benefits that Charlotte wrote about.
1. Nature study lays the foundation for formal science studies (Vol. 3, p.281). The child lays in a store, as it were, of images and ideas to access and use in making personal connections when he reads about them in a science book later.
2. Nature study makes science interesting. Charlotte lamented, “For the most part science as she is taught leaves us cold” (Vol. 6, p. 318). But a child who has the advantage of nature study, an “appreciative knowledge of things to begin with,” can easily reach the “living science” level (Vol. 3, p. 77).
3. Nature study increases your child’s capacity to understand the unknown. “By-and-by he will have to conceive of things he has never seen: how can he do it except by comparison with things he has seen and knows?” (Vol. 1, p. 66).
4. Nature study cultivates a love of investigation. And Charlotte encouraged mothers to “infuse into” our children, “or rather, to cherish in them, the love of investigation” (Vol. 1, p. 71).
5. Nature study gives your child a sense of ownership and stewardship of the Earth. “Here is a duty that lies upon us all; for we all enter on the inheritance of the heavens and the earth, the flowers of the field and the birds of the air. These are things to which we have right, no one can take them from us; but, until we get as much as a nodding and naming acquaintance with the things of Nature, they are a cause rather of irritation and depression than of joy” (Vol. 4, Book 2, p. 97).
6. Nature study prepares your child’s heart to worship God. “From the flower in the crannied wall to the glorious firmament on high, all the things of Nature proclaim without ceasing, ‘Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty’ ” (Vol. 4, Book 2, p. 100).
7. Nature study enriches your child’s life. “A love of Nature, implanted so early that it will seem to them hereafter to have been born in them, will enrich their lives with pure interests, absorbing pursuits, health, and good humour” (Vol. 1, p. 71).
8. Nature study increases your child’s intellect and makes him a more interesting person. “Consider, too, what an unequalled mental training the child-naturalist is getting for any study or calling under the sun — the powers of attention, of discrimination, of patient pursuit, growing with his growth, what will they not fit him for?” (Vol. 1, p. 61).
Eight great reasons to make time for nature study! (It’s so easy to skip it, isn’t it?)
From: Simply Charlotte Mason Newsletter
I made my very first homemade pad today. I used the pattern available at Hillbilly Housewife.
For this tutorial, you will need:
- A sewing machine with a zigzag stitch.
- Flannel. I used some flannel that was given to me by a friend
- Terry Cloth. I used 1 from a package of 18 I bought at Walmart for under $5
- Thread
- Snaps or Safety Pins
- Scissors
Begin by printing both of the patterns and cutting them out. The Inner Pad is a large oval. The Outer Pad is actually 2 patterns in 1. With the long straight side extended, it is the topside. You will need to cut 2 of these. With the long straight side folded in, it is the bottom side. Place the straight edge on a fold of fabric and cut 1 of these. Look at the pictures for examples. I cut 3 inner pads out of terry cloth, 2 inner pads out of flannel and the outer pad parts out of flannel.
This is how I stacked the inner pad for sewing. Place on bottom 1 flannel piece (print side down.), then place 3 layers of terry cloth and top with the 2nd piece of flannel (print side facing you).
Zig zag around the edge of all layers of the inner pad. I actually went around the inner pad twice using the zig zag stitch.
This is the finished inner pad
On the long straight side of the 2 outer pads pieces, make a 1/2 inch hem, press.
Sew hem on both pieces using a zig zag stitch or straight stitch.
All sewn
Pin the 2 long sided outer pad parts to the solid out pad part, wrong sides together
Zig zag stitch all the way around the outside of the outer pad. I actually went around the pad twice with a zig zag stitch.
This is the outer pad completely sewn.
Using a straight stitch, stitch down the wing area where they will fold. This will make folding easier and help the inner pad stay in place better.
This is the inner pad stuffed into the outer pad.
The finished pad already to use. For now, I’m going to use a safety pin to fasten it, but once I give them a try and figure out placement, I’ll add a snap or 2.
This was a really easy pattern and it took no time to put together. For that reason, I can HIGHLY recommend this pattern. The only thing I didn’t like was that it called for the outer pad to be zig zagged all the way around. I’m going to try to make the next one using regular seams and then turn right side out. This won’t affect the way the pad works, it will just make it look more neat and finished. Stay tuned, I’ll let ya’ll know how it worked out (I’ll post a picture of course and maybe an updated tutorial). That will be my next project and then I’m also going to be making a night-time/postpartum pad (I’ll post a tutorial on it too).
Yesterday, we went to the Cameron Park Zoo in Waco with my Parents and my nephew and niece. I’ve never been to it before and was pretty impressed. I grew up going to the big zoo in Fort Worth, but this one is much smaller and in many ways, I like that better. I really liked how you could get really close to the animals and the park it’s self is beautifully done. I wish there were more animal exhibits, but even still, it’s a nice Zoo and much closer than Fort Worth!
Now on to the pictures!!
L-R: Elijah, Riley, Abby & Colt
This is at the front entrance of the zoo.
My Dad, Me, Elijah, Riley Abby, Colt & my Mom
Water Lily pond at the front of the zoo
Pretty waterfall. This was across from the fish pond with an island with huge catfish, gar and the monkeys.
Abby, Riley & Colt looking at an alligator. I was worried that Riley would get sunburned on his head, so I used my badanna to cover his head. He looked so cute! Marty loved it :0) All the kids said he looked like a pirate, but Marty thought he looked more like a commando. We did find all the boys matching hats later.
Elijah, Abby, Colt & Riley in the beaver dam.
Colt by the otter slide
Mom with Abby, Riley, Elijah and Colt. This was after we found the boys matching zoo hats.
A Jaguar. This was Riley’s favorite exhibit. He loves cats of all kind and he could really get close to this one.
Riley REALLY wanted to pet the jaguar. It was really neat that he could get that close to it. It was just a piece of glass separating them. It was a nice shady spot and the jaguar was sitting there out of the sun. What a beautiful animal!
Buffalo. I really liked these, especially the baby! I would love to own a herd of these guys!!
While the boys were running around looking at all the snakes, Abby was mesmerized by this turtle.
some pretty Lantana outside the snake house. I believe that the color is called “Dallas Red”> I LOVE Lantana.
Giraffe eating lunch
The rhinos taking it easy in the shade
Sorry for all the posts today! I’m going to be gone most of tomorrow. I’m taking the kids and meeting my Mom & Dad and my nephew and niece at the Cameron Park Zoo in Waco. Mom’s keeping my brother’s kids this week so we thought it would be a good time to let the cousins get together and have some fun! Expect TONS of pictures when I get back tomorrow! (If I can manage to get them uploaded using our slooowwww internet connection).
We had someone come out to see if we could get high speed, but we’re too far out, so I’ve just got to be happy with what we do have….slow or not.
I’ll take Marty to work in the morning and then we’ll be off to the zoo. I imagine we’ll be back around 3 pm.
I washed the terry cloth rags today for the homemade cloth pads I’m going to make. I’m going to try to get them cut out Thursday and start working on them ASAP. I will post a tutorial when I get a chance to take pictures. I’m using the pattern from Hillbilly Housewife.
The time for going back to school has been an enduring source of new beginnings and expectation for students of all ages. Sewing for this most hopeful of times can spur the imagination and try the resourcefulness of the back-to-school sewer.
Make a back-to-school insulated lunch bag, matching tote, pencil case, and book covers for the primary grade student; backpack for the high school student; drawstring bag or totes and fabric covered memo board for the new and returning college student and easy to sew bean bag chair for a comfy reading spot for all.
Insulated Lunch Bag “Let’s Do Lunch” from Sew News or an Insulated Fabric Sack from About.com
Notebook Cover and Pencil Case a “Class Act” from Butterick Company
Book covers – remember the paper bag book covers of old; use the same technique to make a fabric book cover using the same paper bag for a template. Interface the fabric if necessary to give it more body. Once the book cover is finished, sew a scant 1/8 inch along the long edges of the book cover to secure. Add a long length of ribbon secured to the top middle of the cover to use as a book mark.
Drawstring Bag from Spotlight
Totes – “Free directions to sew a simple tote bag” from About.com
Backpack – old worn-out backpacks can be taken apart to use for a basic pattern to make one anew. Sometimes the backpack pieces can be reworked into a new backpack with just a few additions like a new sturdy metal zipper, new bottom and pockets, new hook and loop tape for pocket flaps and a few new D-rings strategically placed for clip-type add-ons. Heavy denim, duck, canvas or awning fabric remnants are great to use for refashioning a backpack. Use a machine size 16 or 18 needle to best sew through the durable fabric.
Memo board – “Jazz Up and Organize” fabric covered memo board instructions from Craftygal.com.
Additional embellishments for the memo board might be to crisscross the fabric organizer with raffia or ribbon. Add fabric-covered or decorative buttons for a charming gift idea to make and give to a back-to-school teen to personalize. Use a juvenile fabric scrap for pre-schoolers to hold pictures and drawings. Try out a colorful fabric for those college bound who can use it as a dorm room memo board or as a way to post reminders for upcoming class assignments.
Bean Bag Chair from Sewing.org
Back to school heralds a time of change – new classes, new teachers, making new friends, reacquainting with old friends – having something lovingly sewn allows a connection to home, a bridge from what is known and comforting to ease the anxiety of what lies ahead, to what is possible and yet unknown.
Sew happy, sew well.
It’s going to be a busy weekend. I need to catch up on laundry (praying it doesn’t rain!!). Tonight we’re going to be runnning a lot of errands, trying to get ready for my class reunion on Saturday. Then Saturday, we’ll be all day in Burleson/Fort Worth area for the class reunion and to visit my Nanny. Sunday, we will have to get the front yard cut, as the wireless internet people will be coming out to see if we can get high speed service here (please pray that we can!!!) I don’t like doing work like that on Sundays, but it’s the only time this weekend that we can do it.
Today, I ordered this pattern from The Paisley Pincushion
I can’t wait for it to get here and give it a try. Marty loves this style of jumper and I imagine he’ll want me to make several (probably at least one in camo for hunting season…hehehe!)
Last night I tried a new recipe on the family. Mom fixed something similar while we were down there and I just knew Marty would love it (he did).
Stuffed Cornbread
(This makes 2 bread pans full and can be easily halved)
2 lb. ground beef or turkey
2 pkg. taco seasoning (about 4 tbsp.)
1 can green chilies (next time, I’m using rotel tomatoes)
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 onion, chopped
4 pkgs. corn bread mix (can make from scratch and do Nurishing Traditions style, I plan on trying that soon myself)
Eggs, water/milk for the corn bread mix
1 pkg. grated cheese
Brown the meat in a skillet along with the garlic and onion. Add the taco seasoning and chilies (or rotel). Heat through. Meanwhile mix up the cord bread mix. Spray 2 bread pans with non-stick spray. Pour 1/4 of corn bread mixture into the bottom of each pan. Pour in 1/2 meat mixture into each pan. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Top each pan with 1/4 (remaining) cornbread. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake at 425 for 25-3- minutes, until top is golden brown. Serve with beans (Nourishing Traditions Style) and a green salad. Yummy!! This served my family of four with no leftovers, but I’ve got a hubby that’s a big eater, a teenage boy and a 3 year old on a growing spurt!
Well, I’m out of here, got tons to do today!
