America's Amish population has nearly doubled in the last 16 years.  Why?

• More children.  With an average of 5 per family, and 4 of 5 choosing to remain Amish upon reaching adulthood, they are just simply growing!
• The appeal.  There are both converts and a high retention rate because people are becoming disenchanted with the pursuit of ever more stuff, ever more entertainment.

When my parents visited Pennsylvania Dutch country a few years ago, they brought back a book on the Amish.  From it, I learned that I had always been wrong about their opposition to technology.  It's not because they believe it's inherently immoral, or playing God, or what have you.  It's because it separates people.  You can only go so far in a day in a horse-drawn buggy, and your neighbors are going to see a lot more of you in a small house with no phone or internet.

There is no doubt that we move away from families more, spend less time visiting with our children and spouses, and more time with our noses in phones, iPods, and computers as more and more technology comes about.  Even while believing that technology can be a useful tool in society, we can take a lesson from the Amish and be more present with those around us, here and now, wherever we are.

Ten years ago, there were no hip diaper bags.  No backpack or incognito options.  You got what Wal-Mart or Babies R Us offered, and that was usually big, frilly, and pastel.  Even the "free" formula bags were pastel.  I searched long & hard for something that Daddy could carry, forewent lace, and didn't scream I Have Lost All My Taste!  Navy, burgundy, & ecru, my gender-neutral Noah's Ark bag was still big & dumpy.

My diaper bag has definitely seen some changes over the years.  Especially in the last year!  Here is what it looked like with my first child:

• Typical day: bottle, bottle liners, baby food, snacks (for both of us), baby spoons, bib(s), burp cloths, "dirty duds bag," backup clothes, 6-8 diapers, travel wipes container, changing pad, blanket, rash cream, Purell, toys, mini-book(s), hat, spare grocery bags, nursing pads, & a bulb aspirator.  Now, I traveled light, compared to some!  No paci, lovey, sunblock, formula cans, extra shirt (mine), or first aid kit (bandaids, thermometer, Neosporin, ...).  So wherever I went, I had my gigundo diaper bag and my purse and my baby lugged in a car seat.

With each child, my bag got smaller and emptier.  As I became a full-time mother and started to see that I didn't need all the "things" the baby industry said I did, I pared down.  Now I just carry a purse.  Not a diaper-bag-that-looks-like-a-purse or a purse-that-doubles-as-a-diaper-bag.  A purse.  W/ my 15mo & 3yo, here's what it looks like:

• Typical day: 2 small prefolds (cloth diapers), a really pretty matching changing pad & clean/dirty bag, 2 wash cloths (wet under the faucet), a reusable grocery bag that folds into itself, and a clip that turns anything rectangular into a bib.  Depending on the age of the babe & the day, I might add a small wooden toy, board book, or apple.  The purse has slots for cards & ID, so I only bring my wallet if I need checks or cash.  Almost always, I take just my purse & my baby on my hip or back in a sling.

All of these reflect a lifestyle change, choices that I've made differently as I've gone along.

( Read more on how I pared down... )


I'm not sayin' this is the way you gotta be.  It's just the way I've become, and I really like it!</div>
Now when we pack for a long trip?  Baby's suitcase gets 3-4 outfits, 6 flat diapers (rinse & dry in no time), 2 wool covers, sling, Ergo.  Toy.

Yes, olive oil.  No, I'm not kidding!

Unrefined olive & coconut oils, and shea butter, have a natural sun protection equivalent to about SPF 4-6.  That means if you are super pale and can't stay out more than 15 min w/o burning, extra virgin olive oil will give you an hour.  For most folks, most of the year, olive oil will get you 2-4hrs protection all by itself.

I've tried it.  It works.  With no chemicals, and the added bonus of being a wonderful moisturizer!  Affordable, too. (esp. compared to commercial natural sunscreens)

Caveat: do read my experience with using it over the course of a day in FL here.  I've found that re-applying will only get additional sun protection if preceeded by a good long session in the shade first.

(No, it's not greasy - just use a little, and it rubs right in.)
(No, it doesn't fry you.  Chances are, the "oil" you remember your friends coating themselves with in the 70s was "baby oil" (mineral oil, a petroleum product), which, according to one site (which I have NOT substantiated), dissolves the skin's natural oils, leaving you more exposed than if you had nothing at all!)
(We keep it in an old vitamin E oil container - holds an ounce or two - with a flip-top lid reclaimed from a lotion bottle.  Perfect, and lovely, too, with the golden oil & black lid.  Fits perfectly in my purse or glove box.)

 Some time last year, when I decided to eliminate certain yucky things from our diets (high fructose corn syrup; artificial colors, sweeteners, flavors, and preservatives), I realized that the alternatives were EXPENSIVE!  (until I found Trader Joe's, but even that didn't entirely solve the problem)  And when I wanted to buy cleaners that were non-toxic and/or biodegradable, well, how could I afford that?  Again, and again, I came up against the dilemma: how can I afford to buy the non-yucky versions of all these things in my life?  Sunscreen, shampoo, kitty litter, detergent ...

The answer for me was not to buy them anymore.  Instead, I've found that when switching away from bad-for-us products, there are two alternatives: buy a "green" or "natural" version of the product, or go all-natural down to the simplest possible way to do it.  

"I thank God for Pampers!

I can't count how many times I've heard that, and I was solidly in that camp for a good 8 years.  I mean, I read What to Expect & it said that even environmentally, it was a wash - the multiple washings, mega chemicals, & diaper service trucks needed to get cloth clean meant there was no clear advantage. 

(Did I really believe that?  If someone told me that disposable clothes were no worse for the environment than reusable, would I believe that?)

Why kill myself for them, then?

But if it weren't for the work - the filthy, back-breaking, disGUSting work - wouldn't I rather wrap my baby's bum in soft cloth than plastic & gel?  Do I really want my baby's poo wrapped in triple plastic (diaper, genie refill, & landfill liner) for the next 850 years?

What if the work isn't what I thought it was?  ( What if there were no pins, toilet dunks, ... )