Raising Gilbert

Eco-mama, sharing tips on cloth nappies and sustainable living

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Category: Cloth Nappy Index

Peachi Baby review

Nappy Type The Peachi Baby is a pocket nappy with a clip in element to it. In a pocket nappy there is an outer waterproof wrap, with an inner thin layer, in this case in fleece. They have a hole in one end of the nappy which acts as a built in pocket, in which you add…

Bambino Mio Miosolo review

Nappy Type The Bambino Mio Miosolo is an All-in-One (AIO) nappy. In an AIO nappy, the absorbent part of the nappy is built into the wrap. These nappies are generally really easy to use, and therefore are often a good choice for nursery, or when someone else is looking after baby. Nappy Fit Make sure the fold out…

TotsBots EasyFit review

Nappy Type The TotsBots EasyFit is an All-in-One (AIO) nappy. In an AIO nappy, the absorbent part of the nappy is built into the wrap. These nappies are generally really easy to use, and therefore are often a good choice for nursery, or when someone else is looking after baby. There are a few different…

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Last week saw the death of another person of colour at the hands of the police in the US. And as I sit here watching my baby sleep, I can’t help but see the privilege afforded to him by just being born white. But ashamedly it has taken the death of George Floyd and days of rioting for me to be reminded of this constant injustice. For me it is not a daily reality and I admit that because of this it’s not something I have given much thought to... until another video appears of another life lost... then it comes to the forefront yet again. I am afforded the luxury of feeling upset and angry when it suits. When George Floyd fades into the memory of the white world, will we fall straight back into our daily routines. Not a second thought of leaving the house, driving our car, shopping, just doing what we usually do. Because all around the world, this is a constant worry for so many people of colour. As a white British women it can seem as though this is so far away from me that really, what can I do? But that’s the problem isn’t it. It’s not enough to be non racist. And that’s not to say that there isn’t racism in this country too. Remember last year when Gary Neville was praised for his response to racist abuse during a match, saying “We have a racism problem in the Premier League... in England”. Then in the same week Stormzy was vilified by the media and public when he responded “yes... 100%” when asked in an interview if the UK was still a racist country. As a white person wherever you are in the world, let’s wake up to this problem. Let’s not ignore it just because we consider ourselves not to be racist. Let’s make the memory of George Floyd be that of change. Let’s not just sit back and wait and then watch in horror when another video appears of another black life lost. I am no authority on this. I’m not even informed enough to write this post. But I couldn’t stay quiet. That’s part of the problem. #blacklivesmatter #whiteprivilege #endracism

@lauratweedale recently posed the question ‘what does sustainable living mean to you?’ She talked of the reasons behind our choices and invited us to share our own ideas and values. Our introduction to sustainable living was through living on a narrowboat. I have posted on this before and will share the post in my stories along with Laura’s post. But what living on a narrowboat taught us was how wasteful we all are in general. When you have to physically take your waste (general rubbish, recycling and human waste!) to the appropriate disposal facilities, and refill your tanks with water and fuel, you soon learn the value of your commodities! You learn very quickly not to waste, and with such limited space you also learn what “stuff” is important to have in your life and your home. But it wasn’t just the narrowboat life that shaped our idea of sustainable living. During that period of our lives we also worked from a dairy farm (doing masonry not farming). What we learnt was that the big milk companies pay the farmer pennies, and that he makes his humble living mainly from his middle of the night milk rounds. He barely broke even from the big corporations whose milk most people buy from the supermarket. It really taught us the value of supporting local, along with posing questions of animal welfare and UK farming. Since then, many things have influenced our sustainable choices, but this time in our lives really shaped how we live now. And what I have learnt from writing this post, is how much cooler I used to be 😂 #theresnoplanetb #ecoswaps #ourplanetisnotdisposable #ecoparenting #ecomum #lowwastefamily #sustainableliving #sustainablemama #lowwasteliving #slowliving #ukmums #ecoliving #livewithless #lowimpactliving #consciousconsumer #wastefreeplanet

The last couple of days have mainly been spent doing this. Planting out broccoli and desperately trying to stop Gilbert from sabotaging planting out broccoli 😂 In other news our garden furniture arrived. We toyed with the idea of making it, but literally we have so much stuff to do/make, and we searched for second hand, but it seems good second hand garden furniture is pretty hard to find! So we settled on this sustainably sourced eucalyptus set (swipe to see). The old gate in the background of the furniture photos was being thrown out by someone but it’s oak and with a lick of paint will be lovely, so it will become our new garden gate as our old one is rotten. And lastly, the one courgette plant that has survived Gilbert, the dogs, and the wind, has just started to flower!! Yay! I think that just about updates you on all of our goings on! I hope you’re enjoying this beautiful, sunny Saturday! #gardeningwithkids #happysaturday #reuse #secondhand #sustainable #lockdowngardening #mumlife #ukmums #candidmotherhood

Sometimes you just need a cream tea for one! Well that was a lot of effort for a quick thought earlier of ‘ooo I just fancy a current scone’ 😂 Worth it though! Plus I don’t get my fancy tea set out very often! Little side note but the tea set was the one we used when we had afternoon tea on my hen do. I turned 30 a few weeks later and my lovely friends bought me the set to remind me of that lovely day 🥰 Right! Back to reality. Time to follow Gilb and stop him from trampling on the plants as he potters round the garden. We’ve already had one casualty today! #lockdownbaking #lockdowncreamtea #coronacalm #treatyourself #mumlife #whilehenaps #ukmums

It’s been a relaxed one here today. Lots of lounging around and snuggles. And I managed a bit of work on the family history whilst Gilbert napped. I’m working on the first of a series of books documenting my family’s history to share with the rest of my family. I get so engrossed in it, I just wish I could know more about what their lives were like! Anyway, I hope you’re all enjoying a lovely Sunday doing what you love! Oh the bum is one of our faves by @babaandboo #slowliving #family #mumlife #clothmadesimple #makeclothmainstream #fluffbummama #clothnappies #flashyourfluff #makelaundrynotlandfil #clothbummum #clothbummumm #thecheekofclothnappies #theresnoplanetb #sundayvibes

Following on from my last post I wanted to share a bit about myself and what I do for a living. I am a Stone Conservator and Stonemason by trade, and have been lucky enough to work on many prestigious buildings, such as York Minster, Manchester Cathedral and the Canadian Parliament Buildings to name a few. Tom and I met at masonry college, and we have travelled across the country and Canada, with our work. When I found out I was pregnant I went through a period of feeling really quite lost. I was half way through my Masters in Conservation and couldn’t help but think that I was about to give up the career I had worked damn hard for! I don’t work on the tools anymore and sometimes that makes me sad. But it’s not practical for both Tom and I to be doing a very manual, and VERY dusty job. When I became a mum I dropped down to part time at work, I now work 2 days a week in a Stonemasonry office, writing reports and doing technical drawing, amongst other standard officey things. I still venture on site every now and then, but now my tools are a tape measure and a pencil, rather than grinders and pointing irons. The rest of my time is spent at home with Gilbert, where the tape measure has been swapped for cloth nappies and an achy back comes from constantly picking up toys rather than the weight of a 9” grinder! So have I lost my career? Well it’s certainly changed a lot in the last few years but no I don’t think so, I’m still involved, and no one can take away from me the wonderful jobs I’ve done in the past. My Masters is still on hold but I do plan to finish it. Priorities change so much when you have children, and honestly I wouldn’t swap what I have now for anything! This is by far the most rewarding job I’ve ever had! This post was inspired by a conversation I had with @thelittlestonecottage who worked in animation for tv/film! I’d love to know what you all do for a living, whether that is different after kids, or not! Please share in the comments! #mumlife #notjustamum #parenting #ukmums #sahm #workingmums