Pamper your baby with reusable diapers

By Jade and Thalen Zimmerman

Parenthood is a whirlwind. It is a constant cycle of learning life lessons and teaching life lessons and it comes at you fast. But, it’s beautiful chaos.

Children are life’s greatest blessing.

We were not ready to be parents; we don’t believe anyone is.

A little over a month after we got married, we found out that we were going to have our little girl. It wasn’t a shock, but it made us catch our breaths.

“We” are Jade and Thalen Zimmerman. We have been married for nearly two years now but together for six and in it for life. We met while taking care of the elderly as nursing assistants in a longterm care facility. Ironically, we started off together wiping butts and here we are today.

So many thoughts rushed through our heads when we found out about our little girl Sonny. How do we raise her to be a peaceful-strong-independentadventurous-loving-healthy-confidentsmart-beautiful person and how do we do it financially?

One of the obvious things that came to mind was diapers.

As convenient as they are, disposable diapers are expensive, harmful to the environment and filled with chemicals.

On average, diapers can cost parents nearly $100 a month. An article published by the National Library of Medicine noted that cloth diapering proponents have implicated leakproof polymers, super absorbent polymers and some scented chemicals as some of the key factors in everything from chronic diaper rash, respiratory problems like asthma, male infertility even to testicular cancer.

One of the leakproof proponents mentioned above is Ahcovel.

A lawsuit filed in December 2022 by four parents against KimberlyClark Corporation – the company that produces Huggies diapers – claims that the company makes their diapers with “dangerous amounts” of Ahcovel.

“Unfortunately, certain levels of Ahcovel can severely irritate the skin – something Kimberly-Clark acknowledges in internal documents provided by former quality control specialist Frank Fritz Kromenaker,” the lawsuit read.

On the environmental side of disposable diapers, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that there were 4.1 million tons of disposable diapers thrown away in 2018. And with most diapers not being biodegradable, those millions of tons of diapers will be around for a while.

It was stats like these that influenced our decision to use reusable cloth diapers.

Right now, we have just over 30 reusable diapers and we’ve never run into the issue of running out before they were all washed. Some of them we received brand new as gifts and some we got used (and deep cleaned) from friends. Personally, we have spent just over $140, which got us 14 diapers. That seems like a lot, but when others are spending $100 a month on disposables, it’s a no-brainer to go reusable.

The diapers we use can last anywhere from two to six years if taken care of properly – washing regularly and hanging to dry. And they adjust with age.

To help them last, we use liners to protect them from number twos and insertable bamboo absorbers to prevent leaking from number ones. When a diaper is soiled, we rinse it in the toilet and throw it in a garbage can lined with a reusable smell-proof bag until it’s time to wash them.

We were told by some friends and family that we would get sick of the extra work that goes with them. They expected us to resort to disposable diapers. Well, it’s been a year of cloth diapering and we still have yet to buy a disposable. It is gross rinsing them in the toilet but at the end of the day, it’s just another chore like washing the dishes.

It is the peace of mind that comes from our baby being safer and healthier that keeps us going strong.

Our cloth diapers (above) use an insertable pad for absorption and bamboo liners to protect the diaper itself. Today’s cloth diapers (right) come in a variety of colors and designs.

I was in need of a quick and easy dessert for a potluck, so I headed for my go-to place and searched Pinterest for something to fill that need. Oh boy, did I hit the jackpot.

These carmelitas are ooey-gooey, chocolately-caramel oatmeal goodness! If you need something to satisify a sweet tooth, this recipe is it.

I did make some changes though. In place of the caramel ice cream topping, I substituted a 16-oz. container of Litehouse caramel apple dip and didn’t add the extra flour. I just warmed the container in the microwave until it was pourable.

The other change I made was to add more chocolate chips than the recipe called for, sprinkling more on the top after adding the second layer of the crust mixture. In my opinion, you need to measure chocolate chips with your heart, not a measuring cup!

The result was perfectly delicious treats that were snapped up nearly as fast as they landed on the table. I will certainly be adding this to my regular rotation of desserts.

Carmelitas Ingredients

CRUST:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups quick cooking oats

1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1-1/4 cups unsalted butter (if using salted butter, omit extra salt)

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

FILLING:

1 12.25-oz. jar caramel ice cream topping

3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray.

MIx flour, oats, brown sugar, butter, baking soda and salt until mixture is crumbly. Reserve 3 cups of crust mix. Press remaining mixture firmly into bottom of pan and bake 10 minutes.

While crust is baking, combine caramel and flour and mix until smooth.

Remove crust from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Drizzle evenly with caramel mixture. Sprinkle reserved crust mixture evenly over the top and bake an additional 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and cool for 1 hour, then refrigerate 1-2 hours to set the filling.

Symbols also show her faith in God

By Celeste Edenloff

“My body is my journal, and my tattoos are my story,” is a quote that has been attributed to the well-known actor, Johnny Depp.

But, it could have easily also been said by Osakis native Christa Hensley.

Hensley, 42, who now lives in Alexandria, is the mother of Ryker, Danza and angel Joely, and fiancée to Justin Shutter. She is also a teacher in the Osakis School District.

Hensley’s body is adorned with several tattoos, each with their own story that together make up her story.

Her first tattoo, a butterfly on her lower back, was done when she was a rebellious 18-year-old. She remembers always wanting a tattoo but said her dad was against them. When she turned 18, she remembers, she went to Brainerd where her sister lived, to finally get a tattoo.

She knew it was going to be a butterfly, which she had always loved as she believes they represent people who have passed away.

“When I see a butterfly, it reminds me of them,” she said.

And even though she was excited for that first tattoo, she also remembers how nervous she felt and how she thought, “When my dad finds out, I wonder what’s going to happen.”

Nothing did end up happening.

Except, her tattoo collection has expanded.

A Representation Of Loss

Fifteen years ago, Hensley got a very special tattoo on her foot. She had given birth to twin girls – Danza and Joely. They were very premature and not more than a month after she had them, Joely passed away. Danza lived and in December 2022, celebrated her 15th birthday.

As a way to memorialize Joely, Hensley got another tattoo – this time, on the top of her foot. The tattoo is of Joely’s actual footprint with a halo on top and half an angel wing. It also includes Joely’s name.

The tattoo artist added the halo and the wing and when Hensley asked about why there was only one wing, she was told that it was because Joely wasn’t complete because she was missing her twin sister, Danza.

Hensley was impressed by the tattoo artist’s ability to come up with that idea after she had shared the story of her twins. She said it was the perfect representation.

God Is Great

While on vacation in Las Vegas, Hensley decided it was time for another tattoo. She chose an ornate cross and said she chose it because it is symbolic of Christianity. That tattoo is on the back of her neck.

A couple of years later, she got a tattoo of the ichthys or “Jesus fish.”

“I wanted people to know that I believe in God,” said Hensley.

That tattoo is on the inside of her wrist. And on the inside of her arm are symbols that represent the saying, “God is greater than your highs and lows.”

After the birth of her twins with the loss of Joely and the challenges that came with raising Danza, a very premature baby, Hensley said people kept saying how strong she was and that God doesn’t give people more than they can handle.

“I was maxed out with what he had given me. He must think too much of me because I can’t do this anymore,” Hens- ley said she thought at the time.

But then things changed.

“I could either choose to be negative and depressed for the rest of my life and be a victim or use this to help other people and show them that when things happen, it doesn’t mean that God doesn’t love you and he’s not there for you. He’s in charge of his plan and I just need to know he’s always there for me. He’s always greater than my highs and my lows,” said Hensley. “We go to him in our lives when we are low and not always high, but we need him for our lows and our highs. You have to choose. Are you going to be the victim or are you going to rise above? We have to switch how we see things.”

That tattoo on the back of her arm will always be that reminder to her that God is always greater than her highs and her lows.

Calming Coloring

One of the most intricate tattoos she has is on her left arm. It is called a tattoo sleeve and starts at the top of her shoulder and goes all the way down to her wrist.

It is a work in progress that has a deep meaning behind it.

Hensley and her daughter, Danza, love to spend time together coloring in coloring books.

“Coloring is calming for us,” she said.

The artwork on her sleeve came from those coloring sessions, she said. She brought a design into the tattoo artist and the first pieces were started. Because the tattoo shop in St. Cloud where she started her sleeve closed, Hensley found another artist, Hillary Rose of Black Rose Tattoo Parlor in Hoffman, to continue the work.

The sleeve not only includes designs from the coloring pages, but it also includes diamond shapes in the color of her children’s birthstones. It also includes the word Grace for her grandmother who has passed away.

Hensley said that Rose had her put together a Pinterest board of things she liked and that Rose asked her lots of questions during the process.

HENSLEY continued on 20

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