Forgiveness: 5 Reasons Why You Should Let Go of Resentments

Another one from Purpose Fairy.


“Forgiveness is the most powerful thing that you can do for your physiology and your spirituality, and it remains one of the least attractive things to us, largely because our egos rule so unequivocally. To forgive is somehow associated with saying that it is all right, that we accept the evil deed. But this is not forgiveness. Forgiveness means that you fill yourself with love and you radiate that love outward and refuse to hang onto the venom or hatred that was engendered by the behaviors that caused the wounds.” Wayne Dyer
So why should you let go of resentments? Because:

1. FORGIVENESS IS AN ACT OF STRENGTH

If you are filled with anger and resentment, I am sure that these words would probably seem like nonsense to you, but as time will go by and as the pain will diminish, you will come to the conclusion that you need to be strong enough to forgive, because: “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”  Ghandi

2. YOU HAVE THE POWER TO FORGIVE

If you ask me, there is not even one single being in this world who hasn’t been hurt and injured emotionally by somebody they knew and trusted, and if you ask me, it’s not that we CAN’T forgive, it’s more that we DON’T WANT to, and that’s okay. There is nothing wrong in this. You can’t really force yourself into doing something that you don’t want to do. What I personally believe is that , in order to forgive, we need to get a better understanding of why we should do so, and how will this act of forgiving benefit us. Just know that you do have the power to forgive, just now that you can forgive, and when needed, look and see how you could benefit from doing just that.
You can repeat to yourself that you can’t forgive and that you can’t let go of what they did to you, but deep down inside you know that it’s not that you can’t, it’s more that you don’t want to. There s a difference between these two words.
“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond the winning.” Lao Tzu

3. FORGIVENESS IS A GIFT WE GIVE TO OURSELVES

It’s not that you do THEM a favor by letting go of the resentments, by forgiving, because I know that’s exactly what most of us think. Why should I forgive them for what they did to me? No way! I want them to suffer as much as I did, and of course, we think they are the ones who are hurting, and maybe they are, but that’s not what matters. What really matters is that you allow yourself to receive this gift, and even though a voice inside your head will try to convince that they don’t deserve your forgiveness, you should listen to your own hear, because deep down in your heart, you know to let go of it all in order to find peace of mind and be happy.
You should allow yourself to receive this gift, because forgiveness is a gift you give to yourself, first and foremost. The moment you tell yourself: I had enough, this pain no longer serves me, that will be the moment you will actually understand why forgiveness is power and why you are the first one to benefit from it.

4. YOU WILL FIND PEACE OF MIND

Peace of mind is what you find the moment you let go of any grudges you are holding on to, any resentments and any remorses. That is exactly what you will tune into the moment you let go, the moment you decide that is time to forgive. The moment you say to yourself: It’s time to forgive! It’s time to forgive all of them and it’s time to forgive myself for not allowing peace to enter into my life earlier, that will be the moment your whole life will change.
“If you let go a little you will have a little peace; if you let go a lot you will have a lot of peace; if you let go completely you will have complete peace.”  Ajahn Chah

5. WHEN YOU FORGIVE, YOU GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO LIVE LIFE FULLY

Forgive those who have hurt you for they did what they knew best at that moment. How many people do you know that go around with the intention to actually hurt somebody? The majority of people are doing the best they can with what they know, where they are and with what they’ve got. Try to see everybody/ everything as lessons that you need to learn and master, because by doing so, you will not become a bitter person, you will become a better person.
We all have a choice, and we can chose to either be happy or unhappy; to choose to hold on to resentments, waste our time and energy, to be miserable, or let go of everything that no longer serves us. It is a choice that we all have.
“And … the question suddenly occurred to him: “What if my whole life has been wrong?” - taken from The Death of Ivan Ilych  by Leo Tolstoy

15 Things You Should Give Up To Be Happy

I found this on Purpose Fairy. Read through their other posts, they have some great advice!

1. GIVE UP YOUR NEED TO ALWAYS BE RIGHT

 There are so many of us who can’t stand the idea of being wrong – wanting to always be right – even at the risk of ending great relationships or causing a great deal of stress and pain, for us and for others. It’s just not worth it. Whenever you feel the ‘urgent’ need to jump into a fight over who is right and who is wrong, ask yourself this question: “Would I rather be right, or would I rather be kind?” Wayne Dyer. What difference will that make? Is your ego really that big?

2. GIVE UP YOUR NEED FOR CONTROL

Be willing to give up your need to always control everything that happens to you and around you – situations, events, people, etc. Whether they are loved ones, coworkers, or just strangers you meet on the street – just allow them to be. Allow everything and everyone to be just as they are and you will see how much better will that make you feel.

“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond winning.” Lao Tzu

3. GIVE UP ON BLAME

 Give up on your need to blame others for what you have or don’t have, for what you feel or don’t feel. Stop giving your powers away and start taking responsibility for your life.

4. GIVE UP YOUR SELF-DEFEATING SELF-TALK

 Oh my. How many people are hurting themselves because of their negative, polluted and repetitive self-defeating mindset? Don’t believe everything that your mind is telling you – especially if it’s negative and self-defeating. You are better than that.

“The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.” Eckhart Tolle

5. GIVE UP YOUR LIMITING BELIEFS

about what you can or cannot do, about what is possible or impossible. From now on, you are no longer going to allow your limiting beliefs to keep you stuck in the wrong place. Spread your wings and fly!

“A belief is not an idea held by the mind, it is an idea that holds the mind” Elly Roselle

6. GIVE UP COMPLAINING

 Give up your constant need to complain about those many, many, maaany things – people, situations, events that make you unhappy, sad and depressed. Nobody can make you unhappy, no situation can make you sad or miserable unless you allow it to. It’s not the situation that triggers those feelings in you, but how you choose to look at it. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.

7. GIVE UP THE LUXURY OF CRITICISM

Give up your need to criticize things, events or people that are different than you. We are all different, yet we are all the same. We all want to be happy, we all want to love and be loved and we all want to be understood. We all want something, and something is wished by us all.

8. GIVE UP YOUR NEED TO IMPRESS OTHERS

Stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not just to make others like you. It doesn’t work this way. The moment you stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not, the moment you take off all your masks, the moment you accept and embrace the real you, you will find people will be drawn to you, effortlessly.

9. GIVE UP YOUR RESISTANCE TO CHANGE

 Change is good. Change will help you move from A to B. Change will help you make improvements in your life and also the lives of those around you. Follow your bliss, embrace change – don’t resist it.
“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls” Joseph Campbell

10. GIVE UP LABELS

 Stop labeling those things, people or events that you don’t understand as being weird or different and try opening your mind, little by little. Minds only work when open. “The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about.” Wayne Dyer

11. GIVE UP ON YOUR FEARS

Fear is just an illusion, it doesn’t exist – you created it. It’s all in your mind. Correct the inside and the outside will fall into place.
“The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

12. GIVE UP YOUR EXCUSES

Send them packing and tell them they’re fired. You no longer need them. A lot of times we limit ourselves because of the many excuses we use. Instead of growing and working on improving ourselves and our lives, we get stuck, lying to ourselves, using all kind of excuses – excuses that 99.9% of the time are not even real.

13. GIVE UP THE PAST

I know, I know. It’s hard. Especially when the past looks so much better than the present and the future looks so frightening, but you have to take into consideration the fact that the present moment is all you have and all you will ever have. The past you are now longing for – the past that you are now dreaming about – was ignored by you when it was present. Stop deluding yourself. Be present in everything you do and enjoy life. After all life is a journey not a destination. Have a clear vision for the future, prepare yourself, but always be present in the now.

14. GIVE UP ATTACHMENT

This is a concept that, for most of us is so hard to grasp and I have to tell you that it was for me too, (it still is) but it’s not something impossible. You get better and better at with time and practice. The moment you detach yourself from all things, (and that doesn’t mean you give up your love for them – because love and attachment have nothing to do with one another,  attachment comes from a place of fear, while love… well, real love is pure, kind, and self less, where there is love there can’t be fear, and because of that, attachment and love cannot coexist) you become so peaceful, so tolerant, so kind, and so serene. You will get to a place where you will be able to understand all things without even trying. A state beyond words.

15. GIVE UP LIVING YOUR LIFE TO OTHER PEOPLE’S EXPECTATIONS

Way too many people are living a life that is not theirs to live. They live their lives according to what others think is best for them, they live their lives according to what their parents think is best for them, to what their friends, their enemies and their teachers, their government and the media think is best for them. They ignore their inner voice, that inner calling. They are so busy with pleasing everybody, with living up to other people’s expectations, that they lose control over their lives. They forget what makes them happy, what they want, what they need….and eventually they forget about themselves.  You have one life – this one right now – you must live it, own it, and especially don’t let other people’s opinions distract you from your path.

50 Reasons to Leave It Alone - I wouldn't circumcise my daughter, why should I cut my son?

This is from Nine Davids, and is too good not to share. This should absolutely be required reading for anybody having a son. 

50 Reasons to Leave It Alone

Your son's penis, that is.

DaVinci's "Vitruvian Man" - Did you ever notice that he has his whole penis?

I know, talking about baby penises seems like a strange choice for a blog post.  I used to think that penises came in two varieties, circumcised and uncircumcised....but education is a powerful thing.  Now, I know that they only come in one style - Natural - and we, as parents, choose to alter what God or Nature or Evolution or The Great Spaghetti Monster created.


Why am I calling "uncircumcised" penises "natural"?  Most of the "intactivist" culture uses the word "Intact", which is also accurate, but really, an uncircumcised penis is exactly that - natural.  

Just like women without breast implants have "natural" boobs, or a person has their "natural" nose before a nose job.   It's the way nature made it - therefore, a natural penis.  Does that mean a circumcised penis is unnatural?  Yes, it does.   

I do want to note that I'm not anti-circumcision.  If an adult man wants to modify his body, that is his choice and I support it - just as I would support a woman who wanted labiaplasty, or anyone who wanted to stretch their earlobes or tattoo their body.  I am opposed to the routine circumcision of infants for non-medical reasons.


So, here are 50 reasons to leave your son's penis alone and not let a doctor cut it up.


1.) It's his.

2.) I've never met a man who wanted "less" penis when he was old enough to care.  Men tend to like their penises just the way they are.

3.) You can change your mind.  It's not possible to "un-circumcise", although there are men who have chosen to restore their foreskin later in life.  If you're not sure, don't decide at all.   It's a non-decision.  :)

4.) There is no medical reason to do it routinely.

5.) Circumcision isn't the majority for newborns anymore.  According to theNew York Times, the infant circumcision rate is down to 32%.  That means 68% of your son's locker room will likely have natural penises.  If you circumcise, he will probably ask you why he's different from his buddies.

6.) Natural penises are easier to take care of during the diaper-changing years.  Just wipe it like a finger.  No retracting, no mess or fuss.  Compare that to having to care for an open wound in a diaper.

7.) You wouldn't cut your baby girl's genitals.  In fact, it's illegal - even a "nick" is illegal.  Male circumcision is a lot more involved than a nick!

8.) Many doctors and nurses refuse to perform the procedure because it violates the Hippocratic Oath - First, Do No Harm.

9.) It hurts.  A lot.  Really.  Don't believe me?  Watch a video.  With the sound up, please.  If you can't watch the whole thing, can you really ask your newborn to go through it?

10.) Babies can't be properly anesthetized.  An older child or adult would begiven anesthesia and strong pain medication after any kind of operation, especially one on their genitals.  Babies can't have the same level of anesthesia and after-care medicine that an older child or an adult would receive.

11.) Did you know?  Infant circumcision rates are less than 10% in the following counties: England, France, Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Canada, Mexico, all of South and Central America, Japan, China, Russia, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Greece, Taiwan, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Australia and more.

Infant circumcision rates are higher than 10% in the following countries: USA, Israel, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Syria, Lebanon,  Yemen, Qatar, Turkey, Jordan, Philippines, Indonesia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Republic of Congo, Eritrea, and Kenya.

12.) Men with natural penises are less likely to experience Erectile Dysfunction as they age.  Translation - your son will be less likely to need Viagra when he's 55.

13.) Female sexual partners of men with natural penises are more likely to achieve orgasm during sexual intercourse.  They are also less likely to need lubricant.

14.) There are over 20,000 nerve endings in the foreskin.  That's more than in the female clitoris.

15.) The foreskin protects the head of the penis.


16.) The foreskin provides lubrication during sexual intercourse.  Men with natural penises are less likely to use lubrication during sex or masturbation.

17.) No major medical organization on earth recommends routine circumcision of infants.

18.) It's easy to clean when he's older.  Shower.   Besides, by the time his foreskin is retractable, (average age, 10.4 years old), you will no longer be cleaning his penis.  I hope.

19.) Circumcision does not prevent AIDS, or any other STD. Condoms do.  Having sex with one, monogamous partner and avoiding IV drug use prevents AIDS.  Why would you assume your baby's going to be a man-whore anyway?

20.) We don't chop off ears to prevent ear infections.  We don't remove baby toenails to prevent fungal infections.  We don't cut off body parts anymore when a wound becomes infected.  In the very unlikely event your son does develop an infection, we have antibiotics.

21.) Circumcision in the US began as a method to discourage masturbation, advocated by Kellogg, the cereal magnate, who also believed in the importance of daily cold enemas.  Really - true story!! He stressed that circumcision should be done without anesthesia so boys would remember the pain every time they wanted to masturbate.   How'd that work out?

22.)  Natural penises only "look funny" to you if they are unfamiliar to you.  Your son's generation will see them as normal.

23.) Women produce far more smegma than men, but we don't cut off their baby girl labia to keep things "clean."

24.) Your son will respect you for leaving the decision up to him, and for respecting his right to genital integrity.

25.) Complications of circumcision are NOT rare. Check out this thread on Babycenter.com (a mommy board, not a circumcision website) to read their stories.

26.) Most hospital circumcisions are performed by Obstetricians and Gynecologists, whose specialty is female reproduction, not male.

27.) Circumcision is not usually performed in a sterile operating room, but in a dirty nursery or a side room in hospitals without nurseries.

28.) Circumcision makes money for doctors.  A doctor who performs circumcisions makes an extra $20,000-160,000 per year on the operations.  That's why they offer circumcision at hospitals - for cash.  They'll ask you if you want your son circumcised multiple times at the hospital: they want the money.

29.) Less than 1% of men with foreskins will ever "need" to be circumcised, just as the vast majority of women will never need a hysterectomy or mastectomy.  We don't remove tonsils or fingernails or anything else at birth "in case" it has a problem.

30.) Penile cancer causes 300 deaths a year, almost exclusively in men over the age of 70.  Infant circumcision causes over 500 deaths a yearworldwide.  Circumcision does not prevent penile cancer.

31.) Babies with foreskins are more likely to breastfeed successfully.  Infant circumcision interferes with breastfeeding and hinders breastfeeding success.  Isn't breastfeeding hard enough?

32.) Fathers don't spend time comparing penises with their sons.  If your son does notice that his penis is different from Dad's (other than size and hair), you can simply explain that Daddy had an operation when he was a baby.  My dad lost half of his ring finger in an accident, but I was never bothered by having all of my fingers.

33.) Your grandfather (or great-grandfather) probably wasn't circumcised, unless you are of Jewish or Muslim descent.  It's a relatively new thing in the USA.  Abe Lincoln and George Washington had foreskins.

34.) Most circumcised penises have scars.  If you've ever seen a circumcised penis, you have probably seen circumcision scars and didn't know what they were.  Curious?  Click here for pictures (adult eyes please, extremely graphic).

35.) When erect, natural penises don't look very different from circumcised ones (adult eyes please)

36.) Babies have died following complications of circumcision.

37.) Babies have had the glans (head) of their penis accidentally amputatedduring circumcision.

38.) Female circumcision was legal in the United States until 1985.  It waspracticed in the USA as recently as the 1979 to prevent masturbation.

39.) Your health insurance may not cover the procedure.  Medicaid does not cover it in 16 states, and many major insurance companies also do not reimburse for the surgery, since it is cosmetic.  If your insurance doesn't cover it, it probably also does not cover any complications.

40.) Babies are strapped down on a circumstraint to have the procedure done.  That is the most unnatural, terrifying position for a baby, who previously was all curled up and safe inside Mama's body.

41.)  If you believe in evolution, why are men born with foreskins?  If you believe in God, why did he give men foreskins?  Did they screw up?

42.) If you are Christian, your religion actually *forbids* circumcision.  Your son's body is a temple, and Jesus was the sacrifice to end all sacrifices - including the foreskin.  See this link for more info.

43.) If you are Jewish, you should know that there is considerable debateabout the religious necessity of circumcision.

44.) If you do believe that your religion requires the sacrifice of the foreskin, your son can choose to sacrifice his foreskin in the name of religion when he is old enough to make the decision himself.

45.) The foreskin is fused to the head of an infant's penis, just like your fingernail is fused to your finger.  Have you ever pulled back your fingernail all the way?  Owwwwwwwwwwwww.

46.) Circumcision makes penises smaller.  Who wants a smaller penis?

47.) "My partner should make the decision, he has a penis/she looks at penises" is a dumb reason to abdicate responsibility for a decision.  You are your baby's parent, penis or not, and you have a responsibility to protect your child from harm.  Victims of FGM (aka female circumcision) are the most vocal supporters and perpetrators of the abuse.  Call on your inner Mama or Papa-bear and stand up for your baby's rights.  Make your partnerwatch a video with the sound on and convince YOU why they want this done to their precious child.

48.) You have seen an uncircumcised penis, and you probably didn't even notice.  Take a look at this (safe for kids) picture!

49.) He'll be in good company.  Check out this (in my opinion, mouth-watering) gallery of famous intact men!  From Elvis, James Dean, Will Smith, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jude Law and sooo many others.

 Jensen Ackles, my personal favorite.

50.) It's his.  I know, I said it already. but it's really the first and last reason - and perhaps the only one you really need.  It's his body, and unless medically necessary, it should be his choice.  You wouldn't give him a nose job without his permission, you wouldn't tattoo your infant.  This is the same thing.  If you really look at your motives, why would you want to take the risks?  Leave the decision where it belongs - in your son's hands.

A little bit hippie...

I saw a link the other day to some blogs participating in writing about how they are "kind of" or "almost but not all the way" hippie (paraphrasing in mine). It definitely got me wondering what I would lose crunchy points on in my semi-hippie life.

-I am a HUGE natural birth/home birth/VBAC (my youngest was an all natural VBA2C) supporter BUT I have had hospital births, including 2 c-sections.
....In my defense, I really didn't start becoming hippie until about my third kiddo. Our next child WILL be a home birth. But our other births, I made my choices off of lack of educating myself. I am super proud of my man though, being able to tell you why inductions, epidurals and the like are bad. I should get a few points back for that.

-I carry in and use my Envirosax bags into any grocery store or farmers market I go to... ALMOST all the time.
....Yes, I do forget at times and use the horrible plastic bags from the store. But I do reuse those a million and five other ways, so it shouldn't get too many crunchy points deducted, right?

-Organic food is great, I buy it as much as I can. BUT sometimes there is no substitute for a Dominos Wisconsin cheese pizza, chocolate peanut butter Haagen Daaz and a few M&M's.
....I've got no excuse for that. Crunchy points deducted.

-My kids can pack a lunch that would make my imaginary-organic-hippie-Martha-Stewart-esque-friend proud. Complete with all natural peanut butter sandwiches, red peppers, carrots and coconut water.
....But they still love some Chick-fil-a. Those heavenly chunks of chicken can not possibly be hippie-approved. Sigh.

-I don't vaccinate my kids anymore. We did. But we don't anymore. BUT, I can't give you a HUGE detailed, linked, explanation as to why we don't. I might attempt that at some point, but for right now, I just don't like the info that I have read on vaccinations. I am not okay with them. Period. The choice to not vaccinate has made sense to me and that is all the explanation I need to give anyone.

-We cloth diaper. BUT we haven't always. It is better for babies skin, for the budget, and of course the environment. Ingredients in diapers cause me to freak out a bit. Ew.

-Breastfeeding advocates, here! I will glorify every reason to breastfeed, at any chance I get. It is amazing. And I will feed my child whenever and where ever my baby is hungry. Try me. The law is on my side. Can I get some points back for that? ;o)

-I would love to live further east in the town that we live in... have chickens, cows and a huge garden. I'd love to send my kids out barefoot for hours and let them eat berries off the bushes while climbing trees and catching minnows. BUT, alas, I live in suburbia. I'm not in a huge city, but not in the country. It's like "little suburbia" here. It fits us. We will have more garden this summer, by kids do run around barefoot in the backyard and all. It's a compromise.


So, I guess I am a partial hippie...? I'll take that. I think in some areas of life, a little bit is better than nothing. And from what I have seen, people can sway MORE to the natural side of life over time but I don't think i've ever seen someone revert back to non-hippie-ness after awhile.

Meet Me on Monday

Linking up with Bum Luxury and doing their Meet Me on Monday...

Questions: 

1. What is on your bedside table?

"Don't Make Me count To Three" and "IRAN Desperate for God"

2. Hardback, Paperback or E-Reader?

I like paperback. I do not like the feeling of holding a hardback book, especially when I get caught up in a great book and am reading for hours (when I should be sleeping...). I do have some e-books on the iPad, but I am not CRAZY about them. They might grow on me, though.

3. What is your 'go to' drink of choice?

Water, some ice, 2 slices of lemon. Naw, i'm not picky at all!

4. How do you like to spend your birthday?

Dinner date with my husband. Our birthdays are a week apart, so I like to go out with him for a nice dinner, to celebrate both of our special days. 

5. Finish this sentence - I would never be caught dead in ...

Big hoop earrings. I just don't get them. At all.

Answer them on your blog and link up - or answer them in the comment section below - 

Why I hate Sustainablebabyish Sloomb wool...

Okay, okay... maybe hate is a strong word. Strongly dislike? Am very frustrated with? Would never ever buy wool from again? Insert whichever one you prefer, but I feel like any of them would do.

To be fair-ish (I love using 'ish' and it seems to fit here) the product itself is great. WHEN it fits, WHEN it matches the description and WHEN it finally comes in. Erin (owner/founder/whatever) of Sustainablebabyish/Sloomb, picks beautiful colors. Hands down gorgeous colors of wool longies, shorties, covers and underwoolies. Just be prepared to take some TOPAMAX migraine meds before and during the ordering process.

To start with my rant, we will start at the beginning... The lovely ordering process. All her wool is preorder. Because, you know, it is so easy to guess what size your baby is going to fit into when the wool gets to you. Babies change so very much in a three month period. What I THOUGHT my son would be wearing is actually too small now and I just wasted $64.95 on a pair of wool longies that no longer fit him. Now you have a choice. You CAN send them back to Erin and exchange them for something that fits (if you can get ahold of her, but that is another paragraph) but you are now waiting another month before you get those in hand. Frustrating, for sure. What other cloth diaper company does those kinds of pre-orders on the majority of their items? I can 't think of another one, but I would love to know if there is another one that does.

Continuing on the ordering... what can you order from Sustainablebabyish/Sloomb's site right now? Their diapers are pre-order, though those are made in the USA ("At this time" their site says, how soon until those are made in China?) so they arrive faster, seem to come more frequently and are easier (but not simple) to get some. Their wool (as stated above) is pre-order. Pins, snappi's, lanolin, diaper creams, wool liners, diaper liners, other brand flats, detergent, wool wash bars... basically OVER 70 items are sold out, no longer available or pre-order. If you are in the market for a Monkey Foot Designs bag or a baby carrier, you should be able to find one on Sloomb. But really, you'd be better off ordering from those companies directly.

As far as when they wool gets here... yeah... it has to get over from China, get through customs, get to Sloomb and then get to you. Pre-order dates are estimates. It has taken over a month after the pre-order dates for wool to get to Sloomb before it is even in a box on it's happy way to you. Do they fit when they get to you, finally? I hope so!

Oh, the fit of the wool. Time to hit that subject. Size charts are a guesstimate. According to Sloomb, knits aren't made to be the same length as other knits in the same line/batch of wool. I call crap on that. I think that they could be more selective in the inseam lengths and they choose not to be. Also, Sloomb says that they are made to be worn cuffed and even made to be worn as capri's and such. While I have seen people use them on taller kids as capri's (though most go to shorties for that) the vast majority of people I have talked to about it, prefer them to be worn un-cuffed. Look through Sloomb's customers pictures on Facebook and you will find nearly all of them are not cuffed. The Sloomb website's pictures also show no cuffed longies. You expect to get it to fit like is pictured. Keep dreaming though.

Back to the size charts... So, they are a guesstimate. You order wool and it might be a little big or a little small but you work around it. New wool pre-orders are up! YAY! You order the wool off of what you know the fit to be, right? You wait your weeks after weeks and when it finally gets to you, you are SHOCKED that the $400 or so dollars you dropped on wool is too SHORT! WHAT? You see, Sloomb got the wool in and the inseams are 2 inches (sometimes more, sometimes less... see pic below) too short. Did Erin at Sloomb feel the need to give anyone a heads up on their Facebook? Not at all. Why would any respectable company want to warn their customers that the wool is running short this batch and they might want to size up? Very unprofessional. It's a one time mistake, though... right? NOPE. Now, the next pre-orders come in. They are fitting like a few batches ago but not the most previous batch of wool. Does Sloomb give a head up that their wool is running bigger? No. But don't worry, you can cuff them, right? What about the wool covers, though? You can't cuff those, but those are also running bigger/smaller depending on the batch that you get. Grab some of the migraine meds, because you now need to send them back and here is the tricky part... getting ahold of Sloomb.

Inseam variance on longies of the same size:

Size difference in covers, though I didn't get a great picture. I have an inch difference in rise and on leg openings. These are pictured with the tops even but it might have been better to make the bottoms even:

So now you have to contact Sloomb. You go to their site and fill out the contact form. A week goes by. Then another. You send in another. It goes unanswered. You go to their Facebook and mention, "Hey, I sent you a few emails, can you get back to me?" You might get a response within another day or so. There are people that have tried for OVER a month to get ahold of Sloomb, only to have their orders being sent to the wrong address (what they were trying to contact them about) or now the stuff they wanted to exchange their ill-fitting wool for in no longer available. If you have been a longtime customer, I guess it is known to call Erin. Um, where does it say that on Sloomb's site? It doesn't. It says to fill out the contact form and they will get back to you. You shouldn't have to go to a company's Facebook page or dig around their Facebook page to find out that you need to call them. Again, to be fair-ish, when getting in contact with them, they are pleasant.

Sloomb does sell 'seconds' now and then on their site. Good luck getting some, though. Erin will post to the Facebook wall when there is some in and it gets devoured within minutes. There isn't a fair chance to order any. In fact, even regular stockings are posted there and things get snatched up so quickly. If you have your iPad next to you hitting 'refresh' every few minutes, maybe you will score what you need.

What it boils down to is that Sloomb fancies itself a small company. It is run by a one woman, in all intents and purposes. It wants to be considered a small company, but they have a HUGE customer demand. Over 40 other cloth diaper companies (some in other countries, even!) sell their product and I can only name a handful that have a few pieces in stock in their stores/sites (normally an odd size that isn't incredibly popular). The demand for Sloomb is gigantic. Sloomb NEEDS to hire some help. Hire someone for the office side of things to take calls, answer emails in a timely manner, etc. Having more in stock items would be nice. Having a much easier process of ordering would be nice. And especially, accurate size charts on the different batches of wool would be immensely helpful. However, Sloomb doesn't see the need for this/has said they will not change it and is not willing to budge on any of it. Fantastic, huh? Sloomb has hit the "big company status" of having their product no longer made in the USA. It is now made in China. Not that it CAN'T be made here, but that is something else Erin chooses to not change. In her words, "Having Sloomb made there supports the Chinese, the customs people..." Don't get me wrong, I do buy other things/diapers/items made in China. But hiding behind the true reason you have them made there isn't cool. She will give you a text book answer (probably copy and pasted) if you ask about them being made in China... "made in a socially and environmentally responsible knit house in China that are GOTS, Oko-Tex and ISO 9001:2000 certified...."and has said that she refuses to change it.

Check out other blogs, reviews and such before ordering from them. You should be able to find them pretty easily and will see that these aren't issues that only a few people are having. Hmm... I wonder why Sloomb won't request to be a part of Padded Tush Stats? Most likely because they know they would get horrid reviews and don't want the truth out about it. 165 other cloth diaper retailers are on it (the actually retailer has to ask to be put on) but for some, ahem, odd reason... Sloomb doesn't desire to be on it. Peculiar, I say.

If you still think the product is worth having, the easier route would be to order through another company that sells it. Luckily, some other companies WILL give a heads up when the wool is looking to err on a shorter/longer/smaller size. That speaks hugely of a company. Some choose not to do pre-orders which is nice. You can sign up for email alerts when they stock and you can get on and get what you need ordered. I have had amazing experiences ordering from Weedle Weedle, Nappies and More, and Ma Fleur de Lait. The latter one is in Canada, so be prepared to pay a little more for shipping unless there is a promotion going on.

Random thoughts I snagged...

Outside my window..... Falling rain

I am thinking.... I need a date with my husband soon.

I am thankful for..... My youngest son most likely not needing surgery.

I am wearing.... Khaki poplin pants and a shirt I got at a 5k run

I am hearing..... My 3 month old baby boy breathing deeply, laying on my lap.

I am remembering.... Not a lot these days... Nursing brain... I am lucky to remember shoes when I leave the house these days.

I am going.... To clean my closet this weekend, again. It is a never ending project.

I am reading..... Created to be his helpmeet.... And, mission to motherhood.

I am hoping.... My package of rumparooz gets here quickly!

On my mind..... Getting some cleaning done, remembering to play checkers with my eldest tomorrow, taking the wee ones cast off next week, a friend that is far away but always on my mind, hoping to remember to order a shirt I've been itching for on Tuesday... Lots of random thoughts!

Noticing that..... the movie I am watching never gets old

Pondering.... Something secret ;o) maybe I'll tell soon...

Around the house.... Too much! Looking forward to getting rid of some stuff in the next few weeks

One of my favorite things.... Coffee