*Guest Post* First Ski Tour With Mama

I am pleased to welcome Katie to the blog today.  After emailing me a few months back and mentioning she lives in a cabin in the mountains with her husband and young daughter, I knew she would have some good stories!  I was thrilled when she finally agreed to share one with us all.  As always, please feel free to leave her some love in the comments!

It snowed.  Finally.  I can’t believe it’s taken until February for the snow conditions to be good enough to take our baby for a ski tour.  We’ve had more wind, rain and ice crusts this year than snow.  Typically by now, I would have been out skiing a good 30+ days; even last year, when I was pregnant.  But this winter is different for another reason; we now have a sweet 7 month old, S. 

It was a beautiful day for a ski tour, at least at first.  We typically like to get an early start, but after figuring out what gear we needed and how to fit it all into the kid carrier (we attached a separate bag), making breakfast and packing lunch, feeding and changing S again, getting the skis ready, and putting her pacifier on belay, we finally headed out at the crack of 11:30.  We were familiar with dressing her in the cold:  long sleeved Capilene onsie with pants, baby leg warmers to keep her legs warm while changing her outdoors, knitted socks, booties, wool mittens, a thick fleece one piece suit with handwarmers in the hands and feet, a little hat with a felted wool earflap hat over top, sunglasses to protect her eyes and a bit of sunscreen on her exposed face, all under a toasty down outfit.  We planned to be outside for up to 5-6 hours and wanted to be prepared for anything.   We’d done plenty of cross country skiing and snowshoeing with S on our backs or in her ski trailer, and a little skinning uphill before our local resort opens in the morning.  We like to take her on an outside adventure at least 5 days a week.  But this was the first backcountry ski tour that I skinned up and skied down with S.  I wanted to carry her so I knew I could do it, even though my husband usually carries the heavier backpack.  Note: we are both experienced skiers and have excellent backcountry travel skills.  We completely avoid avalanche terrain while traveling with S. 

Bitti Tutto Cloth Diaper Review and *GIVEAWAY*

**CLOSED!  Congrats to Leslie G. for liking Itti Bitti on Facebook!  Your diaper will be on its way to you shortly!**

As a family, we have been using cloth diapers for over two years now.  I must say it is a completely different ball game with two kids instead of one (especially when traveling) but we absolutely think it is worth it.  Great for the environment, chemical-free and saves us a bundle of money (around $2000 a year with two kids...and that is a modest estimate.)

Most of our stash is full of BumGenius All-In-Ones but lately we have been able to try out a few other brands.  I was one of the lucky ones chosen to be able to review Itti Bitti's brand new Bitti Tutto in the carnival print (limited edition.)  I have to honestly say this is my new favorite diaper, hands-down.  J agrees (and P certainly would if he had the words to express it!)

Diapers.

I love that we use cloth diapers. I love that it is healthy for our children. I love that we are reducing trash by a significant amount.  I love that we are saving money (assumedly $1500 a year!).  I don't love that our electricity is about half the normal cost at night. I don't like that it consequently means doing 2 loads + hanging diapers to dry in the middle of the night. I don't love folding them.  But, the benefits far outweigh the inconveniences and so we will continue!  And seriously, babies are CUTE in cloth diapers!