We are so excited to present our first ever Fan of the Month, the lovely Kylee Durant! A long-time twinkie tush supporter and a bright and encouraging member of the twinkie tush community, we are thrilled to have gotten to know her so much better through this feature! Read her interview below!
What is your full name?
Kylee Ann Durant
Where are you from? (City/State/Country) Where do you live
now?
I am originally from Cedar Springs, Michigan, USA. Our
family currently lives in Bamberg, Germany at USAG Bamberg, as my husband is an
Active Duty US Army soldier.
How many children do you have and what are their ages?
I have three wonderful children. Reagan is 6.5-years-old,
Colton is 4-years-old, and Theodore (Teddy) is 19 months.
How/when did you find twinkie tush?
After not knowing much about cloth diapering when we started
with Colton, I decided to really do my research when I found out I was pregnant
with Teddy. I discovered the amazing world of fitted cloth diapers when I
stumbled across the Twinkie Tush page and blog on Hyena Cart. A lot of my
fellow cloth diapering mommy friends on the social media page I frequented
could not rave about them enough. This was June 2011. Coincidently, I was put
on strict bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy at about this time. That
was a very tough period of time for me emotionally, as well as physically. I
clung to little things that helped me get through the daunting amount of days
and weeks ahead of me. The excitement of previews every Tuesday and stockings
every Wednesday were something I looked forward to. Cheesy? Maybe. But I think
any mama who has ever been on bed rest for an extended period of time can
relate!
What is your favorite twinkie tush print of all time?
Davenport is my all time favorite. The perfect floral for a
boy!
Do you have an ultimate ISO print?
My ultimate ISO print is Sanctuary. I love it!
What is your favorite personal non-parenting related,
non-work related hobby?
I am a book worm :) Reading is my passion. I love historical
non-fiction/fiction. I try to read at least 3 books a month.
What makes you feel most inspired or grounded? How do you
take care of yourself and your spirit?
My faith grounds me the most. I seek out uplifting and
encouraging books, blogs, and devotions on a daily basis. I love that social
media gives me the opportunity to experience so many great resources. Being a
mother and a wife is hard work! Life is hard work too. I also thrive off of face-to-face
interaction with women who are going through the same life experiences as me,
including being a military wife. I am an active member of my local PWOC
(Protestant Women of the Chapel) chapter on my military post. 3 hours
child-free with other ladies who just want to do life together. It is
refreshing and encouraging.
What is your favorite activity to do with your children?
Living in Europe has afforded us an amazing opportunity to
travel…a lot! We love to travel as a family and share the amazing world that we
live in with our children. We always experience amazing adventures and they
love experiencing new cultures and languages (and food)! So far we have been to
10 different countries in just over a year!
What is/was your favorite place to visit?
My favorite place that I have visited would have to be
Scotland. The people, the scenery, and the food! Although, driving on the other
side of the road (and car) is pretty interesting :) We hope to go back before
our time in Germany is over.
What twinkie tush attribute and/or philosophy do you most
appreciate?
Honestly, all of the ethos that Twinkie Tush embodies are
what keep me as a loyal customer and huge fan. Specifically, the sense of
community is what I really appreciate. Gretchen and Mike have created a
community and a fan base that seems more like a family than a following. We are
interested in more than each other's stashes and scores. We are interested in
helping one another and caring for one another. Our TT community has experienced
several losses and personal hardships. Gretchen and Mike are the first to step
in to offer their help, and without hesitation. Gretchen has an amazing gift.
She creates diapers that are not only high quality, but small pieces of art
because she uses the best fabrics and the highest quality materials. Instead of
choosing to merely profit off this gift, TT chooses to bless others by using
their gift for the greater good. This is a lesson I teach my own children. Use
your gift for the greater good. Twinkie Tush has nailed this.
What would you tell someone who has yet to try a twinkie
tush diaper?
I have tried many types, styles, and brands of cloth diapers
over the past 3+ years! Some work out, and some don't. Some grow with your baby
to a certain point and you have to move on to another option. The only brand
that I have continuously used since Teddy was only 2 months old till now is
Twinkie Tush. The absorbency and quality are unmatched. And in exchange for a
premium fitted diaper, you are supporting a wonderful family that reaches
beyond their home into the lives of others; supporting the cloth diaper
community any way they can and spreading positivity into 5,000+ other homes
with families just like theirs.
Tell us your funniest cloth-diapering or parenting story!
Shipping our diapers to Germany was hilarious! The military
gave us two shipments when we sent our personal belongings over here: an
advance shipment and a large, household goods shipment. I chose to send my
diapers in our advance shipment so I would have them as soon as we landed in
Germany. The military hires professional packers to pack up your things. I wish
I would have snapped a picture of their faces when they got to Teddy's diaper
stash :) Confusion, side-eye…it was so funny! But after the initial shock wore
off, I was able to explain cloth diapers and how to use and care for them. A
hilarious moment turned into a teachable moment. It was great. We are moving
again this summer to a new base in Germany, so it will be interesting to see if
we get the same reaction from German packers :)
Tell us about one of the most meaningful parenting
experiences you have had.
I think the birth of all three of my children would have to
be the most meaningful parenting experiences I have ever had. Reagan was our first
and we were team green. When she was born, the doctor turned her towards me
first so I was able to announce to the room (and my husband) "it's a
girl!". My son Colton was born at Fort Campbell, KY only a week and a half
after moving there. My husband was at the firing range and had to be driven at
top speed in a humvee to make it to the hospital. That pretty much describes
Colton's personality: top speed :) Theodore is a miracle baby. We were told
that we could loose him at any moment at 22 weeks. After 3.5 long months of bed
rest, we welcomed him into this world with tears of praise and thanksgiving. He
defeated the odds stacked against him. I consider all of my children precious
gifts and I could not imagine life without them. Parenting is hard work, but
the ultimate reward is the "I love you" 's and kisses at the end of
the day. It makes all the hard times worth it.
Kylee, we can't thank you enough for sharing so much with us, about yourself and your family, and for being a part of the twinkie tush community. It is such a privilege and a pleasure to get to know you better!
For more details about our Fan of the Month feature, including information about how to become a twinkie tush FotM, please see this blog post.
