Nekaro

My Life as Mom

2012-01-30T08:17:00.001-06:00

When I was younger, I did not want to have any children. Kids just weren't for me. Of course I also thought that I'd probably not get married either! Oh well best intentions and all.

Now I find myself relishing the fact that I am a mother. I can't really see myself being anything else. I am truly blessed to have such healthy children. I would have said "healthy and happy children", but most of time they are typical "this is stupid!" teenagers. I never expected that I'd want to be here, but here I am. The mom running everywhere for her kids.

I love it!

I'd love it more if gas prices were the same as they were back in the days of not having to worry about packing the kids to 400 different places in a week though!

Here's what we did this weekend.

The weekly trip to Wal-Mart, where Rowan does her first solo flight without a car seat.

The parents following the bus on the hour and a half drive to watch our boys play some basketball at the GRVC tournament.

So glad that the Sun graced us with it's presence on Saturday!

Beginning of the game, the game where we beat the opposing team....

...by 43 points!!!

Then we drove over this rickety ass bridge (and I may have cried) to go into Indiana for lunch.

I stopped crying long enough to capture some Kentucky coal on the Ohio River.

On the way home... Owensboro, coal fired power plant.

Throwback Doritos!!

Guess what we are doing tonight? Making that same hour and half long drive back to Hancock County for the semi-finals of the tournament. Our game doesn't start until 7pm. That puts us not getting home until 9:30-ish. Then back up again at 5:45am the next morning. This is going to be FUN. When we win tonight we have to do it all again on Thursday night.

This isn't me complaining though.

I swear.....

Handmade Sunday

2012-01-29T11:08:00.000-06:00

Look at this cute Valentine's garland from Seventh Stitch for $28 + $3 for shipping.

This Valentine's basket from Wexford Treasures! $24.99 + $9.00 shipping.

Spotlight Mirrors Two is having a GRAND OPENING sale, for only $2.25 + $2.00 shipping! You choose between a mirror or a magnet.

This is such a cute idea for garland! If you don't want to make it yourself , you can purchase it from Country Chiq for $8.21 USD, but it's coming from Canada so the shipping is $6.15 USD.

Ha! I love that this appeals to my love of Halloween mixed with just enough Valentine's to get away with using it! From Fuzz On Me for $26.00 + $3.00 shipping.

This glass pendant is... WOW! It's only $15.00 + $3.00 shipping from Boomwire.

Pinteresting Finds

2012-01-26T08:56:00.000-06:00

I almost hate to use the word "pinteresting". It's kind of overused, but I'm not clever enough to come up with anything more exciting. On with the show!!

I have this feeling about the Universe right now.

I might eat more lettuce if I had one of these!

Hahaha! This is the only time I'd like driving in the snow.

OH. MY. GAWD.... Even if the Packers aren't heading to the Super Bowl, I still love me some Aaron Rodgers.

I wish I could get away with this hair color. My kids would kill me if I tried it...

Inflatable lawn tent? Uh... yes please!

Well this is an interesting infograph of colors....

New News

2012-01-23T09:34:00.000-06:00

Apparently it's not NEW news that Blogger has now introduced threading in their comments. FINALLY. However, I'm just now learning about it. You can find the Blogger Buzz post about it right here. Being able to reply to my vast amounts of comments is so awesome. *sarcasm*

Except... wait a minute... IT'S NOT WORKING ON MY BLOG!!!!

I've done all the necessary do-dads to enable it, but still no dice. One can only guess that it is due to my super awesome custom layout that I paid $$$ for. The layout that I just tweaked here and twisted there for the new year. The layout that I'm now going to have to abandon just so I can reply to comments. ARGH! Now I have to go and re-do everything. I really like my drop-down menu, but I'm not sure how I'll be able to make it work. Any suggestions, tips, or tricks?

In other news...

My son got a hair cut!!

I know it's not super interesting, but it's big news around here. This is what his hair was looking like...

In all honesty, it was actually longer than this. Although he is smiling in the hair cut photo, he is not happy. He thought he was going to get to avoid the dreaded cut when both barber shops in town were closed on Saturday, but we were lucky enough to spot a shop, the Cut & Curl Beauty Parlor, that was open. Nice lady too. She did a much better job than the men at the barber shop usually do and she charged the same price. Score!!

Overachiever

2012-01-17T12:59:00.001-06:00

I guess I should have thought through some of my goals for the year. Having a goal of blogging more verses a goal of spending LESS time on the internet don't actually work well together. The good news is that I've succeeded in spending less time on the internet. I've already read two full books on my son's Kindle and I'm working on my third. I love that Kindle. Love it, love it. Must get one for myself.

The bad news is that I've woefully neglected the blog.

Again.

Thankfully I know that most of you understand that I just had a baby a few months ago. The older she gets, the less time I have to just sit idle on the computer. This is not a complaint on my part, although she does seem to have computer radar. Every single time I turn it on. She'll wake from her nap or just get fussy with her toys. She's growing so fast though! Between December 1st and January 12th she gained nearly three pounds and grew 2 inches!

And then she did this....

It melts my heart. Every. Single. Time.

Shut the Front Door

2012-01-11T07:00:00.000-06:00

Oh dear. How can my Rowan possibly be six months old already!

I have no words.

Win an iPad2 or Kindle Fire!

2012-01-10T06:56:00.000-06:00

Have you heard? Rafflecopter is having a Launch Party Giveaway! It couldn't be easier to enter using Rafflecopter's all new interface. You could win an Apple iPad 2 (16gb) or one of several Amazon Kindle Fires. AND if you refer the winner... you could win a Kindle Fire for yourself! Just enter using the Rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Project 366 Rewind - Week 1

2012-01-09T12:51:00.001-06:00

Maybe starting all these projects was a little too aggressive. In any case... here's my feeble attempt at my first week of taking a photo a day.

I tried to stick with the theme when choosing photos. This is the first year I've really made an honest attempt at a fresh start in the new year. Much of it has to do with the fact that I never expected, at 33, to be doing the "baby thing" again. It's given me a fresh perspective on life.

Top left: Every morning I go over the calendar while having my morning cup of cappuccino.
Middle left: Starting working on my crock pot meal-a-week with some chicken.
Middle middle: The kids started their Spring semester of school. I made massive amounts of pancakes one day to store in the freezer for quick heat up on school day mornings.
Middle right: Just chillin' with the wee one.
Bottom left: Rowan's first "solid" food! Sweet potatoes!
Bottom right: I've set up my Buddha area in the bedroom. Light a candle every morning, say a little prayer.

I am also participating in the January Photo-a-day on Instagram. Here are this week's images via iPhone.

Day 1. You.

Day 2. Breakfast. (yep same photo...)

Day 3. Something you adore.

Day 4. Letterbox.

Day 5. Something you wore.

Day 6. Makes you smile.

Day 7. Favorite.

**Just a quick note... you may notice that I seem to only own one Western Ky University hoodie. In fact, I own more than one, AND I do wear more than just that sweatshirt everyday... I swear!

Project 52 - #4

2012-01-05T08:00:00.000-06:00

I'm doing it! I'm doing it! Working on these 52 goals is going great!

Yeah, I know I'm only 4 days into the New Year.

DO NOT rain on my parade. I've made it this far and that's saying something! I am so glad I discovered this blog through my Pinterest. We are such a busy family that having supper practically cook itself is a real help for me.

I should note that I'm having to use my larger slow cooker for this meal because I broke the bottom out of the crock on my 5 qt. cooker. Not excited about it, but it was about 12 years old. Guess it's time to buy a new one!

I'm not a big fan of chicken. I don't think there is anything quite as gross as having to handle raw chicken. The possibility of getting salmonella is also not fun. I'm always scared I won't cook it enough and everyone will get sick. This usually results in my overcooking the chicken. Slow cooker chicken takes a little of the fear away from me. I mean, it must be done if it's cooked for 6 hours, right?

Slow Cooker Garlic Chicken and Veggies
Recipe from 365 Days of Slow Cooking

What y'all need:
-- 4 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed (I used 5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs)
-- 4 large red potatoes, cut into small wedges (I used 6 small potatoes 'cause the husband bought a big bag of smaller potatoes instead of the larger ones)
-- 1 large carrot, thinly sliced
-- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
-- 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice (I cheated and used refrigerated lemon juice)
-- 1 tablespoon of minced garlic (I didn't measure mine, I just minced up 3 cloves of garlic)
-- 2 teaspoons of dried oregano
-- Salt and pepper

Cook it up:

Mince up some garlic, then add that and the olive oil, lemon juice and oregano to a small bowl and mix well. Set aside so the flavors can meet each other!
Slice up that carrot, cut up the potatoes. Place them in the bottom of your crock. Dash with salt and pepper.
Wash off that chicken! I used boneless, skinless thighs, but I still had a bit of fat trimming to do. Put the chicken on top of the potatoes/carrots. Add a bit of salt and pepper.
Take your olive oil mix and spoon it over the chicken.
Cover and cook 4-6 hours on LOW, or until potatoes are tender.

Since I used a larger crock I cooked on LOW for about 5.5 hours, added 3/4 cup of water and 1/4 cup of Worcestershire, then cranked it up to HIGH for about an hour. I probably could have added a little more water, but I didn't want to drown it. I would have added chicken stock instead of Worcestershire/water if I'd had any. Isn't that one of those things you are ALWAYS supposed to have in your cabinet? Oops!

As with everything else, I'm forgetful and forgot to take a photo of the food still in the crock before I began dishing it up. I remembered about three bites in and scrambled to grab a couple of shots.

My husband and I both agreed that we would probably have to fix this yummy dish again. My son ate his plate then went back for seconds... twice. (He cleaned out the crock!) Daughter #1 curled up her nose before it was done cooking and didn't even give it a chance. She did eat a couple of bites, but then said she just couldn't eat it. Such a drama queen... She's picky about everything though. This recipe will definitely get cooked again.

Projects, Projects

2012-01-02T07:00:00.000-06:00

This is the year of "The Project" for me. Photo projects, craft projects, "me" projects... I plan on being busy, busy, busy.

One project is the Project 366 which starts on January 9th. A great way to motivate me to take at least one photo every day. There are prompts to follow, but the best part is you don't have to use them unless you want too! You can find a link to the main link up page in my side bar. In addition to this photo project, I'm also doing the January photo a day on Instagram.

Another project is a list of 52 things/ideas that I want to get done in the upcoming year. I believe the first place I saw this idea was last year over at Handbags & Handguns. She had some great things on her list and I might just have to steal some of those ideas for my list for the year. This project is kind of a bunch of projects all rolled into one. Ahh... one beautiful little list! Let's get started!

Read at least 25 books (that I've not read before!)
Start an Etsy shop.
Write in my journal daily. Make at least one line of each day about gratitude.
Use my slow cooker to make a least one meal a week. This should help.
See 5 movies in the theater.
Plant a garden.
Learn to knit.
Save $500.
Visit the beach.
Take a family vacation to South Dakota.
Cook something once a month that I've found through Pinterest and post about it.
Hand write 3 letters to family/friends.
Skype more!
Spend less time on the internet.
Floss, floss, floss!!!
Get in the habit of washing and moisturizing my face every night before bed.
Workout, walk, yoga, do something! Stay active.
Get all of my photos backed up to discs from my external hard drive.
Visit a National Park.
Visit a State Park.
Create a monthly cleaning plan. And implement it!
Create a chore chart for each of the kids. Rewards through iTunes?
Visit the hair dresser. More than once!
Finally start on those quilts from old sports jerseys and favorite clothes for the kids.
Paint my bedroom.
Redecorate the dining room. (ie. paint walls, refinish table & chairs...)
Go through clothes and donate what can't/won't be worn.
Drink more water. In fact...
Go at least 30 days without drinking sodas.
Find time everyday to meditate.
Start recycling.
Start a compost pile.
Re-pot all my indoor plants.
Plant flowers/shrubs outside.
Purchase Photoshop Elements.
Purchase this camera lens.
Purchase this flash.
Sit down with the husband and create a will.
Buy more US made products.
Visit the library twice a month.
Get a new tattoo.
Have family snapshots printed on a monthly basis.
Sit everyone down and take family photos at least 4 times.
Have family game night once a week.
Eat a salad twice a week.
Have fish for lunch once a week.
Clean up our yard.
Build a fenced in area for our dog.
Have the cats spayed/neutered.
Get the fireplace operational.
Buy all new towels. And cushy, big ones too!
Teach the baby to sign.

Hello New Year!

2012-01-01T09:48:00.000-06:00

I never keep any resolutions. Who does really? NO ONE! But I need goals. I need something to keep me on track. I need a list. You see I've always been a list maker. I'm very obsessive compulsive about some things, but others... not so much. List making is one of those things. I feel like to efficiently get something done I have to have it all written out in black and white. Makes getting it done seem all that sweeter. Plus that whole goal thing...

First, let's start with this. Actually posting to the blog on a normal basis! What a grand idea, no?

Rowan says, "Yes, Ma! It's a grand idea!"

And so we begin....

Project 366 Rewind

2011-12-29T09:54:00.000-06:00

My efforts at taking a photo a day for my Project 365 last year was an EPIC fail. I lasted barely into the third month of the year. I felt like I was taking photos of the same ol' things everyday. I live a pretty boring life and don't have tons of exciting things to photograph. This is one of my.... *whispering* resolutions. Be more active! Get out of the house! Do MORE!

A great way for me to incorporate taking photos with getting off my ass... It's the Project 366 (cause it's a Leap Year!) Rewind brought to us by Sarah from Naptime Momtog and Gina from Chic Homeschool Mama!

There will be weekly prompts to follow so I'll have a subject for my week of photos. This is so exciting to me! I love having prompts! To be honest here... since getting my iPhone I have neglected my "real" cameras. I shudder to think what will/would happen if I had the iPhone 4s with it's 8 mp camera.

January's prompts:

Week 1 - Fresh Start
Week 2 - Chilly
Week 3 - Start of the Day
Week 4 - Close

Details, details:

--Post your week in pics on Mondays. They can be in the form of a collage or separate.
--Including the weekly prompts is optional.
--Our button must be present in your post.
--Please visit some other blogs, and leave some love and encouragement.
--Submit the URL of your blog post or Flickr entries, not your home page.

I needed this motivation and can't wait to get started on Monday, January 2nd!

Holiday Awesomeness

2011-12-28T16:15:00.002-06:00

We've been eating here and eating there. I'm completely stuffed STILL! I have been so far behind on working on our family photos. I feel like I've been so busy, but haven't been able to get anything done. I finally found the time to mess with some of them from Christmas. This gives me a chance to use some of Alicia's Days of December photo templates!

Such cute templates! Made even cuter with those gorgeous kids, right? Hee hee! I have to tell you a little secret. I don't have an external flash for my camera. Like everyone else I hate that blown out, in your face built-in flash. I found a trick. I stumbled upon a small rectangular piece of white cardboard. I simply placed it at an angle in front of my built-in flash and bounced that sucker off the ceiling! It did take a bit of trial and error to get the right angle, but for free I got rid of the nasty, too bright flash! I still want the Nikon SB-400, but until then my cardboard will work just fine!

I hope everyone has had a happy and healthy holiday season so far!

*Just in case you are wondering why my daughter has her head in that box up there... the box contained super cute, super awesome... UNDERWEAR! She was so embarrassed that she wouldn't take them out of the box. Ha ha!

**FREE photo templates from Project Alicia found here.

I'll Be Back

2011-12-26T09:11:00.000-06:00

Image source = {Google}

I know I've kind of been missing in action lately. We've just been so busy getting ready for Christmas, visiting here, visiting there. I haven't had time to dedicate to the blog like I'd like to have, but I shall return! I will persevere over this holiday funk that has plagued my blog to return anew!

I will try to find time for Christmas photos as today is the last Christmas dinner. I think...so hopefully tomorrow will bring you some fun holiday images!

But probably not until next week....

Just for Laughs

2011-12-23T12:39:00.002-06:00

The older kids downloaded an app that allows them to create their own Pokemon cards. I've never understood these trading card games, but they made a card for me.

My life is now complete.

I Covet the Bella

2011-12-16T20:08:00.000-06:00

No, not THAT Bella. The Tiny Tush Bella print!

I told y'all in my first ever diaper review that Charlene is awesome sauce with a cherry on top, but she really is on top of her business. Not to mention an all around good person. I want to bake her cookies and give her a big hug.

She read my review and noticed my "funky bubble". She said it was a flaw with a temporary PUL supplier. I was only the second person in 11 years to have this problem!! Talk about a great product! I wish I could say I only had two problems in 11 years with other things I have around the house! She wanted to switch out my funky bubble for the beautiful Bella!

I haven't tried it out yet because I just got it today, but I had to gush over it. It really is a beautiful print. The colors are perfect, bright yet subtle. And soft? Oh it's so soft! I am so excited to try this one out! Head over to Tiny Tush to get your Bella or Bubbles, Camo or Bots, or one (or more) of the 13 other solid colors available. I promise you that you will not be disappointed with one of these diapers!

Oatmeal Cookies for Boobies!

2011-12-15T12:47:00.000-06:00

I've breastfed all my children, although I had to return to my un-pump friendly job with my first daughter and was only able to breastfeed her for a few months. I was so much younger and did not really have many resources available. Now there is an abundance of information from books to websites to groups on Facebook. One thing I've found helpful is recipes to help maintain or boost a mother's milk supply. So far we are doing just fine, but it never hurts to know a few tricks should the need arise.

The easiest thing I thought I could do was take some Fenugreek. I bought a bottle at the local Rite-Aid for $9. There are a few issues I have with taking this though. For starters, it is not a small capsule. I've always had problems swallowing pills so this was inconvenient. According to tons of websites/groups, for fenugreek to be effective you are supposed to take three pills, three times a day. Holy pills, Batman! That is way more pills than I would be comfortable taking in a 24 hour period. Though you can take less if... your sweat starts to smell like maple syrup. Oh and your pee too! If you make it to this milestone then apparently you are taking the correct amount of fenugreek to help boost milk production. While smelling like maple syrup is not a bad side affect, I am still not able to move passed taking nine pills a day.

Solution? COOKIES!!! Oatmeal chocolate chip lactation cookies. You can find recipes everywhere. You can even order cookies from places like Milk Makers and Yummy Mummy. For me, ordering cookies seemed a little too pricey. I am a stay at home mom so there was not any reason why I could not bake my own. I adapted a recipe that I found in various different places around the web.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies
Print it here!

Ingredients for 2 dozen, ingredients to make 4.5 dozen in (parentheses)

- 1/2 cup butter (1 cup), softened
- 1/2 cup sugar (1 cup)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (1 cup), firmly packed
- 1 7/8 Tbls water (4 Tbls)
- 1 Tbls milled flax seed (2 Tbls)
- 1 egg (2 eggs)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (1 teaspoon)
- 1 cup whole wheat flour (2 cups) or regular flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (1 teaspoon)
- 1 1/2 cups oats (3 cups), NOT quick oats
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips (1 cup)
- 4 to 6 capsules of 610mg fenugreek capsules (8 to 10 capsules), opened OR
- 1 to 1 7/8 Tbls brewer's yeast (2 to 4 Tbls)

To make:
-Preheat oven to 350F.
-Mix the flax seed and water then let sit for 3-5 minutes.
-Beat together the butter and both sugars, then add eggs, mix well.
-Add flax seed mixture and vanilla to the butter/sugar mix, beat well.
-In a separate bowl, mix together flour, fengreek OR yeast, baking soda, and salt, mix well.
-Add the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture.
-Stir in oats and chocolate chips.
-Scoop onto baking sheet, bake for 12 minutes.

To start out, I only made two dozen because I wanted to try them before I made 54 cookies. I could not find brewer's yeast. It was extremely elusive so I used my fenugreek instead. It gives an added maple flavor. Since they are capsules and not pills they are easily opened and dumped into the mixture. I only added the amounts for the brewer's yeast in case you can find it in your area.

I know it is not the healthiest recipe on the block, but IT IS A COOKIE! Both brewer's yeast and fenugreek tend to be a bit bitter so all that sugar covers it up nicely. You only need to eat one or two a day to help with your milk supply. A bonus is that you can just omit the fenugreek and everyone can eat them! And they are so very good! It was hard to only eat a couple. The recipe can be changed up to add things like raisins, nuts, or even peanut butter chips. The options are really endless. This totally beats taking a million pills everyday!

Wipe On, Wipe Off

2011-12-06T08:27:00.001-06:00

When I got my Perfect Wipes, my first reaction was, "Ewww! No way I am going to wipe poop with that!" We began using them as spit wipes instead. Some where along the line though, I decided to give it a whirl. Probably because I realized that I was using about a gajillion disposable wipes per poopy diaper. Wipe, fold, wipe, fold. Repeat. It dawned on me that I was being a bit ridiculous. All about the cloth diapers and the impact on the planet, but I was still throwing away wipe after wipe after wipe.

One day I had just had enough so I grabbed a cloth wipe. Not knowing a thing about cloth wipe solutions, I just wet it with some warm water. Wowza! I used ONE wipe and all the poo was gone. I had noticed when using disposable wipes that Rowan's bootay would look a bit stained. No matter how many wipes I used, she would still have a yellow tint to her behind. I always felt like she was not getting clean. Not an issue when using the cloth wipes! I think that she is getting much cleaner now.

Staining of the bootay was not the only staining issue. Since the wipes are white I did have to sun them often to keep the stains at bay. (That Sun! Got to love it!) So when I ran across an 18 pk of wash cloths at Wal-Mart for only $4 in these mix of wonderful Autumn colors and white, I had to buy some. Great inexpensive way of masking those poo stains! The yellow ones are almost hard to use though because they match the mustard-y color of Rowan's poo's so well that I cannot always tell if I am using the "clean" side!

I still use disposables periodically at home and, of course, when we are out. Just like my first worries about using cloth diapers, my fears of using cloth wipes were un-necessary. I think I may look into making some cloth wipe solutions. This site has tons of different solutions to make yourself. I would really like to try the Chamomile 'N Honey solution because it doesn't have any oils so I can still wash my wipes right along with my diapers. Here's the recipe: for every cup of boiling water, brew one chamomile tea bag, and add a teaspoon of honey. Sounds easy, right? I've many different ways to add solutions to your wipes. Some reuse an old disposable container, some just pour on the wipes as needed, and I read of filling a peri-bottle with the solution. I saved my peri-bottle from the hospital for some reason and now I have an actual use for it!

How many cloth wipe users are out there? Do you have any tips or tricks for your wipes?

Tiny Tush Review

2011-12-05T07:30:00.000-06:00

My first cloth diaper purchase was six Tiny Tush Elite diapers. First selling point that got me was they are made in the US. Second point... at the time, they were having a sale so I jumped on it! Buy 5 diapers, get one diaper free plus a bonus 12 pk. of Perfect Wipes. I decided to get all white for the color. On hindsight, what the heck was I thinking? Well, I'll tell you what I was thinking at the time. I wanted her cloth diapers to be all matchy-matchy with her clothes so I figured if I got all her diapers in white I'd be good to go. Ugh... I shouldn't have listened to myself. Tiny Tush diapers come in so many colors! I could kick myself for only getting white. I covet the Bella print, but I'll have to sneak that one when the hubs isn't looking! Anyway, moving on...

This is our current setting.

Right out of the box, I was impressed. Not only did I get my 6 diapers, I received my pack of Perfect Wipes, but I also got 3 hemp wipes too! A bonus on top of a bonus! After pulling all of my goodies out of the box, I grabbed the receipt from the bottom of the box. What did I see on it? A hand written thank you from Charlene herself! Instant wow factor. I'm sure she does this will all orders, but it felt personal and I appreciated that attention to detail.

See?! Awesomeness!

The shell of these diapers are made with a waterproof PUL on the exterior and a polyester micro-fleece on the inside. There are four sizes available for the rise with the snap down systems. I have the "original" Elite diapers, but now Charlene has made a few improvements and the Elite 1.1 is available. The new Elite's have color coordinated snaps and a crossover snap on the tabs. The website says they are designed to fit babies 7-35lbs.**, but I'll be honest and say (for us) it was more around 10 lbs. that Rowan began to fit in them. (Now they have the cutest, teeny tiniest Elite Mini for babies 4-15lbs.!)

This is fastened at the largest setting.

Inside view.

Love this feature! You can tuck the insert under here and no mess!

Outside view

Snaps

Snap flaps... ha!

These are my absolute go-to diapers for nighttime. They are roomy without being too bulky and give lots of room for me to be able to double up Rowan's inserts.

All in all they have been and continue to be some great diapers. I did notice a little separation of the laminate from the fabric on ONE diaper. One. Out of six, that are in constant rotation on a nightly basis. For the last 4.5 months.

I only add this because in the interest of full disclosure I don't want to leave anything out. HOWEVER, I do want to point out that this had been a NON-ISSUE when it comes to waterproof-ness. We've had no leaks due to this and since it's only 1 out of the 6 I purchased I figure it's just a fluke and go on using it anyway.

You can find all of the Tiny Tush products here. They are also on Facebook, Twitter, and on their blog.

**As a side note, most one-size diapers claim the 7-35lbs. range and most would be better saying 10-35lbs.**

*All opinions are my own.

It's So FLUFFY!

2011-12-02T07:35:00.000-06:00

When I first ventured into cloth diapers, I was overwhelmed. How many do I need? How do I wash them? How hard is it going to be? Questions, questions. The biggest issue I could think of was the initial cost. Being a family of one income, it was a little discouraging to say the least. I was determined to do the damn thing though. Where there is the will, you will find the way. So we started out with just enough to get the job done. I wrote a post about the beginnings... how I laundered them, what we were working with, etc. Then I realized my faux pas with the wrong detergent and found my way to the best (in my opinion) detergent, EcoSprout.

Now here we are just 4 months into wearing cloth diapers. I'm still using the EcoSprout in our wash routine. There are a million and one wash routines too. If you thought it was hard to decide what kind of diapers to buy, wait until you try to figure out how to wash 'em! I have a specific routine that I follow, but I have found that every one has a different routine and it's really trial and error to find what works for you.

The routine: We have hard water and a front loading HE washing machine. Double whammy. As I stated before I use EcoSprout to wash our cloth and their customer service was awesome with helping me work out a wash routine that worked for us. I first put them through a "quick wash" using 1 Tbls of detergent on a warm wash/cold rinse plus extra rinse. If I don't have any poopy diapers (and sometimes I don't because Rowan doesn't always poop every day) I'll do this cycle on hot. Next I run them through the "white" cycle using 3 Tbls of detergent on a hot wash/cold rinse plus extra rinse. I wouldn't have to use as much detergent if I had softer water. I've never tested it, but a quick Google search turned up several results. When it was warm outside I would hang everything outside to dry/sun. The Sun is amazing at getting out those stains. Now that it's turned cold, I have to resort to using the dryer. I separate the shells from the inserts and dry the inserts on high heat. I will either hang the shells inside on my handy dandy rack from Wal-Mart (though when I bought mine in September they were only $10) or I'll put them in the dryer separately from the inserts and dry on the timed dry for about 20 minutes on extra low heat. This has been our routine for about 2 months now and I've had no need to "strip" the diapers. The only time we have any ammonia (or other) issues is with her over night diapers. I don't change her over night and in the mornings, she does have some ammonia, but it's not been a large issue.

Now when we started, we had a minimum of diapers. I was gifted one FuzziBunz One-size and a 12 pk of Gerber pre-folds. We then purchased 3 more FuzziBunz One-size, 6 Tiny Tush Elite One-size, and 2 EconoBum covers. Our total cost at that point was a mere $178. The problem is there are so many brands out there that I couldn't stop obsessing over which one to buy next. I was trying to keep costs down, but OH MY GOD HAVE YOU SEEN ALL THE CUTE CLOTH DIAPERS??? I would love to try one of everything, but the hubs would kill me.

**NOTE: Any cloth diaper makers/companies out there that want to gift me a sample of their product?? I'll gladly use them, review them, and tell the world about your awesomeness!

Hasn't stopped me from trying though... hee hee. So... here is our new total stash of fluffy fluff-tastic-ness!

+ 6 FuzziBunz One-size (1 gifted-cotton candy, 3 purchased at $19.95-buttercream, 2 purchased on clearance (the old style) at $12.95-choco truffle & crushed berries)
+ 1 FuzziBunz Perfect Size-medium-$12.76-watermelon
+6 Tiny Tush Elite One-size at $19.95 (but they were buy 5 get one free)-white
+3 Kawaii One-size at $9.75 (two suede-sage & light blue, one microfiber-purple)
+4 Diaper Rite One-size (1 as a Black Friday freebie-bubble gum, 3 purchased at $7.75-black, electric carrot, electric lime)
+4 EconoBum covers (1 as a BOGO offer with prefold insert-white trim, 2 purchased at $8.95 (cover only)-zinnia,white, 1 purchased at $9.95 with prefold insert-ribbit trim)
+1 Thirsties Duo Wrap cover purchased on Black Friday for $8.00-size 2-warm stripes(+$1.00)
+3 Diaper Rite Prefolds in Small, unbleached at $1.59 each
+11 Diaper Rite Prefolds in Medium, unbleached at $2.07 each
+12 Gerber prefolds (gifted and not pictured)
+1 large FuzziBunz diaper pail at $21.95-white
+1 small PlanetWise wet bag-$9.50-Think Peach print
+1 small/medium drawstring wet bag with a Black Friday sale

The pockets...

The prefolds and covers... (minus the Gerber ones 'cause after I got the Diaper Rite prefolds I won't be using the Gerbers)

Extra microfiber inserts of various shapes and sizes...

Two small wet bags...

Ro rockin' her Thirsties Duo Wrap cover.

So far our grand total is just $366!! This is approximate because I'm not counting shipping. But seriously? Less than $400 for (on average) 2 years of diapers? Yay!!! I am so excited to be able to cloth diaper my baby. I wish I had known more about it with my other two children. In an effort to just get the word out about using cloth diapers I'll be writing some reviews of the cloth that I have been using. Anything new I'll give 2-3 weeks of use before giving an official opinion.

I should mention that with the exception of the Tiny Tush and the first 3 FuzziBunz, I have purchased all of our diapers from Diaper Junction. I highly recommend them. They have great customer service, competitive prices, and super fast shipping. Check them out if you get the chance.

Looking like Dad

2011-11-29T14:36:00.001-06:00

I was bored today. Decided to peruse iTunes for free apps. I found the Stachematic Camera app. Funny, funny, funny! One click and...

I go from looking a lot like my Mom... to looking just like my Dad!

...and I was photo bombed by one of our cats...

And here we have Rowan... even with a moustache, she's cute!

You can add staches to everyone or anything in your photos. Upon further investigation, they also have a Zombiematic app and according to their website a bobble head app coming soon!

I clearly have too much time on my hands. However, upon redecorating the place (blog), I realized I suck with taking family photos. I keep saying that I'm going to do it, but it NEVER HAPPENS. Maybe on Saturday...

Oh My Gawd Becky... Look at Her Butt

2011-11-25T07:30:00.000-06:00

M'kay... I really am glad that I decided to use cloth diapers. I was worried in the beginning, but it's super easy. I feel really good about not putting tons of disposables into landfills. One thing that is a wide complaint about cloth diapers though is their bulkiness. Sure enough they are quite a bit bulkier than slim, trim disposables. It's easy to get around this issue with pants/bottoms by just purchasing one size larger than is necessary.

Before Rowan was born I kind of went on a onesie spree. I had/have newborn, 0-3 months, and 3-6 months sizes... total amount of "onesies" in her closet before she was even born? 18. Oops... Another issue I've encountered with onesies and cloth diapers is that the legs get pulled up into her inner thigh and will get bunched up just under the edges of her diaper and then they get wet. Her diapers aren't leaking, her onesies are getting stuck.

Now that she's gotten bigger, I had a dilemma. Her onesies still fit her from her waist up, but getting them snapped was becoming a problem. I didn't want to have to buy more of them so I improvised!

I decided to make a tweak to them by lopping off the snap crotch bottom. (Did I really just use the word "crotch" in my post???) Getting that first cut took some courage. I didn't want to ruin all her clothes! Once I finally made the cut, I was on a roll.

I simply cut a straight line across the waist, cutting just above the cuff of the leg openings. Then I turned them all inside out. Warmed up the ol' iron, by the way this the only action my iron ever sees, and ironed flat a little hem on the bottom.

This is when I wish that I had a serger to make a nice clean and secure stitch. Since I don't have that, I just made two rows of straight stitches.

I've never sewn anything with this type of fabric. I'm still new to sewing period, so I'm not sure if maybe I should have adjusted anything on my sewing machine. I tried to let the machine pull the fabric along so that I didn't stretch it out while it was stitching. I knew that would cause unwanted ruffles. I still got a bit of stretching, but I was still pleased with the overall finish.

Now she has a bunch of shirts that will get more use and she'll be able to show off her super cute cloth diapers!

Winning by Pinning {Thanksgiving Edition}

2011-11-23T08:00:00.000-06:00

Lord knows I have to set myself a timer BEFORE I navigate my browser in the direction of Pinterest. I could spend an entire day (or month) on that site. It's like a never-ending love affair with all things interesting and, for me the most bestest of things... distracting! Since this week here in the US is the wondrously indulgent holiday of Thanksgiving, I decided to do a little search on da Pinterest. Which brought up a gazillion and one recipes for all things turkey, pumpkin, and green bean. And that reminded me that I haven't done a post about food.. in a very long, long, time. Oops. I guess I better get on that. Until then though... let's check out some yummy looking Thanksgiving-esque food. EDITED: Added a recipe yesterday!

pumpkin praline trifle found here

pumpkin fudge found here

classic libby's pumpkin roll found here

apple cidercar found here

pumpkin pie cinnamon buns with caramel cream cheese frosting found here

Uhh... looking back on this post maybe I should have called this the "Pumpkin Edition". Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Sticky Buns for Breakfast

2011-11-22T07:00:00.000-06:00

Pre-baked goodness...

One of the many things that I'm crushing on Pinterest for is the ability to find a plethora of recipes. Recipes for just about anything you might want to cook, bake, broil, fry, and eat. This week is full of people cooking turkey, dressing/stuffing, pumpkin pies and all things Thanksgiving dinner related. But what about Thanksgiving breakfast? Oooo do I have the PERFECT recipe for you.

Found on Pinterest, this recipe for sticky buns is so super easy and oh my gaaawwwd yummy.

Breakfast Sticky Buns
via All Things Delicious
Print it here!!

Here's what y'all need:

-1 tube of the large biscuits, think Pillsbury Grands biscuits (I used Great Value brand buttermilk biscuits)
-3 Tbsp butter, melted
-1/2 C syrup
-1/3 C brown sugar, packed
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-1/4 C chopped pecans, optional (I used these)
-1/4 C chopped almonds, optional

Here's how y'all make it:

-Spray a bundt pan with some non-stick cooking spray (or do like my Mama taught me and give it a thin coating of Crisco!). In a bowl, mix together the butter and syrup, set aside. In a separate bowl, stir together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts (if ya want 'em).

-Pour half of the syrup/butter mix into the pan, then sprinkle half of the sugar/cinnamon/nut mix on top of that. Next, lay the biscuits on top of the mix, making sure that the sides overlap each other (like a wreath). Pour the rest of the syrup/butter mix, followed by the rest of the sugar/cinnamon/nut mix on top of the biscuits.

-Bake in a 375F oven for 20 minutes (or until they are golden brown, I had to cook mine for 22 mins.). Remove from oven and let it sit for a few minutes before inverting on a dish.

This was so easy! Perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas morning when you want something warm and yummy, but you don't want to spend all of your time in the kitchen. They were just sweet enough to be called "sticky buns", but not so much that you (or your kids) will be bouncing off the walls.

Click, Click

2011-11-21T07:00:00.000-06:00

It's no secret that I've fallen hard for my iPhone. I've written no less than 5 blog posts about it. I get so distracted, obsessed, and confused easily. So because I love you and I don't want to be all alone in my obsessiveness, I'd like to share a couple of goodies I found with you.

M'kay, so if you have an iPhone/iPod/iPad, then you've already become addicted to Instagram. Right? You have, haven't you? I'm lovin' it! So quick and easy to use and share photos. However, if you're friends/family don't have an iPhone/iPod/iPad, they can only see the Instagram images you share with them. Which is fine, if you want to email or post EVERY SINGLE IMAGE to your Facebook or where-ever. Found a remedy!! Introducing...

FOLLOWGRAM

You simply log in with your Instagram info so there is no need to remember yet another log in name and password. You get your own URL to share! Sharing is caring!

Now your friends and family that you want to share your Instagram pics with can see all your mad phone camera skillzzzz. See?

It's a very handy little site. Your dashboard shows a nice little grid of your photos (like above) and a nice little grid of photos of the people you are following as well.

Next, we all love to "Instagram" our photos. Those lovely little pre-sets that colorize and put borders around our photos. But what if you are actually using a REAL LIVE CAMERA and not your phone? Guess what?? There's an ~~app~~ action for that! From World's Best Actions is the Hipsta Mini Set. Best part? It's F-R-E-E.

I love this action! You can make every adjustment imaginable with it. It makes me wish that Instagram had more options for turning on/off frames and filters. Do you use your phone + apps for photos? What are some of your favorite apps (camera or other)?