Friday, June 19, 2009

Friday Freebies!!

So, lots of freebies today!

There's 'Free Chocolate Friday' from Mars.

Orange Julius is giving away free Light Smoothies today only.

And A&W is celebrating their 90th Anniversary by offering free root beer floats between 2-8 pm!

Also, I won salsa twice from the Pace Pick N Win instant win game - so try your hand at that! And I won a Shred Sled in a blog contest!

Just for fun - try to guess this sound to win $2,000

Enjoy!

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Productivity

Ugh, is anyone else wasting WAY too much time on the computer? Between blogs, contests, sweeps, random facts that I -MUST- know and email, facebook - good.ness. Is there any time left in the day for an actual life?

But, this is me throwing it out there. How do you manage your time? I for one an awful at all things organization whether it be stuff or time. I don't think I was always like this. When I'm REALLY busy and have places to go and people to see, I can make it all work. But with no stress of a deadline, I'm totally missing the boat. Children are so unpredictable that I'm afraid if I put myself on some kind of schedule I'll pop each time there's a deviation.

What is this elusive 'middle ground' and how do you find it? No. Really. I need to know!

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Giveaways Ending 6/5

Win a Corrective Skin Care Tea Tree Scrub from Two of a Kind!

Monday, June 1, 2009

Why Cloth Diapering Rocks My Socks

It's not as bad as you're thinking. I promise.

I'm kind of the least organized person I know and I can do it, so believe me when I say that you can too! There are many ways of doing it, and you can choose which way fits your lifestyle.

When I was pregnant with Kitt I had a 'cloth diaper' baby shower. I asked each person to bring one Fuzzi Bunz diaper and gave them a link to wildflowerdiapers.com. One high end cloth diaper is about the cost most people are looking to spend at a shower anyways, so it worked out very well. We got about half our collection this way, and got the other half of our first set gifted to us from my parents. Initial cost to me - zero. My MIL was pretty sure I wasn't going to stick with it and gave me a bunch of disposables for when I decided to call it quits, but I'm a little competitive, so maybe having someone say I couldn't/wouldn't do it made me all the more determined to make it work!

Kitt outgrew the small size within the first three months, which was not so cool. I didn't realize I'd have an off the charts baby (I'm 6' tall, I should have known!!) and so had to scramble right around Christmas time to get a set of mediums for her. This was probably the worst part, having to buy a whole new set with each growth spurt. For that reason I switched to Bum Genius diapers when I needed to replace all the pink and purple diapers for Mac.

The great news about cloth diapers is that they have excellent resale. If you think buying used diapers is kind of gross - eh, okay, but for those of us who are okay with a little bit of second hand it's a really affordable way to get into a new size or try out a new diaper. And, I was able to resell my old pink and purple diapers at about 70% of the original cost. I used craigslist.org and diaperswappers.com for that. For new diapers check out the sales at diaperpin.com, an online resource for online cloth diaper retailers and consumers.

Okay, so, to break it down - here is why cloth is easier and better that you think:

1) You don't have to actually spray out the poop. I never have! When they're breastfed it's too watery to worry about and when their poop gets more substantial you can get disposable diaper inserts. I LOVE disposable diaper inserts, they look like dryer sheets, and are totally flushable, they SAVED me from quitting on cloth!

2) There really aren't many extra steps. I mean really, have you ever made that late night run to the store because you were dangerously low on diapers? How about never doing THAT again? You change the diaper just like normal - wipe (with disposables, or get the reusable flannel kind), just like normal and then drop it in a covered bucket until you do a load (every day or two). On wash day, you dump the bucket upside down (I keep a trash liner in mine or you can use a reusable one like -this-) in the washer and set it once for cold with some oxygen bleach and fragrance free detergent (I like Allen's) and then give it a hot rinse. Dry it in your dryer or out on the line.

3) It's so much cheaper for the long haul. Disposables are about $60/month, that would buy you three high end cloth diapers that would last you kid after kid. Need I say more?

4) It's really okay to use disposables when you want to. Really. No one will judge you if you don't want to carry around smellies in your bag while you're on vacation or out shopping for the day. Or not caught up on laundry. Or using a babysitter that isn't comfortable with cloth. I've been there, most people using cloth have been there.

5) They're made better than disposables. The only time I've ever had a blow out poop was in disposable diapers. The cloth ones are made with much better materials and hold in your baby's poo like a diaper should. It's like the difference between paper plates and real plates. Even good paper plates shouldn't be used for spaghetti sauce.

6) They don't clog up landfills. I don't live in a metropolitan area, but I'd still like to do my part to keep our landfills light. It's estimated that it takes 250-500 years for a disposable diaper to decompose (I got that from realdiaperassociation.org) and they're made from all sorts of nasty materials that you don't really want your baby snuggling up to 24/7.

7) They're oh-so cute! I mean, have you seen them? Bright solids and prints, you won't want to dress your baby all summer long :)

8) They double as a swim diaper. You need one of those for summer anyways, right?

Now, for a little bit of honesty on the cons for a fair and balance article. Diapers, cloth or disposable, are still smelly, you'll have to find a good place to keep them. I keep mine dry in a covered pail, but you can get some little oil scented tabs to drop in water and keep them wet until you wash them. They will wear out eventually and you'll have to replace them, they don't last forever, but they have lasted me through 2 kids so far. My daughter had a problem with not having enough breathability because she had a naturally occurring overgrowth of bacteria on her body so we had a little bit of a rash problem that was cleared up with tea tree oil and switching her back to disposables, but I've had no such problems with my son.

Even after that though, I really recommend trying cloth diapers for your baby's bum! I hope this helped you out, f you have any questions about my personal experience, feel free to ask me!

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Last Day for Summer Block Party!

Hey everyone, make sure you check out the Summer Block Party ending tonight. The host blogs are:

Look What Mom Found
Life in a House of Blue
The Mom Buzz
Playdate Picks
As They Grow Up

And they're giving away great prizes, but it ends tonight, so get over there and throw your name in the hat! The prizes are from great sponsors like Casio, Revolution Foods, Cuisinart, Boob-eez, Victoria P Zurcher, Protect-a-Bub, Kushies, Kokopax, Pediped, KidsSwimWear.com, and Mutsy! There's even more than that, but as I'm busting my butt to get in a bunch of entries tonight, I've run out of steam :)

Also, make sure you hit up mycoke.com, we've won $100 in cashcards from them so far! Sweeties Sweeps has a great tutorial, check out her button on my side bar.

Oh, and this is a freebie - go to Pacific Rim winery to get the "Save Water, Drink Reisling" grocery tote for free! No catch, I just did it :)

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Giveaways Ending 5/29

So, I'm a bit of a sucker for bath goodies, i heart handmade is giving away a felted soap gift package from Persnickety Pelican. Check it out!

Also, I AM a cloth diapering mama, so have to send love to Your Mama Reviews (I love her giveaways!) for offering a set of Apple Cheeks cloth diapers!

Kind of -love- everything Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous does, so here's another giveaway from her - a gift basket with a candle, lotion and soap from Simply Pure Soy Candles and More.

Peanut Butter and Smelly is giving away a pair of New Balance shoes (ARV $100!).

J Leigh Designz
is giving away a free Microplane box grater. As a cheese fanatic, I NEED this!

Monday, May 25, 2009

Little Bit of This 'n That

So, regarding the puppy that I fell in love with - we went to go 'foster' it on Saturday, but somebody had beat us to it.  Nothing else at the shelter really caught our eye, until they brought out this little lab mix (maybe boston terrier in there?) that was just weeks old.  We brought her home and we've had fun with her the last few days, but it has cemented in my mind that as long as I still have TWO in diapers, adding a whole extra load of poop is such a bad idea.  YEACH!  So, tomorrow we'll take her back.  We've loved having her, and my in-laws really loved her, so I wouldn't be surprised if they pick her up and keep her after we return her.  We were glad to be able to love on her and play with her, I'm sure it beats being cooped up in a little pen for a long weekend.

This is me being TOTALLY okay with not having an adorable little puppy.

...

Yes, yes, I think I'll be just fine.

On another note, I won a contest!  I got a g Kissr lip gloss set from Natural Mommie.  There are six in the set, they are all fair trade and sound deliciously amazing, so I'm really excited to get them :)  I love that they consider them 'flavors' rather than 'scents' - don't you hate nasty tasting gloss that only -smells- like you could eat it?

And, on to my final note:

All of my girlfriends have been getting fake eyelashes.  What's up with that?  Is it a new trend that I've totally missed?  Do you wear fake eyelashes?  What's wrong with good old fashioned mascara that you don't change out until you realize your wand is completely hardend?  Harumph.  Everyone has big ole' bambi eyes but me.  But anyways, all that to say, I ran across a contest for LashFood over at Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous that would do me good.   I'd kind of love to not have to go to the extra effort of gluing hair to my face, so winning this would be pretty fantastic!

If you're feeling chatty, tell me about your memorial day weekend :)

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Giveaways ending 5/24

Who doesn't love Baskin Robins?! Enter here to win a $200 gift card for your favorite ice cream!

Win CVS Pharmacy facial prducts from The Makeup Divas!

The Makeup Divas are also giving away a Scandle scented body candle! Oh, I want!

Too cute! Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous is giving away a pair of Bugaloo shoes!

Wow, uber fashionable diaper bag at The Shopping Mama and Etsy it Up by Chouette by Cosette!

Your choice of handbags from Handbag Heaven being given away by Fairy Blog Mother!

Friday, May 22, 2009

Bloggy Help

Hey, I'm totally new to blogging and would love any tips to make my site more user friendly. If you have any tips or tricks, please share!

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Rocks & Snails & Puppy Dog Tails

Do you remember that time in your baby's development when they're teething and want to nurse but can't seem to remember how. Chomp. Chomp. It's been two days and it still hurts every time he nurses. I was ready to magically wean him right then and there, but am trying to remember that he was just hurting and it was an accident. Ouch! Oh my goodness, ouch!!

Okay - moving on, not that I couldn't go on for several more paragraphs about the degree of unhappiness that brought me, but I doubt in the interest level of such stories.

This week I took Kitt (yeah, that's a good nic-name for her), my two and half year old, to the animal shelter to get her a puppy fix, because oh my goodness does that girl go crazy every time she thinks she heard a dog bark a mile away. She was ecstatic! I am not particularly an 'animal' person, I'm not an animal hater, just one of those people that isn't really sure what to do with a smelly hairy thing panting in my face begging for attention. But, I have to say, I fell in love a little with a little black schnauzer with white toes and white spots on his belly. Darling! If he's still there on Saturday we're going to take him in to 'foster' care, which is in pet speak a trial run on whether you want them or not.

I'm not completely crazy - I'm not just picking out a puppy because it stole my heart and so diving in headfirst based on my emotional impulse stemming from 'well aren't you the cutest thing ever?!'. I mean, I don't think that's it at least, or he'd be here right now... right? My husband IS a dog person and in the almost 5 years of marriage has lamented regularly that he misses having one around.

For you parents who are pet owners, what's your experience with them? I have a 2 1/2 year old and a 9 month old. Am I crazy for considering it? I have to add that my 9 month old, lets call him Mac, is a fearless little thing that is already turning into an adrenaline junkie (cruising, crawling on top of boxes, throwing himself at things - seriously, nine months? I had so much more time with Kitt). I'd love your thoughts. I'm really trying to convince myself that this is not an emotional decision based on an irrelevant cuteness factor.

Dang, I'm really trying hard.

Thoughts?

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Days Like This Don't Happen For Me

Euphoria.

A dozen days of tantrums and challenges and then a break in the clouds.

Today the kids:

Woke up too early, but then blessedly fell back asleep.
Left me alone while I made breakfast.

Then Mac napped while Kitt and I:

Went to the park and played.
Met a new mommy (who happens to own the gymnastics studio that Kitt is on the waiting list for) and friend for Kitt.
Looked at puppies and kitties at the animal shelter.

Insert brief meltdown here because we left said shelter.

... but then I got home and we:

Had lunch.
Went for a walk on this beautiful day.
Took naps.

Oh my goodness, seriously - heaven!

Monday, May 18, 2009

A Day in the Life

As I've stated in my profile, I'm kind of an excitable person. High energy. This has many obvious perks, but is somewhat challenging in relation to how excitable my two year old can get. Yeah genetics... y-e-a-h. She's all around darling and sweet, but just a teensy bit aggressive when it comes to getting attention from, well, absolutely anything with eyes. Puppies, her little brother, friends (well, those other little short people she runs around with - does she have a sense of 'friendship' yet?) - yeah and anything taller than my knee too.

I can remember being a little, um, socially aggressive? Is that the word I want to use? I'm very extroverted and need people to feel alive and well, and I swear she really is my clone (in every single way). This is why people don't marry themselves, it's impossible for me to deal with the 'me' in her. When she melts down because she's tired I think to myself 'yeah, I'd scream like that too', when she needs snack and she needs it now - I get that. But boy am I, er, I mean, is she ever exhausting!

The thought of taking her all raw and new and waiting to be impressed upon and realizing that I'm the one responsible for molding her is just terrifying. It I teach someone how to -be- and that person is starting with a lot of the same basic material as me - aren't I recreating a mini-me? Oh, terrifying. How can I work out the kinks? How can I teach her the life lessons that I missed along the way when I'm still lacking so much?

/sigh

So this is why they say parenting is hard.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Contests worth entering - ending 5/18

Steals and Deals is offering Good For You Girls skincare which is skin care actually for young girls!

Oh dear, I AM a bit of a nerd, so of course I entered to win a Caprica DVD... It's the prequel to Battlestar Galactica.

Disney Umbrella Stroller giveaway from The Full Mommy.

Win $75 towards fun baby/toddler Zutano clothes from Catch the Drift.

Lipgloss Break is giving away an AMAZING looking lavender facial set from Daybreak Lavender Farms

Too cute little girl's swimwear from KidsSwimWear.com being given away by The Mud Bug

My First -Tangible- Prize!


I just heard back that I won the Shi Shu baby blanket from Life Staring Ellie and Eve! I entered it at the last minute yesterday. I'll post more about what you can enter by the end of today so that you can win some swag too!

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Blog giveaways Ending 5/14

If you can get in on this now, here are some blog contests ending today!

MomStart.com is giving away free Aurora photo editing software from lightcrafts.com

Simply Stacie is giving away a free necklace of your choice from Abella Galleries

Something Snappy is giving away organic Kiss My Face products for kids.

The Opinionated Parent is giving away four bottles of Spa Sister's lotions.

Your Mama is giving away a bottle of Lavender Hydrosol from Aromatics International

Have you Heard is giving away a $50 giftcard to Molla Space - not a lot of entries, good chances!

Kindred Spirit Reviews is giving away your choice of nursing tops from Glamour Mom - I kind of love this product and want one very very badly!

Sweeps to change my life

I recently started on a sweepstakes rampage. I'm driven to enter anything and everything that I come across that doesn't require a blood sample or my first born. In the week that I've done this I've already won my first prize, a $20 cash card from mycoke.com in a sweeps I heard about through Sweeties Sweeps which I kind of love. As a stay-at-home mom, this gives me a little diversion during nap time and hopefully, one day, we'll win something that'll make life just a little more luxurious. I mean, if I keep at, odds are more will come my way!

So, this is just a place for people that are looking for sweepstakes and contests. I'll post things that I stumble across for you to check out. If you win, I'd love to hear about it! Nothing like a little vicarious living!

Enjoy, I'll have more to update as I go!