The Not Quite Hippy... Hippy Mom

Hypnobabies Toddler Sleepy Time Review

2011-12-05T20:03:00.000-06:00

I was really excited about getting this script for Kalila... I loved the Hypnobabies childbirth class. I figured this would probably be the same.

I decided to go with the MP3 version because it was a little cheaper and no shipping... or waiting. I got it downloaded and told Kalila about it. She was excited too and we decided to let her listen to it right then to see what it was like. Was about time for a nap anyway...

That was a bad bad idea. At first she was all into it. I saw her sitting with her eyes screwed shut, a smile on her face... and before I knew it she was running out of the room mad that she was lied to. The story was telling her it was night time.. it wasn't night time.

That night I tried to put it on and she fought it. Finally the second time through she relaxed and listened. The next day she complained again. Begged to listen to music instead. After awhile I stopped trying. Thanks to that little preview the whole thing seemed ruined.

I was sad honestly. The story is just cute. A little girly. I'm not sure ZJ will want to listen to it when he's older (but we'll see). Plus it was a Hypnobabies thing. I love Hypnobabies. I want to become an instructor one day.

Skip forward to a couple days ago. ZJ was having trouble calming down. I got the kids in bed and told Kalila that I was turning it on and said it was for him and that I didn't want to hear any comments about it. She grumbled a little, but not too badly. We let it play several times over and both kids went to sleep. Yesterday Kalila asked me about it, and told me how much she likes it! All the sudden the "fairy story" is a huge hit here. Its played every night since.

I guess she just needed time.

CJ's BUTTer - Review

2011-11-05T10:23:00.000-05:00

It took us almost a year (or over a year) to finally get a bottle of CJ's BUTTer. I wish it hadn't. We finally got some a few weeks ago during a promotion on Go Baby Go and I love the stuff.

Backing up just a bit... ZJ (well all of us) got sick a couple weeks before we got this. A stomach bug... complete with diarrhea. Poor thing was miserable and of course it caused a nasty rash.

Well we got this stuff in and in about two days his rash was completely healed. The texture is a bit different than most rash creams... it really does look and feel like thick melted butter lol. The smell... Well we picked Sweet Memories. It took me a bit to figure out which to try first honestly. The last cream we tried smelled so bad and was a main reason we wanted to try a new one. I like this one. I am still curious about some of the others, but this one is nice. And... ZJ likes it.

Now granted we have not tried this on a yeast rash yet (thankfully he is not prone to them like his sis) so I'm not sure how it will do for that... but I think we've found a new favourite.

Cow Patties AI2 Review

2011-09-14T16:58:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I know I just did a CPCD review not too long ago. We got two more diapers though and besides showing off the cuteness... I do have a few things I wanted to share about these.

Unlike our other diapers, these are AI2's. I've never used one before and honestly hadn't planned to. I wasn't really sure what the difference was, as I've seen several different descriptions online. Some use the term for something that just looks like a pocket diaper, some an AIO with extra space and some a hybrid system. I was a little surprised when I opened these up and saw they were AI2's... But then again I was suprised to see the diapers in the first place :-D

The diapers themselves:

I didn't get an inside shot of both, but I did get one. You can see where or how the insert snaps in.

What you can't see here is there is still a pocket just like the pocket diapers we have. I don't have extra CPCD inserts so I've been stuffing them with others we had already, I've pretty much consistently used one microfiber one and one hemp.

A few action shots:

Thoughts:

I absolutely love them. The snap in insert does not add in any bulk to the diaper. The spiderman print is bulkier than our other diapers, but its the material used on the outside. No complaints there because it is stinking adorable and super soft. Both diapers are for that matter.

The inserts themselves are very soft as well... so there's nothing to irritate ZJ's skin. Another bonus. And because of the material she uses for the inside of the diaper if he is just wet and its caught early enough it can be reused as a pocket diaper. If we had extra inserts I'm sure that could be used as well, but we don't. Either way it still helps stretch our stash a little further.

Another bonus is that we've found these two work much better overnight than most of the pockets we have. We still don't use them much at night since they're way too cute for that, but I don't worry about it if we need to.

I'm still happy with our older diapers and have things that I love about each of them, but we've pretty much decided when we get more (is on hold, but Baba does have a couple in mind) they'll be AI2's.

Rosary Winner!

2011-09-08T12:30:00.000-05:00

Congrats Ashley D!

Sorry for the delay here (although it wasn't by much lol), we took a trip to the park and I hadn't realized it ended.

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 3

Note: max was set for 4 not 100 lol.

GroVia Shell Review

2011-08-31T22:51:00.000-05:00

Many of you may know that GroVia used to be under another name and had a cover called the WonderWrap. I got one when Kalila was smaller and it went from something I didn't really care for to my favourite cover. I was sad when they stopped making them.

Around the same time they came out with these GroVia shells. A hybrid system. I have nothing against hybrid diapers, but I didn't really see a reason to try them until I recieved this one last May.

By the time I did, I'd learned you can use hybrid shells as covers for prefolds, which helped with that part of it. And coming from the makers of Wonder Wraps I expected to like it. I was right.

Yes its cute. I'll admit cute factor does play a part for me now lol. But it also works very well. We have not had a single leak with this "cover". Its very trim. Note: because of the trimmness I fold a newborn sized prefold trifold and lay it inside similar to how you'd put one of their inserts in. Which is great since I have way more of those than any other sizes. And my favourite thing about it is the touch tape. This stuff is strong. It took at least 2 months for ZJ to figure out how to get it off. It holds up very well. And I love the laundry tabs with a "belt loop" type thing to keep them where they belong. I do wish now that I'd been able to get snaps, but only because he's figured out how to get it off and I have to cover this cute diaper up when we use it now.

Disclaimer: I did recieve this shell free for becoming an affiliate, opinions are still my own.. not getting compinsated for them.

Mama Kalila's Rosaries - Giveaway!

2011-08-25T09:54:00.001-05:00

A couple years or so ago I opened a small online store called Mama Kalila's Rosaries that (mostly) specialized in custom rosaries. Having quite a few Mission Moshi rosaries left over, I added them to my store as well. Since then I've thought a few times about tweaking the store, adding other homemade items to it, etc. but just hadn't.

Long story short, about a month ago or so I got a random order. One of those that happens right when you need it most. In honor of that order, and of it just going out... I'm going to do a giveaway here! And... I am updating my store. I've moved it over to Facebook (linked here) since the site I used before was more trouble than its worth. I will have more than rosaries in there eventually, but that won't be at least until January.

Sorry not the best photo, will get a better one asap lol.

Rules: Leave a comment per entry. Please include your email address, if I can't reach you I can't let you know you've won!

Manditory entry: Which colour rosary would you prefer? Black/silver, Black/black, red, white or blue.

Extra entries:

GFC follower of this NQH...HM blog
Follow me on Twitter - @mamakalila
Follow NQH...HM on Networked blogs.
"Like NQH...HM on Facebook.
Tweet about giveaway (1x per day - leave link)
Write a Blog Post about giveaway (5 entries - leave link)
Facebook Share (3 entries - leave link)

Giveaway ends Sept 8th at noon (central). I'll post the winner soon after :-)

Cow Patties Review

2011-08-10T01:08:00.000-05:00

I have a bit of a cloth diaper addiction. I say a bit of because I've never really done anything about it before lol. Baba keeps me in check... We really only get them when we need them (and usually on sale) or if I've won one. About a month or so ago I won a Cow Patties Cloth Diaper from Marni's Organized Mess... This diaper has changed things a bit for us.

First off, as excited as I was when I saw I'd won... Baba was even more so right from the beginning. Why? We chose the Batman print. Before the diaper even got here, after seeing some of her others online, he told me that if I get prints like that (or World of Warcraft, Star Wars, etc) I can order more diapers. You know as long as we can afford it lol.

Our Batman diaper came in and we both fell in love... The kids love it too. Its stinking adorable. I even love the black lining... for one thing it looks cute, but also there's no way you can see stains on this diaper.

It really wasn't long after it came that Baba ok'd our first Cow Patties Purchase... As soon as she posted the picture of the Marvel print... So another cute diaper sent our way. And as much as I like the black lining on the first... I have to mention this one as well because despite the green (which I don't dislike, don't get me wrong) its even nicer. It is soooo soft. And easy to clean too.

We already have one more on its way sometime soon. Captain America.

*picture taken from her FB page*

I'm not sure exactly when it will get here since my BIL is getting ZJ two more and we figured it might be best to ship them together.

Obviously we really like these... but skipping past cute factor:

They do work well. No leaks, no blowouts... They are easy to stuff (nice wide pockets). They fit my son well, although I am still getting used to the way the snaps are placed. Not a bad thing, just takes me a second or two more right now.

The inserts are easy to work with. One long insert that you fold. I think I'd (personally) like it a little wider, but it works. And I do really like being able to adjust how they are folded for whatever need we have.

The price is great. Even when you add the shipping cost on, its still less than most of the brands we've bought before. Not a huge difference after shipping, but still.

But I do have to say I don't use these for night-time. I tried once with the Batman diaper and it soaked through. I don't know if I should have used more (or different) inserts or what, but I'm not really all that worried about it either. Baba and I discussed it the other day and we don't really want to use them for night time diapers. These are cute. We want to see them lol.

I think the biggest downside (if you want to call it that) to this diaper is that its blown the whole Baba keeping me in check over diapers out of the water. He's not going crazy or anything, but still...

Save More - National Deal Bamboo Sheets

2011-08-06T10:02:00.002-05:00

Six-Piece Bamboo Sheet Set ($149.99 Value)

Experience the ultimate luxury of 100% organic bamboo sheets. With today’s deal from National Hotel Bed Supply, receive a Concorde Bamboo Sheet Set for only $53 ($149.00 value). This 6-pi... more

$80 Worth of Mineral Cosmetics

Six-Month Membership + Basic Return Kit ($30 Value)

Vocal Point - Downy Unstoppables

2011-07-29T12:35:00.000-05:00

I joined Vocal Point awhile back and hadn't thought a whole lot about it. Not that I didn't want to, things have just been kind of crazy around here. My first interaction with them is kind of a case in point there...

Last month ZJ was in the hospital and we were getting ready to get discharged when Baba told me that I had a Downy sample waiting at home. My first thought was the samples that were hung at the door and lets just give it to Gido. I can't use softeners even if I wanted too. When he told me it was a full sized container I was a bit confused, and a little sad we wouldn't get to use it. I came home to find out that I was completely mistaken.

Vocal Point sent us a full sized sample of the new Downy Unstoppables in the Fresh scent. This isn't a softener, its a scent booster, so we decided to give it a shot.

Note: Yes free sample to review. No not being compensated for this. These are my opinions here.

I do actually like this product.

One of the complaints I've seen a lot about not using softeners is the missing scent. This definitely helps with that. On the other hand, if artificial scents bothers you this would not be a good idea. I'm somewhere in the middle on this one. I love the smell it leaves on our clothes, sheets and towels (I will not use it on the diapers lol). But, I get the biggest headaches when actually doing the wash with it. Think of almost to the point of migrain headache. I wouldn't blame that on this specific product because I get the same headaches just walking down the cleaner or freshener aisles at the store.

I mentioned the diapers earlier. I was a bit worried about how this would affect them even without using it in their wash at first. Softeners can leave film that can transfer and cause them to repel. What's to say this won't? My original plan was to feel the drum and see if it would need to be scrubbed off before washing the diapers... there was nothing there. I have had no issues since I started washing our other laundry with this product. I have also not noticed our drier having any residue on the lint trap... wasn't as worried about that since it goes in the water, but still.

I also like that you don't need to put a set amount in. You can shake as many or few of the beads into your wash as you want. I try to go light, both because of the headaches and because it makes it last longer. Its been a month or so now and we still have about a 1/4 of the bottle left.

I doubt we're actually going to buy more, but I'm glad we got to try it out. I do recommend it, esp for those who want the scent associated with softeners but would like to avoid them otherwise.

Savemore Weekend Deals 7/22-7/24

2011-07-21T17:51:00.002-05:00

Blanket America

$18 for $40 or $27 for $60 Worth of Merchandise from Blanket America.

Shipping not included but voucher may be used towards it.

For every blanket sold one is donated to Charity!!

NumMe

$45 for $145 Worth Of Merchandise from NumeStyle.com.

Shipping not included.

Gaffos

$25 for $50 towards exclusive pieces of the Tom Ford Collection

FREE SHIPPING!!

Save More - Hot Deals 7/20

2011-07-20T16:54:00.002-05:00

Today’s deal:

Bunnies & Bows

$15 for $30 Worth Of Personalized Pillowcases & Pillows. Shipping not included.

Thursday 7/21

ThredUP

$16 for Two Boxes of Kids Clothes, Books, or Toys ($32 Value) FREE SHIPPING!!

Violight

$20 for $40 Worth of Sanitizing Products from Violight.com. FREE SHIPPING!!

Friday 7/21

Blanket America

$18 for $40 or $27 for $60 Worth of Merchandise from Blanket America.

Shipping not included but voucher may be used towards it.

For every blanket sold one is donated to Charity!!

Diapers & Drivel - Amazon Giveaway

2011-07-19T19:12:00.000-05:00

:-D Diapers & Drivel is giving away a 5 dollar Amazon card this week in honour of (possibly) finding out the gender of her baby. How exciting is that?!?

Save More - Hot Deals 7/18

2011-07-18T13:41:00.000-05:00

Savemore Hot Deals running through tomorrow include:

Canvas People

$28 for 11x14 Custom Photo Canvas ($65 value) FREE SHIPPING!!

Or $37 for 16x20 ($89 value)

MoviePosterShop

$12 for $25 Worth of Movie Posters from MoviePosterShop.com (Shipping not included-$3.99 Standard)

Aromago

$12 for Four Aromatherapy Sticks ($28 value)(Shipping flat rate $2.49)

Or $16 for Six Aromatherapy Sticks

Deals coming tomorrow include:

Calinana

$25 for $60 Worth of Handcrafted Jewelry from Calinana.com (Shipping flat rate $5)

Or $30 for $76 Worth of Jewelry

Pretied Bandanna?

2011-07-17T19:02:00.000-05:00

Awhile back I mentioned SaveMore? I was able to get a couple coupons to Cover Your Hair for free thanks to that deal, still very happy about that. I've only used one so far... I got me a pretied bandanna and a small bow clip for Kalila.

Here's the bandanna I got:

Cute right? I love the pattern, even if its a little more pink than I normally like. I love how easy it goes on. The material is stretchy and there's elastic in the back where its sewn. Its great. The only downside is the material doesn't like my hair very much (or vice versa) and I end up fighting with it the entire time its on. ZJ is great at pulling it off of me too. I'm pretty sure I'm going to use the other for another gift card for a tichel (partly because of that) but I do like these. I'll probably try another material next time though lol.

And while I'm thinking about it, I have to say (probably again) that I love this store. I ended up having a question during my order and they were very helpful. There's an im thing in the corner that makes it easy, in fact if they're on when you visit they'll prob pop up and ask you if you need any help. Its like actually going shopping lol. I like it.

Save More

2011-07-02T11:47:00.000-05:00

I don't use daily deal sites a lot.. but they can come in very handy. I found a new one today that I just love. SaveMore. Not only does it look like it has some great deals (I LOVE today's lol) but if you sign up now you get $10 added into your account. Which is great any way you look at it.. and if, say, you're interested in todays deal... it means instead of getting 54% off of a a $15 voucher to Cover Your Hair, you get one completely free! With $3 to spare. I don't know how much tomorrow's deal will be (or others) but I'm guessing that free $10 will go a long ways in whatever you choose. And if you refer people you can get another $10 per person... so there's a lot of potential at SaveMore.

Doopsy Deals

2011-06-30T15:43:00.002-05:00

4th of July SUPER SALE at www.BabyEcoMart.com - FREE Diapers, Changing Pads, Inserts and more

Mommcupation Bububibi Giveaway

2011-06-28T21:01:00.000-05:00

Between last week's events and remembering just why I don't enter the referral contests... I've had a hard time even wanting to look for giveaways lately. But... I found one I'm excited about! Unfortunatley it ends tonight. Eek!

Bububibi. We have one of our own and I love it... So when I saw that The Mommcupation is giving away one (plus wetbag and liners) I was too excited about entering. Like I said, it ends tonight... 11pm PST. So if you want to enter I'd suggest hurrying :-)

Facebook Mommy Breastfeeds Book Giveaway

2011-06-22T16:34:00.000-05:00

I don't do many Facebook referral giveaways... but I found one today that I just had to enter.

http://www.facebook.com/mommybreastfeeds

I think this is the cutest book, from what I've seen of it anyway and it would be perfect in my home. Unfortunately I haven't been able to get a copy yet. So them giving away a free copy to the person with the most referrals by July 2nd was just something I had to shoot for.

So... I would really appreciate it if you'd like them and leave a note that you're a new fan/I sent you (yes the comment is necessary). Feel free to jump in and refer friends of your own and try to win it for yourself. Believe me I don't mind at all lol. Good luck!

One Smiling Monkey - Thirsties Hemp

2011-06-19T18:11:00.000-05:00

I'll admit I'm waiting a bit impatiently for One Smiling Monkey to hit their 2500 fan mark on FB because they're doing a huge giveaway. I've been checking in as often as I can to see where they're at... and today I saw this giveaway already up (not part of the big one, but makes me happy anyway).

One Smiling Monkey is giving away a Thirsties Hemp Prefold and a Duo Wrap Cover. I absolutely adore hemp in diapers... so far only have it in inserts, but the thought of trying a hemp prefold... I can't even tell you how much I want to try one. The giveaway ends July 11 at 3 PST.

Swiffer 360 Review

2011-06-18T13:44:00.000-05:00

Disclaimer: I was not paid to do this review... I did receive a free Swiffer 360, but not connected to this blog... It was part of a Facebook special they did in May.

I looked forward to this coming in the mail for weeks. I'm not even kidding... There are several things I really do like about it, and I'm very grateful for it since it was free... but at the same time it wasn't quite what I hoped it would be.

This is so not their fault, just saying... but my first reaction was disappointment that it was in the condition it was when it arrived. I took this after trying to reshape the package some.

This wouldn't happen buying it in a store... and it still works, but it did make the duster oddly shaped when it came out. I don't know if that affected how well it worked or not. I'm assuming not, but mention it just in case.

I broke it out and used it pretty much right away... is why I'm able to write this now. Like I said, I was excited about it. The look of it wasn't great, but that doesn't always mean anything. It does work. It works pretty well. I used it on my blinds (very hard to dust) and it got most of it off. Yay.

End result:

Yeah... yuck. There is obviously no way I can reuse this at all... Which from Swiffer I should have known... I don't know of anything they make that is reusable. I guess I was just hoping I would get a little more use out of it before it was trash.

So it does work pretty well... and if you like the "convenience" of having products you can just toss then it would be a good fit. Or if you need to eliminate dust with as little as possible contact. I can't see myself buying another... but it did show me that I do want a real duster, I see potential there :-)

A Woman's Place - Snood Giveaway

2011-06-03T11:24:00.000-05:00

Very excited about this giveaway... is from one of my favourite blogs, A Woman's Place. She's doing her first snood giveaway from her new shop. I have no snoods and would love to win this. I don't see an end date on this so you might want to hurry! Good luck!

Leslie Loves Veggies: Naturally Nora All-Natural Cookie Mixes

2011-05-19T20:08:00.001-05:00

I had a bit of a hard time finding a giveaway to post today. Not that there's a lack of good ones, just none that had blog entries. I finally found one though and it sounds yummy!

Leslie Loves Veggies is doing a Naturally Nora All-Natural Cookie Mix Giveaway. There will be 3 winners for this one :-) and it ends June 6th... a bit later than most of them I've been posting about lately. Upside of that is that you have plenty of time to get in entries!

Good luck!

3 Princes and a Princess 2: Little Tikes 33rd Anniversary Turtle Sandbox

2011-05-18T16:17:00.000-05:00

I sense a summer theme going on here lol.

Today's giveaway (or the one I'm sharing today anyway) is from the 3 Princes and a Princess 2 blog and Little Tikes. ->Little Tikes 33rd Anniversary Edition Turtle Sandbox Giveaway.

Obviously the toy itself is adorable and I can just imagine how much fun the kids would have playing in it. Good thing there's a lid or I'd worry about the cats too lol. The price (for any who decide to buy it) surprises me honestly. I thought it would cost a lot more than it does. May just put it on my swag goal list if I don't win it... is only $40. They also mention that Little Tikes is partnering with the Sea Turtle Conservancy to raise awareness any everything (not typing it all out... is on the original post). If you donate to that cause you can get 8 extra entries (nice!), but there's plenty of free entries and the mandatory one is easy...

This giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on May 25th.

GroVia Affiliate Program

2011-05-17T15:11:00.000-05:00

If you haven't noticed, there is a new banner on the right side of my page. Its for GroVia... links to their website through their new affiliate program. I learned about it on Facebook and while I don't expect to make ~~any~~ much money through it (though that would be nice) I am excited about it for a couple different reasons.

They have a program going right now for bloggers. Anyone who signs up to do this through the end of the month gets a free shell. Remember what I said about needing more covers? :-D I've made it all the way through the process and sent in my info for one & can't wait for that particular piece of fluff mail.
While I have horrid luck w/ programs like this actually working for me, that doesn't mean it can't or won't.

So.. if any of you are interested in GroVia products please please please head over to my banner or click this link here. For anyone who's not a cloth user, they do have sposies and hybrids as well... Plus wipes, detergent and other fun stuff like that :-)

I Love Cloth Diapers: Palm Tree Diaper Cover

2011-05-17T11:27:00.000-05:00

I have a big reason for entering today's giveaway... We're having issues with diaper covers here. I want to try some new brands (and even have some in mind) but we're just not able to right now... so a diaper cover giveaway is perfect!

I Love Cloth Diapers is doing a Palm Tree Diaper Cover giveaway right now. The contest ends on May 23rd. They're announcing the winner the next day... always nice to know ;-)

I hadn't heard about this diaper cover before, but very curious now. They cost 9.99 which is a very good price for a one sized cover. Oh yeah.. its one sized lol. I know that can be both good and bad at the same time, but... I do like the OS option. Come in both velcro & snap and 7 different colours... including "bark" (brown). Silly I know, but I love brown diapers and haven't seen a cover that colour before.

A few other nice things about this giveaway are: lots of entry options. they email out winners (you'd think that's a given but some don't), and you get to choose both the closure style and colour.

Good luck!

Shining 2 Save - Slip & Slide

2011-05-16T13:23:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't gotten any of these up in awhile... gonna do better I promise! Todays featured giveaway is from Shining 2 Save.

Shining 2 Save Slip N Slide giveaway ends on May 31st at 11:59pm EST... so we still have plenty of time to get entries in. Its for a SLIP'N SLIDE Rainforest Falls Water Slide & Splash Pool... for ages 3 to 6 (although she said its a bit small for a 6 year old) so I think it would be perfect here. Definitely worth entering anyway lol.

Good luck!

Do You Think You Can Doopsy? (Video)

2011-04-28T19:40:00.000-05:00

That's right, Doopsy is doing another giveaway... and I'm very excited about this one. You actually need to own a Doopsy diaper to enter, but the first place winner gets

6 Doopsy “R” One Size Pocket Diapers
6 Super Doopsy Expandable Inserts
6 Doopsy Bamboo Hemp Pocket Inserts
6 Doopsy Heavy Duty Bamboo Hemp Inserts

Second gets 3 each of above and Third gets 1 of each. Everyone who enters gets a free Doopsy Bamboo Hemp Heavy Duty Insert at the end of the contest. Pretty easy to see why I'm excited about this one right?
So what do you need to do? Get a video of your little cutie dancing in a Doopsy diaper and post it on You Tube. The video w/ the most views by the end of May wins. Here's all the info if you're interested in entering for yourself -> Do You Think You Can Doopsy...

It took me awhile to get a video (tried a good chunk of yesterday and a bit sad I didn't get it in the red one lol), but I finally got one of ZJ dancing today. Of course it was mid cleaning and Kalila kept trying to get in the middle of it, but still... I think its adorable! And I would really appreciate it if you'd go take a look and help me out a bit! I'll apologize now, the link to this will prob be posted multiple times until then end lol.

Another Doopsy Deal

2011-04-26T08:53:00.002-05:00

"Buy 4 Doopsy OS Diapers - GET 1 DOOPSY "R" OS Diaper FREE!
Use Code B4F1 at check-out so we know to ad the 5th DIAPER to the order
http://www.babyecomart.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=56 "

Major Doopsy Giveaway!!

2011-03-30T13:11:00.000-05:00

"Doopsy Approved TRADEMARK Celebration at www.BabyEcoMart.com
20% OFF all DOOPSY Products-Use TM20 at check-out-NO MINIMUM ORDER. ONLY DOOPSY PRODUCTS qualify-refunds for all others"

--

Head to facebook for a great Doopsy giveaway.

Twitter

2011-03-29T15:39:00.000-05:00

Completely unrelated to this post: Sorry I haven't had any new ones up lately. I've been swamped here and just haven't been looking at contests in general. I'm going to guess and say I should be back at that after ZJ's birthday, would like to sooner but realistically it probably won't be until then.

Twitter.

I'm not 100% sure if the comment I just got was spam or not... Blogger stuck it in that section, but for some reason it still emailed to me (spam usually doesn't). It made just enough sense that I do want to address it (even if I'm not sure I want to pull it out of that folder).

Anonymous: Maybe you may want to place a twitter icon to your blog. Just bookmarked the url, however I had to make this manually. Just my advice.

Sigh...

I actually had a LOT of trouble getting my twitter account hooked up to here at all. I'm not sure why... Its never given me a problem before (neither on my old blogspot account or my wordpress one). I did finally get it up, but it doesn't show a nice pretty button like most blogs have. I wish it did. Really. However... it does have a direct link. Its small... and at the bottom of my twitter feed. But it is there.

Anyways, I'm probably addressing a non issue lol.

Kelly Wels BumGenius 4.0 Sweepstakes

2011-02-28T20:23:00.000-06:00

Kelly Wels has a sweepstakes going right now that I just have to mention... It's for 18 Bum Genius 4.0 diapers, a diaper sprayer (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and a pail liner.

First/main entry is actually on her Facebook page -> Linked here.

After entering head over to her blog for more ways to enter -> Linked here

CSN Winner!

2011-02-27T19:05:00.000-06:00

We have a winner!

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 18 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

I would love to get this bake-ware set from csn stores:
http://www.csnstores.com/5-Piece-Burgundy-Bakeware-Set-SSS1143.html
gina.m.maddox (at) gmail (dot) com

Doopsy Giveaway!

2011-02-26T08:48:00.000-06:00

If you've seen any of my posts on my wordpress blog about Doopsy, you know I LOVE them... So I have to share this giveaway/deal I just found.

"DOOPSY One Size Bamboo Velour Fitted Diaper $11 at BabyEcoMart - Use SAVE15 at check-out
http://www.babyecomart.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=355 "

If you're a Doopsy facebook fan, all you have to do is share the above and link back to it on her page.

CSN Joss & Main

2011-02-24T10:53:00.000-06:00

Before I mention anything new, want to remind you that we do still have the giveaway going. Its a few posts down or linked here. Its open until the 27th so be sure to get your entries in!

The other day CSN let me in on another great deal from them that I just have to share :-) They opened up a new store, Joss & Main. It's an exclusive private sale site that offers exclusive sales on top brands and designers for the home at up to 70% off retail. Now their sales only last 72 hours, but there are new sales daily... After looking around on there, I'm even more excited about this site than I was before... they do have some really cute things. As of now (may be gone when you read this depending on when you do lol) they have some bamboo kitchenware that I just adore...

To be fair I have to say that I was offered a deal for any referrals. For every purchase you make off my referral page (linked here again) I get $15 store credit. Flip side of that is, if you sign up you can pass along your info for the same deal.

Dear Crissy - Kenmore Mixer

2011-02-21T12:12:00.001-06:00

I found another giveaway I had to drool over...

Enter to win a Kenmore Elite Stand Mixer on Dear Crissy!

This giveaway is open until March 7th. She gives a lot of entry opportunities (always good) so not only is there plenty of time left, but you can get in quite a few still.

I'm sure I don't have to explain why I'd love to win this one lol. I've been watching Kitchen Boss lately and wishing I had one of these...

Keeper of the Home - Naturopath Kit

2011-02-20T09:40:00.000-06:00

Today I found a giveaway by Keeper of the Home for a Naturopath First Aid Kit. Wasn't quite what I was looking for, but I love the idea so I had to enter it.

Short version, this kit includes 9 diff naturopathic remedies. Detailed instructions. Alphabetical list of conditions. And a bag of course :-) There's also a mini kit and a bottle of Crisis Calm included in the giveaway.

I'm not entirely sure when this giveaway ends, so you might want to hurry on this one! There is a discount code on it good until March 15th so that may be the date.

On a slightly unrelated (at least to the particular giveaway) note.. This site has a slightly different method of entering that I really like. Instead of leaving a million comments, you fill out a form. All of the entry methods are listed on it, along with the links to copy/paste. It was very easy to enter.

Good luck!

Leslie Loves Veggies - Pie Crust

2011-02-19T09:15:00.001-06:00

I haven't entered many giveaways lately (just not enough time lol) but doing one of my own has me excited about them again and it didn't take long to find one that I really wanted to enter.

Leslie Loves Veggies is doing another yummy sounding giveaway. Wholly Wholesome Pie Crusts and Shells.

Like Leslie I am just not that great at pie shells... Ok to be honest I'm not sure I've even tried lol. I do want too... but a bit intimidated. We buy them... and this brand (yay organic!!!) is one that I would really want to try if I saw it in a store.

So... all for entering this giveaway here. And if you are too... good luck! :-)

Ends Tuesday March 8th. Us entries only. 5 Winners... Winners posted here.

CSN Giveaway

2011-02-17T10:16:00.004-06:00

I have to say I’m very excited about this… Not only do I have a new giveaway for you, but I have one from CSN for a $20 giftcard.  Because I can’t just assume you know what CSN is, they have over 200  online stores where you can find anything from swingsets  to cookware, school supplies or home improvement.  That equals a lot of  options if you win this giftcard. Unfortunately I do have to add that  this is only open to US and Canadian  residents as CSN can’t ship  outside those two (these two?) countries.

So… for those of you who either haven’t done a give away before, or  haven’t done one on my blog. The rules are simple.  Please (please)  leave one comment per entry done.  I use random.org to pick winners and  combining entries onto one comment won’t work.  I also need email  addresses in the entries or I can’t contact you if you win…

First (mandatory) entry:  What would you choose if you won the gift card?

Extra entries:

One entry each 

Follow via GFC
Suibscribe to this blog

 One entry each, details on left hand side of wordpress blog:

Subscribe to wordpress blog
Follow this blog via Networked Blogs
Follow me on twitter
Tweet about giveaway (once daily)

Three entries each – post link in your entry.

Write blog post about this giveaway
Share on facebook

Giveaway ends Feb 27th… (at 7 central time)both because it gives everyone plenty of time to get entries in and is a special day around here   

--
 I  need to apologize again for the 2 blog mix up. When I received the  email about doing this giveaway I assumed they were talking about my  wordpress blog and put the post up on there. As of posting this one  comments on the first post will be closed. Those already posted will be  counted.

I'm Horrible

2009-03-10T20:48:00.002-05:00

I decided to stop writing on this one.. I'm sorry! But I'm not completely going away. I put all the posts from here, all my links, everything... onto my main blog (however I think I'll skip transferring this over lol . Yes, tedious... But I think it's worth it. I meant to put this up yesterday, like I did on the other one... I'm horrible I know. Just got too distracted to do it

Sorry about any inconvenience... I just don't have time to keep up w/ two blogs that keep intertwining as much as these two have been. It was a good concept, but... eh.

Anyways, if you liked this one (and weren't already on the other) feel free to drop by Mama Kalila - The not quite hippy, hippy mom

Charting Sites Anyone?

2009-03-06T23:43:00.002-06:00

I'm so stressed right now it's not even funny... if it's not bad enough being sick... They seemed to have revamped hormonal forecaster, resulting in multiple problems on my end.

I couldn't log in... So I had my password sent. After several failed attempts got it. Everything is gone... All of my old data just gone. Granted I'm just starting a cycle so it's not a huge deal... but still is agrivating because I regularly go back and compare what's going on w/ previous months! Then something else started going wrong w/ it so I logged into my section of the comp (was on Baba's) and now I can't get back into it. Won't let me at all... and when I ask it to send me the password it says my email does not exist. So not happy.

So I'm looking at other sites and very open to suggestions. I've done the FF thing before and am not comfortable with it as I'm TTA still... it's meant for TTC only. I've found a couple others, but they're either TTC only or a Billings method only or whatever.

I managed to get most of my info for today into HF and think I can remember the rest until tomorrow at least... but still. Anyone?

Video's

2009-01-29T09:05:00.002-06:00

These were posted on cafemom today and I just had to share...

The first is just funny, to me at least... in a very sad way...

The second is a commercial in Scotland... too bad we don't have any like this here huh?

Boosters?

2009-01-26T10:42:00.003-06:00

The other day I was discussing car-seat issues and the topic of Boosters came up. Granted that is quite a ways away for me... Kalila is nowhere near needing one lol. She's not even forward facing yet (thankfully!)

First off though... I'm a little worried about when it does happen because the car-seat we have turns into a booster at 40lbs... only 5 lbs after she turns FF. I was hoping to keep her harnessed for a bit longer than that.

Then... while discussing it the whole age thing popped up. I was told they can go in a booster as young as 3, but one government site online says 4. To me it's a moot point because every car-seat or booster I've seen has a weight limit on them. I had a comparison page already up and scrolled down to look at that section... and not one of them is made for a child under 30lbs (most are 40 and up). I would assume that it'd be like the FF minimum (where the child has to be at least a year old and, not or, 20lbs) it'd be a combination thing. I guess I could be wrong though lol.

How did, or will, you decide?

Knickernappies Disposanots

2008-12-15T23:38:00.003-06:00

I'm gonna have to get a good pic of Kalila in this lol... but we had to order some diaper creme the other day... and KeenBambino had a great sale going on (after Thanksgiving!) so we decided to get our monthly diaper then too... These were on sale, so we decided to try one out and I love them!

The big disadvantage are that they aren't one size. The cost is less... but I'm not sure it works out when you need 3 sizes. I wouldn't have even considered trying it if Kalila wasn't big enough to only need the largest size now. It's also a little harder to stuff than BG's.

Obviously big advantage is the snaps!!! I love em!!! The lining is softer too... not necessary but nice.

I'm thinking we may put some on our baby registry next time along w/ BG's... but not really switching over lol. I do like it though!

Great New Site/Link

2008-11-26T22:05:00.002-06:00

About a week ago or so (I forget exactly) I posted a new link on my NFP section on the side - NFP Information. It looked pretty good, but I didn't get a chance to really look at it until the other day.

I am so glad I found this site. It has a ton of good information!

If you haven't already clicked over, it starts off w/ an overview of what NFP is... It's a short little introduction that manages to explain it pretty well for as short as it is. There are links from there to pages w/ more in depth information.

One is the Primer. I think this is my favourite page. Seriously. It has detailed information about how effective NFP is/can be, plus comparisons to BC. The section on the only 3 things to be 100% effective in preventing pregnancy was one of the first things to catch my attention on there (oddly enough made me laugh even though it's not really funny). And they bring up the discrepensies in statistics quoted by BC promoters (remember my vent about one of them using stats from rhythm method and those who use real NFP methods to get pregnant in there numbers for people using it to prevent?). That alone got it linked to this blog lol. There's also information about health benifits, marriage building and cost in this section.

Under all of that it goes into more detail about charting broken into several different sections. One for avoiding pregnancy, one for achieving, etc.

The next page is on Effectiveness. It's pretty self explanitory... At first I thought it was a bit redundant, since they compair it to BC on other pages, but after reading it... it makes sense. It's more detailed. They show comparisions, not just between NFP and various forms of BC, but also between countries.

Another page of theirs that I really like is the Biblical Views section. I don't know how many times I've had to go searching for the Bible verses (I'm not good at memorization).. I can tell you what it says, but not word for word or where... This makes it easy to find lol.

They also go into side notes on Natural Law and BC and Pro Life and BC.

Choosing NFP puts everything in an easy to read format. Very simple. Honestly I think this page may be better than the opening welcome/intro page... is blunt, to the point, bullet format... to the point.

The last is Resources... Pretty self explanitory there... They put together a good basic list of materials, but I've heard of (and seen) a lot of other good resources that I wish were on there as well.

Anyways, I'm gonna get going.. I've just been meaning to write this the past couple days... and since the Maronite Voice came in the mail today complete w/ an article on NFP I thought this would be a good time to do it lol. We've got a big day tomorrow though!

Loving That Vinegar

2008-10-22T21:13:00.000-05:00

I know I've mentioned my cleaning w/ vinegar... but I'm not sure if I've said anything about the health benefits.

Apparently Apple Cider Vinegar is very good for you... for various ailments. What really caught my attention is that it can give you energy. I need energy. So I tried the recommended recipe of adding it to water w/ some honey... was awful! I couldn't take it.

I'd read about Bragg's Organic Raw Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar... I didn't think too much about it beyond that because I was sure it'd be expensive.. but one of my neighbors takes it religiously and got me to try some. I figured why not. So I did a shot, quite literally, and surprisingly it wasn't bad! I went to the store and it was there and a decent price...

So I'm here w/ my vinegar... and looked at how to take it. 2 teaspoons w/ 8 oz water... Twice a day. Ok, I'll do that... and uggh. I can handle it alone, but the water.... so I added honey (one of the suggestions I saw on the lable).... is slightly better...

My question... Do you think it'd be ok to chug it alone and then drink a glass of water? LOL I'm serious... The vinegar I can handle.. the mix.... uggggh.

2008-09-25T22:50:00.000-05:00

For those of you looking at NFP stuff (or even FAM) - after ending my trial period w/ FF (which I don't recommend if you're trying to avoid pregnancy, they put a warning on there that they won't help you with that - is why I was glad to look elsewhere lol)

I found the Hormonal Forcaster Web Edition. Bacic service is always free, but you can add time to your free premium service as well by referring people & a few other things. I'm not counting on it (besides I've only been using basic freatures right now anyway lol) But if you're interested I'd appreciate the extra time ;-)

So I'm including my referal link here:

http://www.myfertilitycharts.com/webedition/20/newuser.aspx?a=ref254

Thanks!

Finally Some Organic We Can Afford

2008-08-30T23:46:00.002-05:00

Sun Harvest had a sale this weekend!

Backing up some... We've been wanting to go there for awhile & hadn't had the chance. We finally got to go a couple weeks ago & I fell in love w/ the place. Seriously... all that organic food... all the green options all right there together... all in prices that are doable (some cheaper than other places, some in the budget for section)...

That same day we got our first newspaper (finally broke down & subscribed) and I saw the coupons (good day to do so!) and the insert for Sun Harvest about this sale! I won't go into a lot of detail, but the fact that they had the sweet (white) corn 3 for $1 was reason enough alone to go. I haven't had that kind in ages...

So we went today... I got my corn lol... and a few other things we needed. One thing that's definitely not cheaper there (but we'll work it into our budget anyway) was the organic potatoes. Working w/ a budget, we know we can't buy all organic (in a perfect world sure... but then we wouldn't need to right?) so we have to draw the line at what needs to be organic, and what doesn't. I don't know if I have it linked on here yet, but just in case - here is a good list for determining that. If you clicked that link, you see potatoes are on the dirty dozen side... So today we broke down & got them organic. (Here's to eating healthier)

Another plus to doing some of our shopping there (obviously we're still buying most of our meat at Ali Baba's, bulk items at Sams & such) is that if it turns out Kalila needs non-dairy versions of stuff it's easy to find there. We're hoping (of course) that is not the case... and since she woke up completely rash free this morning... I'm hoping... We're not going to cook her food w/ milk for awhile though (putting that back) and may still leave out the other dairy items for the next week or two (we didn't give her any today) to see, but haven't decided for sure on that. Thinking about it logically, I don't think she ever reacted to yogurt or cheese (I would have noticed) & she would have. & I know she never reacted to me eating any of it... I just worry... paranoid mama here... (and doesn't help that CafeMom is filled w/ mom's who are anti cow's milk to begin with and others who have kids who do have that problem) OH- and on that note: her rash wasn't quite as bad as we thought either lol. (it was still bad) It turns out the peeling wasn't her skin.... but her rash creme... Word of warning: beeswax looks like peeling skin when it comes off!

Anyways, I managed to have fun w/ our grocery shopping this week lol. We're getting back on track w/ planning out our menu's (I found a great site online to help w/ that too... tips & stuff) & trying to make enough to have leftovers (we never do). I'm actually excited about it. Things are definitely looking up in that department :-D

Making Milk

2008-08-23T01:05:00.005-05:00

I just read a blog comment that gave me the idea to do this so here I am!

I absolutely love breastfeeding... and honestly I've been pretty lucky. Thats not to say that it's 100% easy for me or that I haven't had problems... because it hasn't been & I have. But... I've had a lot of support, know some good places to do research, and have been able to work through the problems I have had. Plus I haven't had near as many as some other mom's I've talked too. I definately can't complain (or shouldn't).

One issue I haven't had, but am paranoid enough to have research up the tako (random Kiswahili word 325230 thrown in for no good reason) just in case is making enough milk. Honestly I've tried some of these anyway, just to make sure I don't end up having a problem lol. (Besides some are things we need to be doing as nursing mom's anyway)

* Drink plenty of water
* Nurse the baby as often as possible, on demand.
*Fenugreek - this can be found in pills, in Mothers Milk tea, and in Curry Powder
* Pump between feedings (I'd prob do that as a last resort... becuase it can cause you to overproduce... I know that from experience lol)
* Dillweed - I was looking it up to see if it was safe since was in a recipe and had a nice surprise.. makes me wonder if pickles would work too!
* Oatmeal - Not instant... needs to be something cut (sorry it's late lol), so oldfashioned style, but is in the groc stores. I'm not sure if the cereal or cookies would work, but def wouldn't hurt.
* Reglan - another last resort... you'd need to talk to your dr for the prescription.
* No formula... - any time you aren't feeding = less production. (don't kick yourself if you have too though... it happens) But...
* Supplament System - if you have no choice but supplament, look in to a SNS... baby gets formula at your breast so it 'kicks your production' up at the same time.
* Nurse In - Take a day, weekend, whatever you can swing - and lay in bed w/ baby all day.
*Research! Kellymom is a great resouce... so is CafeMom... LLL...

There's also some things to avoid....

* Sage
* Thyme
* Mint - this one is hard for me... We eat a ton of Lebanese food and it's basically in everything we cook. Thankfully it hasn't caused me to dry up...
* Oregano
* Parsley

I'm sure there's more, so if anyone wants to add to the list let me know & I'll do it.

Natural Remedies

2008-08-20T16:06:00.003-05:00

I've been interested in natural remedies for a long time... if there's a tea or something will work instead of a drug, I'm all for it. That's not to say I won't go to the dr and take meds when needed, but still...

Anyways, I'll put some up on here when I get a chance... if I haven't already... but I have a quick question. Does anyone know any for throat problems? Other than salt water or lemon...

Basically I got a virus... lots of coughing involved. Being a virus they couldn't give me anything... and then it got worse... I couldn't stop coughing.. and when I inally did my breathing started to feel funny (not painful just odd) and painful spots in my throat... and now my cough is almost gone and doesn't hurt as much, but it feels like I swallowed somethng that's stuck in there. I know I should prob go back to the dr, but we really can't afford it right now. & I do seem to be doing better... It just hurts.

Free Free Free

2008-07-28T21:24:00.000-05:00

Free Bum Genius contest!

http://babycheapskate.blogspot.com/2008/07/giveaway-12-bumgenius-30-diapers.html

Borax?

2008-07-22T21:30:00.002-05:00

I hope I didn't miss fixing the colour on any of the old posts... bad thing w/ changing the background is that it was really hard to see them!

Anyways...

Looking up cleaning recipes/diaper info I came across Borax. It seems to be in a lot of recipes and used for lots of things. So I thought I'd get some. Well, I ended up being forced too... none of the other detergents at WM work on diapers. I knew Borax was on the list, so I got it. Only prob is it says on the box to use it w/ your detergent... so I asked on Cafemom about it and only got one reply about how bad the stuff is (ie dangerous). I have family that uses it for everything, so I figured it couldn't be that bad. I get that it's toxic, but is it really something we should not keep around, or...

Diva

2008-07-12T22:49:00.004-05:00

Not that I need it just yet... (whoo hoo for BFing) but because Keen Bambino offered a 10% discount recently (and I didn't think we needed anything else.. Jas surprised me w/ those covers lol) I went ahead & ordered my Diva Cup early. I'd planned to use the few pads I have left until it came in, but I guess now they're just backup or whatever. No complaints about that lol. I'm excited about it though. I've heard it can help w/ cramps (gotta love those chemicals that can cause them) & I'm really hoping it does.

I Love Shopping

2008-07-12T00:29:00.003-05:00

Well, I put myself on a new washing schedule... every three days instead of every two. I figured that way I'd waste less. Unfortunately a couple days ago (which was diaper day) I got caught up washing Jas work clothes (I have to strip them w/ dawn like you do w/ diaps sometimes lol... because of all the grease from work) & didn't have time to get to them. So I washed the next day/yesterday... Fine, I still had prefolds clean, not a lot, but enough for a day. Unfortunately 3 covers = none clean. So we had to resort to the Gerbers... which I know are not as comfy.

I told Jas about it this morning. I wasn't hinting at anything really lol. Just that I felt bad because if I'd done my job on time it wouldn't have been an issue. Well, my husband sweetie that he is, told me to buy a couple more covers!

Now backing up... I'd ordered from Keen Bambino a week or so ago (an item for me this time lol) & had a coupon that came with it. I was excited about it because the code was one of my family's names & I thought that was funny. Plus... I got a $5 gift certificate from her for having the store linked to this blog! So I might as well use them right? $5 & a 5% discount don't add up to a lot, but it took care of a little more than the shipping costs - which is not bad at all. I absolutely love that store lol.

And of course I can't wait for the covers to come. I got another Thirstie and a Bummi. I wish she had the other brand we tried, but oh well. These two were the cheaper brands anyway... and although Bummi was my least fav brand the patterns are cute. I picked a frog one this time.

I'd better go now... I've got a kitty resting on me who keeps trying to paw at the keys lol.

No Cry...

2008-06-25T15:52:00.003-05:00

If you've read my other blog lately then you know we've been dealing w/ some sleep issues. Fun fun...

So I decided to buy the book The No Cry Sleep Solution. I haven't quite finished it (am at the very end) but do want to make a few comments here.

It's a pretty good book overall. I am enjoying reading it, more so than I thought lol. I read over half of it during one nap time! Would have finished by now but things have come up lol.

While I am enjoying the book, and basically like it... I will say that I don't like/agree with EVERYTHING in the book lol. For one thing, that's probably impossible lol. Seriously though... I would not sit outside my daughters door knitting so I could jump up and get her the second she cries! (yes that was in there lol) But that's beside the point... What I'm trying to get at is that it's a little on the extreme end in some ways.. .but she does point out that not every noise is true crying and such.

Also I realized early in that a lot of what she's writing about is not issues I'm dealing with. Yes Kalila has been waking up at night (from teething) but only once a night usually. My issue is getting her to go to sleep w/out bawling for an amount of time I am uncomfortable with.

But... there are suggestions that interest me and/or work for our situation. I'm looking forward to "getting to work".

Oh.. and someone mentioned another book that has sleep cycle information... This one does too! Is not in the same format, but has all that good info in there.

The Perfect Sippy

2008-06-13T22:08:00.003-05:00

Ok, so really it's just the perfect sippy for us... But we found it!

Backing up a little... we tried the Sipster first. It's ok, but Kalila just doesn't like it much. Then we tried the Gerber colour change ones... They were a bit better, but still...

Now in the midst of all this we'd noticed that she does really well w/ regular water bottles, especially the ones w/ the sports tops. So we decided to see the sports sippy's that we'd seen. I found one at HEB the other day, and she absolutely loved it! So we picked up a couple more lol.

Oops

2008-06-07T21:52:00.003-05:00

My Gido put my diaper cover on backwards!!!

Lazy Lazy Me

2008-06-02T16:22:00.003-05:00

Things are getting exciting around here where food is concerned.

Last week we made chicken for the first time... all I did really was bake it and then process it w/ a little water. Silly me got breasts thinking thats' what would be best, but apparently not - so we had to go back for legs lol. Note: dark meat for baby food.. has more iron and fats that they need.

Today I got to be lazy with our newest food... I am not making yogurt! We got the organic go-baby brand or something like that.. I mixed it with Apples and Cinnamon. I think she liked it... made some interesting faces lol.

My Dream Diaper...

2008-06-01T22:05:00.001-05:00

I know I mentioned it before...but I fell in love w/ the Blueberry minky diapers... They have cute patterns like zebra and cheetah and stuff... and my personal favourite... Tanzanite coloured! Plus I keep hearing great reviews on them... But there is no way I'm spending 32.97 for one diaper... Even if it is one size... When I win the lottery right?

Take Charge

2008-05-30T18:52:00.002-05:00

I keep hearing people mention this book called "Taking Charge of Your Fertility". (or something like that) Apparently it's this really great book that helps you learn how to chart and stuff. I'm really curious about it... Most of the books on NFP are not really in my price range though... I have the "Art of NFP" w/ chart (which doesn't have a whole lot of info to be perfectly honest) and online sources to help (which there are some good ones)... so I can't complain really lol.

Has anyone read this? Is it worth it? Any comments, suggestions, etc?

Revisiting the B.G's

2008-05-28T23:12:00.001-05:00

Several people have asked... so I'm going to go a little more into detail on these BumGenius pockets.

Here's the diagram that's on every website that has them lol.

Basically you stuff an insert (they come with two, but you can get others too.. or even use prefolds) into the pocket. Some people do it at the changing table. I do it after they're dry (but everything's cooled off) when I'm putting stuff away. Is just easier to me to have them ready to go lol. After they're stuffed, they're ready to be put on just like a sposie. After they're used you take the inserts out and throw both insert and diaper into the pail. (although make sure the tabs are fastened to the laundry tabs lol) Well, obviously if there's poo that needs to be cleaned off too lol.. but still. That's about all there is to it.

They make AIO's - all in one's, that you don't have to stuff or take apart.. but aside from taking longer to dry from what I've heard, the biggest drawback to me is that you have to get those by sizes. The pockets are one size fits all... You just snap buttons to adjust.

Oh, and on their website there is a video of someone putting one on a baby lol... Is cute.

Bummi

2008-05-27T22:53:00.004-05:00

As you already know... We bought a Swimmi awhile back and loved it. So we decided to make the Bummi one of the covers we'd try. It's the midpriced of the ones we picked... had a cute pattern... and... it's ok. I like the laundry tabs lol... I do not like that there are no leg gussets. We haven't had any leaks, but still... is not comforting to me.

Thirsties

2008-05-25T21:26:00.004-05:00

While I have a chance lol. These covers were my second favourites. Like Imse Vimse they have the leg gussets.... which end up being a life saver for us. They don't have the cute prints (but I could get Kalila's fav colour..), and the outsides aren't as soft... but they work just as well. They do have one advantage too.. They have laundry tabs lol.

The Magic Vacuum Cleaner

2008-05-24T00:20:00.004-05:00

Alternate title: My Floor Will Have Never Been Cleaner

It's not easy to get Kalila down to sleep. Once she's out.. .she's out. Nothing wakes her up lol. But she fights it like you wouldn't believe. Sometimes I get lucky and she drifts off right away, or stays asleep after I lay her down if I was holding her. Sometimes she only cries a few minutes. I don't like it, but she's throwing a fit. We've figured that out... But I can't stand to hear her cry for very long (obviously would rather it not happen period, but...).

I'd say maybe we transitioned her from our bed to the crib (which she hates lol) too soon... but she cried when we laid her down with us too. She knows exactly where she wants to sleep - on my chest - and that's not happening at night (she's too big for one lol) and I have no sling (that works for us) to let her do it for naps. So we work on finding ways to get her down as quietly/quickly as possible.

Now, while I was pregnant people told me to run the vacuum while she was asleep to get her used to noise. Good idea, but my husband is loud. I got the whole white noise concept too, we played music for her.. it does calm her down sometimes... esp if we put on her Godfather's cd lol. But I hadn't thought of trying the vacuum as the way to put her to sleep...

I laid her down yesterday.. fit started to be thrown... and I went back to the cleaning I was doing... which happened to include vacuuming. By the time i had finished, only a min or two, she was sound asleep. I tried it again w/ her next nap and so on.. It's worked every time! Yes, I vacuumed my floor 3 times yesterday lol.

I guess it's a good thing though right? Not only does it put her to sleep easier (and in doing so saving my sanity) but w/ all the moving around she does, the floor probably needs it lol.

The Almost Wipes

2008-05-19T21:49:00.003-05:00

Once upon a time there was a surprise baby shower. The mother to be received many gifts, over half of which were bibs. She wasn't sure that she would need 782739247 bibs so she thought to exchange a few - as 543293 should be enough for one small baby. However this was not meant to be... First an evil dragon stole the packaging, leaving the mother no way to even know where they came from let alone return them. Then news came from a far off land that these bibs were poisoned and cannot be used. Thankfully 32342 bibs were able to be saved... But the mother did not know what to do with the others. Some told her to throw them away... but she just could not bring herself to do it.

Months went by and the little one was born... It wasn't long before the mother saw the error of her ways. The gift givers were right, she did need that many bibs and possibly a few hundred more... but she made do with the few that were safe.

Life continued on until the mother decided she'd had enough of tossing diapers out right and left, and went to ones she could reuse. With these new diapers came new wipes... made from washclothes of a deeply disturbing colour. Once again she found that she could use a few more...

Not long after she started to clean her kingdom and found those poisoned bibs. A lightbulb flickered... maybe she could take the poisoned backing off the bibs and make them into wipes! She became so excited about this prospect. She quickly set to work... and found that the bibs held thier shape quite unexpectedly...

And now the mother has a big delimma - to use them as bibs or wipes? Some for one, and some the other?

i'm blaiming it on teething...

2008-05-15T17:10:00.004-05:00

warning this mentions poo - so if squeemish you may not wanna read this lol.

i was just talking to my cuz about cd's and poo - lovely topic i know, but we're both mommies lol... and i mentioned how kalila is getting to the happy stage of becoming more and more solid. happy news for me because means i only have to shake in toilet lol.. but everyonce in awhile she still has the nasty ones everyone calls peanut butter... and of course as soon as we get off the phone i change a diaper to find just that - but on the runny side. it exploded everywhere. was nasty.

i got it taken care of, of course... really isn't that bad when you use the shower head over the toilet - much easier than swish and dunk... ended up accidently flushing a wash-cloth in the process lol. oops... i still feel bad about that. but anyways...

the only thing i can think of to cause this explosion is maybe her teething. she's been really fussy lately too. had a bit of a fever a few days ago too, but is gone now... and she doesn't seem sick. i'd wonder if it was something she ate, but i'm really picky about what she does... i have it scheduled out when she starts each new one by what's recommended for which age and everything... and her latest one was today after the explosion. i know i'm somewhat obsessive about the food thing, but hey - she's my first lol and jas and i both have a couple food allergies apiece - and mine are pretty rare ones at that. i want to make sure i know if she is... which means it shouldn't be that. so i'm going with teething.

Imse Vimse

2008-05-14T23:38:00.004-05:00

The diaper cover brand that I had heard nothing about lol... I picked it as the third one to try mostly because it was the only one close in price to the other two I wanted (ie not too much) and because it had a cute pattern lol. Yes, put safari on something & I want it lol.

I absolutely love it!!! The outside is organic cotton, inside is PUL like the others. I didn't think too much about the material outside the cover being diff than the others, but it makes it have a nice feel. Is very soft. It has gussets on the legs, which I've found that I really like in a cover. It fits Kalila well, mostly because of that lol... and of course... it's really cute on her too.

Bum Genius 3.0

2008-05-11T20:21:00.004-05:00

Our diapers came in... was very excited about that lol. I think I mentioned (but just in case I didn't...) that we got a few pair of pocket diapers to use at night (or for sitters). We chose the Bum Genius 3.0's. I'm not sure if I was more excited to see them or the covers lol.
Anyways, we got the diapers (and covers too) washed last night. I must have timed it just right because they were dry right about bedtime. Got Kalila put in them, and I have to say - I think she looks adorable.
It was a little awkward stuffing them, but that may just be because I hadn't done it before. Other than that, they were really easy to put on her. And they worked really well last night. No leaks, she was dry (though the inserts weren't of course lol). It was great.

cradle cap

2008-05-10T15:10:00.004-05:00

we went to run errands today and afterwards i was holding kalila while jason filled gas... i looked down and saw flakes in her hair... looked closer and i'm pretty sure it's cradle cap. is what it looks like anyway. thankfully i already knew about it, so not freaking out or anything.

i looked up some things to help with it until it goes away... most of what i've seen is rubbing in oil, brushing out and then shampoo.. easy enough to do. i saw several different kinds of oil recommended, but i think i'm going to go w/ castor oil. it will do the same thing and i know for a fact that it makes hair grow lol... they rub it on baby's heads in india for that purpose, and i've done it on mine before. it really works. of course is not really important, but i will admit i'm looking forward to her having longer hair for me to play with and stuff. not that i'm complaining lol... we've already noticed it growing on it's own, her bald spot is gone and it's long enough for her to grab and pull lol.

anyways, back to the original subject. i was wondering if anyone has any other home remidies or dr's suggestions for cradle cap.. experiences.. etc. i know it's supposed to go away on it's own, but still...

Upgrades...

2008-05-03T15:44:00.001-05:00

I'm so excited... We got our tax stuff in the other day (after I spent how much time worrying about it lol). We're setting a good part of it aside in savings of course (and paying bills too!), but we're each getting something for ourselves too.

We spent quite a bit of time trying to decide between a toy for Kalila (something she could pull up on because she's starting to do that!) & diaper covers... As much fun (and as cute) as the toy would be... We decided the diapers are more important. Her old covers did work... but they don't fit all that well (at least they don't leak though right!) & are starting to get holes in them. Basically we got what we paid for (they were 5 for a 6 pack).

So I got online & researched some more (although I already had an idea) which ones we'd like to try & showed Jas last night. We're getting 3... One Bummi (same brand as our swim diaper), one Thirsties, and one Imse Vimse. Basically we want to test out which we like best... I wish we could have gotten a wool cover or two but they are so expensive... Oh well... We also got some pocket diapers (Bum Genius) for when we get a sitter... figure that would be easier than expecting someone else to mess w/ a prefold.

I'm excited though... Can't wait till they come in... I'll be sure & put pics when I do... & let ya know how they turn out.

Mango?

2008-05-01T19:30:00.001-05:00

I'd planned to do pears next... but we forgot to pick them up lol. We did, however, have a mango I'd picked up for myself. I thought I'd seen it on the list for her age group & checked, I was right. So I made mangos for my daughter today.

Apparently they don't have to be cooked... but I steamed them anyway. Figure when she's a little older I'll go w/out. I also decided to skip the food processor thing & just use our masher lol. It was still really easy.

I'm not sure if she likes them or not honestly lol. She made huge sour faces after every bite (and I'll add a pic later lol)... but she kept opening her mouth for more, so maybe!

Unintentional Plan Change

2008-04-29T20:22:00.001-05:00

I love the idea of baby wearing... I have for years. So when we started looking at baby stuff I talked to my husband about it. He doesn't like the backpack carriers (or any where limbs hang out) - thinks they look goofey & stuff. I was fine with that, I like the slings & ones more like that anyway.

We ended up getting one from Target. I forget what it's called, but it's a tube shape that folds in half... baby fits inside. Looks nice, useable, all that... Around the same time we were given one of those others, a hand me down. I put it away thinking just in case, we can always pass it along to another baby if it doesn't work for us. Honestly, I forgot about it lol.

So my daughter was born. I don't remember when we tried it exactly...but she was still pretty little when we tried the one I 'd picked. She would not go in there. Her legs were too stiff, she wouldn't bend them to go in... screamed, cried, I gave up. Unfortunately she still wanted to be held & I had no way to free my hands.

Six months went by & then I remembered the other carrier. So I brought it out & tried it. She fits! It was great at first... other than the fact that it's bulky in all the wrong places... But then I realized that my back was getting sore after using it for long periods. Then I looked at the tag & it says not to use it if you have a bad back. I have scoliosis - granted it has never bothered me before (other than the fiasco that was my epidural). So now I'm afraid of using it.

I've looked at other styles, had some recommendations of ones that would be better, more convienent & all that... but she's 7 months old now. Can I start baby wearing now? Thankfully she lets me put her down for good periods of time now... but she still likes to be held sometimes (usually when it's least convienent lol). Of course, I'm setting aside those options to look at for Youie or L'Nae... at least I'll have a better idea by then right?

I Want I Want

2008-04-27T19:33:00.000-05:00

I should know better... I really should. But I did something silly... I looked at Pinstripes & Polkadots knowing full well that I don't need anything. Worse yet, I looked at diaper covers. Even worse... I clicked on the Blueberry covers. Why is that so bad? Well... they aren't cheap for one lol. They aren't even ones the ones that I'd really like to have, style or material wise. But... They have one called "Tanzanite"!!! They also have a Cheetah spotted one & a Zebra stripe. Put Afrikan names on something & I immediately want to have it... esp Tanzanite... They saw me coming. I'm going to be good though...

On a different note - I really need to make some more green beans. I probably could do with making more sweet potatoes & butternut squash too. I've been putting it off lol. Now that the dishwasher is in & working I really have no reason not too. Don't know why I am though... it's not like it's all that hard, or takes any time... because it really doesn't (esp the green beans).

Risking a Double Post

2008-04-26T14:51:00.001-05:00

I think my posts on the two blogs are going to overlap today. Oh well lol.

We took our daughter swimming for the first time today. It was a lot of fun... and we had no issues w/ the swimmi. Of course she didn't do anything while in it, so it hasn't been properly tested lol. I did however get a pic to share!

On a sightly different note, I found out something yesterday that I just think is funny. Apparently a couple family members were talking & the fact that I switched to cloth diapers & love it came up... & one of them was shocked & couldn't believe I would. Now, the reason I think it's funny is that I completely understand that reaction. I never would have thought I would either!

I also have some big news to share... Some of you may know that we've been debating the idea of me going back to work. Honestly I would rather stay home, esp with the baby this young... but we could use a little extra. So I've looked into work from home, even started a small (very small) online store selling handmade rosaries, put things on ebay.. whatever I can to help right? Well - we've found a good medium quite unexpectedly. My neighbors have a little boy that is 2 months old. A really sweetie. His dad's been watching him, but he's got a new job & they need someone to sit during the day while they're at work. They brought it up to me a couple days ago & we worked out the details today. So I officially have a job... and one I can do from here! (and one I'll enjoy lol)

Push Up Diaper Creme?

2008-04-25T22:04:00.001-05:00

All along I'd planned to use my cousins advice for diaper rash. She'd used bag balm on her kids & said it was great. We got some months ago & used it from time to time & it did... Of course our daughter hardly ever had a rash anyway lol.

Well, with the cloth diapers came the realization that I couldn't use it anymore w/out possibly damaging them. I emailed the lady at Keen Bambino about it... She looked into it along with me. One of the ingredients we know is safe (lanolin) but we couldn't find out any information about the other...

So I spent some time thinking about if we needed any at all... She hardly ever gets any rashes anyway, even when she was in disposables (they stopped all together when we first switched to cloth). But I decided to try a small tube of one I saw on Keen Bambino - Northern Essence All Natural Diaper Rash Salve - that I knew would be safe for the diapers. Didn't cost much ($3) and I had a coupon from the store I didn't want to waste lol. What hits me as funny is that it's in a push up tube.

Well anyways... It's a good thing I did. We started apples & apple juice... She loves them. But every time she has the juice, she gets a rash (Not a huge one, just a little red...) So I'm glad I have the stuff now. & it works great too. Smells a little odd (almost like menthol but I know it doesn't have any lol - my eyes would kill me if it did) but that's ok.

All Those Lovely Detergents...

2008-04-24T17:04:00.001-05:00

When our daughter came along we decided to go ahead & get
Yes it's a bit more expensive, but he has sensitive skin & we were afraid she'd have it too. We wanted to baby her a little at first just to be safe lol. It turned out to be a good thing because just like in everything else, she takes after him in that too.

Unfortunately we can't use it for our diapers. It has softeners. I didn't have to worry though because our regular detergent
was on the safe list. Not quite as great as its scent free version (I've never seen it in the store, but would grab it instead if I could) but it works. We'd started getting it for the price (one of the cheapest & sometimes is the cheapest) & because it's Arm & Hammer - which works great. So when I found out I could use it for the diapers I was really happy.

Well yesterday we went to WM... and they didn't have it. Now they didn't have it the past couple times we went either, but we'd had some left... As of yesterday we're running low, very very low. So I looked around & found the best thing I could
and decided to see if I can use it on the diapers too. & I have no idea... It's right in the middle, not on the "do not use" list, but it does have brighteners & scent (although both natural). Someone suggested I could just strip them periodically to be sure... but... I don't know.

Any thoughts?

Swimming w/ Seals...

2008-04-22T22:41:00.001-05:00

I'm so excited... The swim diaper we ordered is officially on it's way here! I'm not sure if I mentioned which one we ordered, but it's the Swimmi by Bummi. They had a few diff prints, my favourite two were the turtles & seals... Since we're only getting one to start I picked the seals. Here's a pic of what it'll look like.
I think part of the excitement is just because I'm getting one (at least) that's cute. I love our prefolds... but we have the basic (ie cheap) Gerber covers for them. (Somehow I couldn't convince anyone that I wanted diaper covers for my bday lol) They work... but that's about it. I'm fine with that... but it was nice to get to order something cute lol. I can't wait to get a pic of her in it!!!

Baby Steps #1

2008-04-20T16:58:00.001-05:00

No no no... This isn't going to be about my daughter walking! For one thing, she's no where near that stage yet lol. I've used an idea off of another blog I read (Cakerwakers, you can see it on my favourite blogs list) for my other one that I really like. She calls it a stream of conscious (wow did I really spell that correctly on first try?) & it works really well for me as random as I can be lol. Plus there are times that I have several things to talk about & it makes more sense than writing 8 small posts in one day lol. I couldn't think of any way to link streams to babies though so I'm calling them baby steps!
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I had an "I feel like an idiot" moment last night... We bought a swimsuit for the baby a couple weeks ago & I was thinking about it & realized that there is no way I can take her (well, not the weather for it today anyway) until we get her a swim diaper! I looked at the cloth ones online & then talked to my husband to see which he'd rather do. He said he did not want to go w/ disposables (whoo hoo I didn't either lol) so I showed him what I found when he got home. We want to get a few, but decided to try one first & see how it goes lol. We're going with the Swimmi by Bummis... They had good reviews & look cute too! We ordered the baby seal one... Unfortunately they didn't have any swim diapers of any kind on the site I'd been ordering from, but I found Pinstripes & Polkadots - which looks like it's pretty good too... we'll see though!
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There seems to be an explosion of babies lately. I love it!!! But it's made me start thinking about all the advice I got while pg (and before even) and stuff I've learned since then... I think I may write a post on that at some point soon.
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You know some of the "mixtures" for baby food seem really strange... I looked on wholesome babyfood's for ideas & some made me shake my head, but when I've tried them on my daughter she really does like them. For instance I would not have thought of mixing butternut squash w/ sweet potatoes... or apples & avocado. Both huge hits! In a few days (after I make a new batch of green beans) I'm going to try the green bean/apple mixture.. She likes them both separate so I think it'll be ok... Of course I prob should look at things to mix w/ banana since she doesn't like it as much by itself lol.
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Back to the baby explosion (I jump around I know) - I've been looking at peoples registries lately & I can't help but think back to the ones I had... and shake my head. Ok, granted - most people don't really look at (or use anyway) the registries... but still. If I had known we'd use CD's back then, life would have been so much easier... Or if I'd known which things weren't really worth it & such... But that's how we learn right?
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Arrrg! I only thought I was done for today lol... I just found out that the baby bottles that I thought were safe (playtex vent air) are not. I remember hearing about the BPA thing while pg & I could have sworn I checked. Well, I just found out they have it... Which puts me in two awkward positions... First off, I don't want to hurt my baby. Thankfully we hardly ever used them... Just a few Sundays & grandparent visits pretty much... and now her dr has her starting a sippy (which I know for sure doesn't have it have triple checked this time lol) so no more bottles for her anyway. But still... Am I supposed to save bottles for our next kid that we know aren't safe? I don't want to throw away something we spent money on... but if it could hurt them... Plus - I saw them on my cousins baby registry. I don't know his wife that well, and don't know how they would feel about me saying something. But I know how hard it is to find that info out sometimes (obviously we ended up w/ the stuff too). Sorry, needed to get that out... Would def welcome suggestions though.

Apples... Sweet Apples..

2008-04-19T17:37:00.002-05:00

I meant to start on apples weeks ago lol.. but something kept stopping me... Well, one thing kept stopping me. I couldn't get organic ones & I refuse to get to get otherwise for my daughter. Other fruits & veggies I'll let slide if I can't find it... but apples are high on the pesticide list & I'm not budging. So we switched our timeline around a little & I made the apples yesterday. I now wish I could have sooner because she loves them!

I thought about baking them... I love baked apples myself (esp w/ cinnamon!). But... the recipe didn't seem as easy as steaming... and it was my first attempt. So yes I decided to take the easy way out & steam lol.

Here you can see right before I started. We went w/ Gala apples because I saw that several moms were using those. They do look yummy & like I mentioned, she loves em.. but I think I'm going w/ a cheaper kind next time lol. It still worked out in my favour, but...
After washing & dicing I put them in the steaming thing on top of my pan & added the water to where it covered the apples a bit. I had to do two batches this way because it's so small... It ended out working well though because by the time I finished this first half my daughter was ready for her food.
Here's a shot after I turned on the stove w/ the lid on... I did stir the apples several times during this stage. I have no idea how long I cooked them lol, just until they were tender and falling apart in the water.
Here they are nice & cooked.. all ready to go in the baby food processor.
Ahh the baby food processor. Great idea, but very very small. It does work though. I managed to get the apples done in two batches per half (so I suppose that's fourths lol). I put in the apples & added BM... Of course, water or the juice from steaming can be added instead... as can formula if you use it (or have used it before).
After blending... Doesn't it look yummy?
I put it in my baby food trays.. each cube is a serving & makes life very easy lol. I only have two of these, so I have some ice cube trays I use as backup too.
Here I've added my lid & made a label. Yes I use duck tape! It works. If I'm using the ice trays I put a couple layers of seran wrap instead.
When they're nice & frozen I'll move them to baggies... Like I said farely simple... & this one was a big hit!

The Switch

2008-04-18T11:26:00.002-05:00

I figure I have to start somewhere right... So here we go.

About two weeks ago (three?) we decided to switch to cloth diapers. Something I swore I'd never do. Honestly I thought the idea was crazy! I didn't think it saved any money in the end... I'd have to clean nasty diapers, was just gross... So I didn't see a point. I told everyone that the only way I'd ever do it is if I had a kid that was allergic to all disposables. Our first daughter was not not that kid... She's had a few rashes, but not that many. Usually they were caught early & disappeared in less than a day. I think there was maybe one or two bad ones... and was still only a couple days or so before they cleared. So why did we switch?

I've become addicted to Cafe Mom. I'm in a breast feeding group on there & someone brought up the subject of cloth diapers. Now I don't really remember why it caught my attention... I think she may have commented on the price or something. Anyway, I got curious. I started looking up info on it. All the sudden numbers were working out & not the way I expected.

OH yeah.. the sprayer. I think that was what did it lol. Someone mentioned one of those sprayers that hooks to the toilet. I thought it was odd/interesting... so as I was looking up more info (and finding out that maybe I was wrong about the cost thing) I randomly mentioned it to my dad. He told me about how he used to clean out CD's in the toilet & how it wasn't that bad. Well the next day we had a blowout in a skirt that I love. Has bloomers attached & poo was all in there. & I wasn't about to throw it straight into the washer. So I thought about what he said & did that lol. It wasn't so bad cleaning it.. and no stains were left on her skirt!

That's when I started changing my mind... I hadn't decided quite yet though. That same day as the skirt incident I saw someone mention how we're supposed to be cleaning out disposables. I left that as someone just blowing smoke because they think cloth is better... but then I saw someone else mention how the packages are labled that way. So I looked... and it was there! What is the point of using disposables, which are supposed to be more convenient, if you have to clean em out? That's when I talked to my husband.

Now, did I mention that he's liked the idea all along? Well he did... He was CD'd as a baby & had brought it up a few times while I was pg. I ignored him shamelessly lol. But when I mentioned it he was nice & just said ok, lets switch...

So we did... and I am so glad... I need to make links to them, but I found cost calculators online that show how much you'll save by switching (or pay if you buy the expesive ones & go overboard lol). Seeing that amount makes every wash worth it to me... (not that washing is that bad lol, mostly just an extra load of laundry) Plus we've had no more blowouts, the covers catch everything. And it really is adorable to see her in them...

Now if I can just get my husband over his fear of changing her... He was great w/ the disposables, and I know he will be w/ these too once he gets used to it lol.

A New Blog?

2008-04-16T20:09:00.001-05:00

Yup - That's right! I decided to start a new blog. Not deserting my other by any stretch of the imagination - I absolutely love posting to it with my millions of pictures, video's & stories about my daughter & our family.

So why did I make this one? Well, it randomly seemed like a good idea lol. My other blog is mostly to keep family & friends up to date with what's going on in our lives... & like I said, I love that... but there's somethings I don't think everyone that it gets sent to (or who reads it) wants to read about that I would like to write about. Namely our "adventures" in making baby food, cloth diapers & such. I've put a post or two on there... but I don't want to bore the ones who don't care about that as much. & I know once I really start talking about it I won't stop!

That's where this blog comes in... I figure I can post recipes & things I've made... How we're dealing w/ switching over to CD's midstream & other random changes like that.... (for instance we want to eventually go organic too... but slow going due to cost).

& if anyone is curious about the name - there is a funny story behind that. I was reading a post on Cafe Mom (go figure) about someone being a "hippy mom" - because they co-sleep (we did until she started sleeping through the night & still do when she has a hard time sleeping sometimes), bf, cd, make baby food, etc... This was before we switched over to CD's (and before I would even consider it honestly) but I was telling Jas about it & he jokingly called me a hippy mom. The thought stuck, esp now that we're CDing lol.... but I'm not really a hippy. So here I am the "Not so hippy... Hippy Mom!"