Fuzzibunz Cloth Diaper Review

The Fuzzibunz One Size Pocket diaper is the first cloth diaper that I ever purchased. I went to my local Greenberries, because I just happened to have some coupons, and I saw a blue cloth diaper that just looked so cushy and comfy. I had to get it! Luckily, with my coupon I only ended up paying $9.95. From the time I took that diaper home and used it on Luke, I was hooked! It had amazing absorbency and it came with two different inserts (a long for boys and a short for girls). I've even doubled up on them and used both at once. It worked great at bedtime when Luke was going through the stage where he had to go to sleep with water. Well,...

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Reusables - Save money while living naturally

I just read this article on the cost of various disposable paper product prices. It isn't really a surprise since the cost of everything (gas, food) is on the rise as well. However it's not that big of a deal to those who primarily have reusable products in their homes. There is a reusable alternative to just about any disposable product out there, even toilet paper! Stay with me though, I don't even go that far. Reusable alternatives only cost a little more initially and will save you hundreds of dollars over time. It's also nice to know that you aren't adding unnecessary waste to landfills. Many reusable alternatives are not only affordable...

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Cloth diaper drawbacks - Part 2: Laundry Issues

This is where my laundry detergent/house cleaners reside. The most common reason that parents who try cloth diapering do not stick with it is probably laundry issues. Diaper laundry can be extremely simple once you get a routine down but doing this can be challenging. What works for one family may not work for another. Washing cloth diapers can seem very complicated to the beginner, I'm definitely not an expert but I will try to explain diaper laundry as simply as possible. Here are some common questions that a new cloth diapering parent might have about laundry. What detergent do I use? This is definitely a personal decision! It depends...

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Cloth diapering drawbacks - Part 1: All about poop

There seem to be three main reasons why parents are resistant to cloth diapering. The initial cost, the extra work and "having to deal with poop" seem to be the popular reasons, or excuses, that parents choose not to give cloth diapering a try. While there are definitely ways to save, cloth diapering does cost a little more initially. No one will argue that cloth can be more work, but once you get your wash routine down it's not that bad. The first two reasons are valid, the third is definitely more of an excuse. "Dealing with poop" is something that you have to do if you have a baby, no matter what kind of diapers you use. Babies (and toddlers,...

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Toxic baby shampoo?

I saw this link this morning. I really don't know if it's legitimate or not but either way I am not surprised. I wish people cared more about what they put on their babies. The human body absorbs much of what is put on it and babies have much more sensitive systems and smaller bodies. Here is another link about toxic chemicals in baby products by the Environmental Working Group. I'm not a fan of Johnson's baby products anyway, although I have tried their Naturals line and it isn't bad. I honestly try not to throw my feelings about things on other parents because nothing is more annoying to me than being told that I don't love my kid as much as...

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For the Love of Chicken...

This recipe is delicious! It's actually what we had for dinner last night. My husband, my 3 year old, and I, all love this recipe! The original recipe didn't get a very good rating, but after I tweaked it a little bit, I gave it 5 stars. The recipe I am posting, is my version of the original. Chicken Alfredo and Rice Casserole Prep Time: 25 minutes          Bake Time: 30 minutes          Serves: 4 Ingredients:1 jar of Alfredo pasta sauce1/2 cup milk2 1/2 cups cooked brown rice2 cups cubed cooked chicken1 cup frozen peas 1/3 cup chopped bottled roasted...

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How to Get Rid of Stretch Marks for Good

 ::Update April 2013:: I feel like we are Pinterest famous :) If you are here from Pinterest, welcome! Please check out the rest of the blog for lots of info about eating gluten free, cloth diapering, parenting, reviews, and more! Meagan and I have both personally used this method for stretch marks and it really does work! Enjoy! -Amy -Original Post- Any mama who has been pregnant, has worried about the dreadful stretch marks, or as I call them "battle scars"! Maybe, your one of the lucky few who never got one. If so, congratulations! If not, I'm sure you've tried quite a few different creams, lotions, and potions to get rid of the them....

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Thirsties Duo Hemp Prefold Review

Thirsties Duo Hemp Prefolds are one of the products that I decided to try while Amazon had their coupon codes going on. I plan to write up a detailed post about the codes and how they worked at some point. Many moms got free or nearly free diapers and other baby items during these deals. I will admit that I might not have tried this prefold if I hadn't had a coupon code. Cotton prefolds are typically $1-$3 or so depending on the size. This prefold is $7 and is a blend of hemp and cotton. Hemp is more expensive but many cloth diapering moms prefer it because of it's high absorbency. So here are my thoughts on this prefold: It is very soft....

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Munchkin Easy Squeezy Spoon Review

We went to Walmart yesterday to finish off the boys' Easter baskets. While we were there, Delvin saw this thing called the Easy Squeezy Spoon in the baby department. At first, I looked at him like he was crazy. This thing looks like a spoon hooked to a big silicone container. How could this possibly make feeding easier? Well, I figured I'd get it and try it out. If I didn't like it, I could always return. After all, Walmart takes back anything! So, I opened it this morning when I was getting ready to feed Jake some pears, and followed the directions to put the baby food inside the silicone piece. It was really strange to get used to, but SO much...

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Guide to Swagbucks

I talk about Swag Bucks a lot and with good reason, it is one of the best ways to earn a little bit of extra money with very little effort. The first thing you need to do (if you haven't already) is sign up. So what is swag bucks? Swag bucks is basically a search engine that rewards you for doing searches and other activities. It is paid for by sponsors so it is completely free to use. Once you have collected your swag bucks you can use them in the swag store to buy gift cards or other things. I strongly recommend buying the Amazon gift cards but there are other gift cards as well. So far I have gotten over $100 in gift cards with fairly minimal...

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Deal of the Day - Sunday, April 25th

Have you been wanting an e-reader but just can't justify spending $100 or more on one? Well, now you don't have to break the bank to get that e-reader you've been itching to get. T&T Trading Group actually has one up for today only. Sony Refurbished Reader Pocket Edition  $69.99 Retail: $115.99 Warranty: 90 days Condition: Sony Refurbished Technical Details5 inch display can be oriented to portrait or landscape Carry up to 350 of your favorite books at a time 512MB of on board memory 800 x 600 resolution; 8 levels of gray scale Access content from a wide number of online bookstores The Sony PRS300SCRB Refurbished Reader Pocket...

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Easter "Eve" at Our House

Luke going through his Easter basket. We decided to celebrate Easter today since Delvin has to work tomorrow. Luke loved the goodies in his basket. Especially his cookies 'n' cream Easter bunny! :-) We also got him a Magna Doodle. I remember my Magna Doodle from when I was a kid. I loved that thing! Obviously Luke takes after me, because he loves his too! He wants to draw on it, just so he can slide the bar at the bottom to erase it. He's so funny! We also got him a Bernstein Bears book since he loves it when we read together, and he loves that show. Jake playing with his First Book of ABC's. It was Jake's very first Easter! He had a ball...

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Easter eggs, wool & castor oil

Interesting title, isn't it? I had every intention today of doing a detailed post about the cleaners that I use and recipes to make your own. I think I am going to do that tomorrow. :) I didn't have a particular exciting day but it was fairly busy. Kainan got his Easter basket this morning and we also went on an Easter egg hunt. He really seemed to enjoy it. He is getting old enough to enjoy holidays and it's so much fun. When we got home I saw that my dryer ball supplies had arrived, so I spent a good amount of time working on dryer balls today. I am hoping to finish my first "batch" and get some pictures up soon. I decided to do a giveaway...

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An Awesome Pork Recipe

The Pork and Potato Skillet I made for dinner tonight. I know there are a lot of people out there that don't eat pork. I totally understand that. But, for those of you who do, you definitely need to try this recipe! I only let our family eat pork once a month. This recipe is so darn good, that I've made it the last three months in a row! :-) * This is the actual picture of our dinner tonight. This is not a stock photo. Pork and Potato Skillet Prep Time: 10 minutes          Cook Time: 20 minutes         Servings: 4 Ingredients: 4 (4oz) boneless...

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Why I am less "green" than last year, and what I'm going to do about it

It just hit me that this time last year I was a much "greener" person. I was composting and planning a garden (epic fail.. but I tried!) buying lots of organic food, recycling, and much more. Lately I've slacked off quite a bit. I could make a lot of excuses, like the fact that I am nine months pregnant and have had a very complicated pregnancy. There's also the fact that we lived with my in-laws for the last six months. However instead of making excuses I have made a list (I love lists! I am so weird..) of things that I am CURRENTLY doing that are kind to the earth and things that I SHOULD be doing. Currently I am: Cloth diapering almost exclusively:...

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Let's Celebrate Earth Day!

Today is Earth Day, as many of you already know. So, what are you planning on doing today to show your appreciation towards our Mother Earth? There are tons of different things you could do to celebrate the Earth. Here are just a few of them. Recycling: If you don't recycle, you could start today! Composting: Ever thought about trying it? I know Amy has done this for quite a while, and I'm sure she knows more about it then me. Reducing Water Usage: Try taking shorter showers, or start taking baths for that matter. After a long stressful day, a nice warm bath is very relaxing! Reusing: Even if you can't think of ways to reuse everyday things,...

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Deal of the Day - Friday, April 22nd

Have you seen those infomercials on TV for the Live Butterfly Garden? It's a really cool concept to get your kids interested in nature, but $19.99 + S&H?!? Come on! Well, Woot is offering it today only for a much more desirable price. Live Butterfly Garden & Habitat $6.99 + $5 shipping Condition: New Product: 1 Insect Lore 1010 Butterfly Garden – Live Butterfly Home Warranty: 90 Day Woot Limited Warranty Recommended Ages: 4 Years and Up What do you get? Pop-Up Butterfly Garden Habitat Pipette to feed butterflies Instruction Guide with fun butterfly facts Mail-In Certificate for 3-5 butterfly larvae with special food Get yours now!...

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More ways to save on cloth diapers

When you look at the numbers (check out Meagan's last post) cloth diapering really starts to make sense financially. The cost is the number one reason that I use cloth diapers. That being said, one could make the argument that disposable diapering can be fairly cheap if you use coupons, buy off-brands, etc. Well this is certainly true although the "cheap" diapers don't work for all babies (including mine, he gets rashes unless he is in Huggies or Pampers.) However there are ways to save with cloth diapering too. Before I go any further, I really feel like I should mention that neither Meagan or myself are cloth diapering "snobs," we both buy...

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Why choose cloth diapers?

Cloth diapers hanging on a clothesline to dry. Let's talk about cloth! Cloth diapers that is. When a lot of people think about cloth diapers, they picture a boring white prefold with a diaper pin holding it on. Cloth diapering has come a long way since when I was a baby. Now there are SO many cloth diaper options, it's a little confusing. But, I figured that since The Great Cloth Diaper Change is right around the corner, this Saturday, April 23rd, I'd share just how awesome cloth diapers are! Did you know that disposable diapers sit in a landfill for hundreds of years? In fact, disposables take from 250-500 years to decompose! That basically means...

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Deal of the Day - Thursday, April 21st

In honor of Earth Day tomorrow, several retailers & organizations are helping you celebrate being green while saving you some green. Free tree from Lowes: Lowes.com : Earth Day 2011 Sat 4/23/11 1 Million Available Free coffee or tea at Starbucks: Take your reusable mug to participating Starbucks and get a free fill-up! Celebrate Earth Day, April 22 | Starbucks Coffee Company Tomorrow 4/22/11 Free entrance to all 394 National Parks: U.S. National Park Service National Park Week Through 4/24...

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The Best Meatloaf You Will Ever Eat!

So, yesterday I had a very long day. I had off work, but still had a lot to do. I had to take Luke to get some blood work done, had an appointment with my local Healthy Families coordinator, I had my own doctor's appointment, then had a WIC appointment, and had to go to the grocery store. Needless to say, when I got home around 6:30pm, I was not in the mood to cook! So, I fell to my go-to meal...Meatloaf. So many people don't like the taste of meatloaf. Why? I'm not too sure. I do remember being a kid and dreading meatloaf night though. My mom's recipe wasn't the best to say the least. So, when I got married I tried at least 5 or 6 meatloaf recipes...

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Uses for Organic Coconut Oil

Organic coconut oil can be used for so many things besides cooking. I keep a jar around the house and use it every day. You can buy it on Amazon and just one of those tubs lasts a LONG time. I also found a tub on the clearance aisle at Walmart but that was a one-time thing. These are some of the things that I personally use coconut oil for. As a face moisturizer: I don't even use a regular moisturizer, I just use coconut oil. I am pretty low maintenance when it comes to my appearance, but this works really well for me. Instead of lotion for kids: If you have kids with sensitive skin (I do) lots of things make them break out. Organic coconut...

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Wool Dryer Balls - What is the purpose?

I have been making wool dryer balls for a while now. Lots of people have questions about wool dryer balls, and I hope to answer some of them here! What is the purpose of wool dryer balls? Wool dryer balls are a 100% natural alternative to those plastic spiky dryer balls that you can buy. They are also an alternative to chemical-filled fabric softener or dryer sheets. Wool dryer balls shorten drying time by circulating air into your load of laundry and soaking up excess water. The more dryer balls that you use, the more time and energy you will save. They also reduce static although they may not completely eliminate it. Do they REALLY...

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