wordless tuesday/wednesday

Unscathed.....

AHHH. I have managed to make it through Black Friday and Cyber Monday pretty much unscathed.  There were some amazing deals to be had, however I did get some Rockin Green Detergent and Funk Rock ammonia bounce for my cloth diapers, so I spent less than $24 total between Black Friday and Cyber Monday.  I'll get Christmas shopping done with the next paycheck as I spent this one paying bills! Boo on bills.  I have a list of things I want, but I also have a list of things I need and of course, the fridge is leaking. LOL.  I won't complain though. I just need to prioritize. ;)

There, I said it Thursday....

I am thankful for so many things. My God, my moody husband, my loud and happy children, my lovely parents, my great brothers, my friends, my home, my job, my naughty dogs, coffee, my lovely blog readers and the list goes on. This year brought three significant and wonderful new people into my life and I love them all.  I am also thankful for trials that come my way- they teach me lessons including appreciation, patience and how to grow as a person. I am thankful for every blessing that has come my way both big and small, even though I don't always ackowledge them. 
So, Happy American Thanksgiving. I thank you and love you all.  There, I said it. <3

3rd one's a charm? Hevea Pacifier Review

To use a paci or not to use a paci?? I started out determined not to give S4 a pacifier, as her big sisters didn't take them; they were always spat out and somehow managed to find themselves falling on the ground then rolling into the dustiest place they (the pacifiers) could find.  Anyway- S2 had her two fingers and S3 didn't seem like had the need to suck anything after she nursed.  S1 on the other hand was an addict until the age of two! I still have his first paci in a box. :)   So, after nursing S4 at night until there seemed to be nothing left, my mom suggested (for the billionth time) to get her a pacifier.  I've tried 2 brands already. They've been rejected with fury. So when the opportunity came to review a pacifier made by GroVia, I jumped on it. GroVia makes my favorite hybrid cloth diapers. I could go on about the company and their amazing dipes all day long! The GroVia pacifier is called the Hevea Pacifier:

The paci is Danish designed, is made with 100% natural rubber (free from all the bad stuff- BPA, PVC and phthalates) and is sustainably produced. What more could you want from something that will be going into your baby's mouth?  The pacifier that we got for review was the one designed for 0-3 months, orthodontic shaped with a crown design.

 I sooooo wanted S4 to love this pacifier because it is so cool and is one continuous piece, and all natural and is so well made! Alas, another paci bites the dust in S4's world.   While I realize that all babies are different, S4 may just come around and start to love this paci in the next few weeks- I hope so, because I need some sleep! ;) Check Hevea out on their website or on their Facebook page.

Mmmmmmm, salad!

Lovelies, I'm not sure if I told you that I am the volunteer site coordinator for my location of the Bountiful Baskets produce co-op.  It is a wonderful thing not only to volunteer but to eat fresh food! (Check out the website, as they are in many States and are expanding at lightning speed!)  So in an effort to diversify my salads, this is a take on a recipe I found online, using ingredients from my co-op:

Pomegranate, grated persimmon and marinated, uncooked collard greens.  Omgoodness lovelies, sooooo yummmmmy!  You may be thinking- wait, raw collards? Yes. I marinated them in a oilve oil based salad dressing overnight, which breaks the hardness of the leaves down to a fabulous consistency.  To me, better than cooking the crap out of them with a side of pork (don't get me wrong, I love greens. However, I like them green and not grey!)
Aren't the colors just gorgeous?

What do you think?

Alright lovelies, I think I will implement a segment on my blog on Thursdays called 'There, I Said It' Thursdays. So today will be the first Thursday where I will say that skinny jeans and sweater dresses are not for everyone. There, I said it.

I refuse.....

I refuse to play Christmas music before Thanksgiving. There, I said it. Is Christmas coming earlier and earlier every year? Halloween candy was barely on clearance before merchants were hanging up holiday wreaths!  All things Christmas in my home will occur after Thanksgiving, unless it's on sale at a massive discount.  :P

Cloth Diapering!

Lovelies, I should let you  know that many close friends and relatives think that I am absolutely certifiable for the choices I have made with for children (and for myself- mamacloth, diva cup, encapsulation) over the past few years, especially when it came to S4- midwife, homebirth, cloth diaper, (I breastfed all of them, currently nursing S4) cosleep and the list goes on! I get the raised eyebrow more times than I care to say!  However, a few of my peeps have come forward in asking questions about my choices- the most popular being cloth diapering.  Now, when you hear the words 'cloth diaper,' what comes to mind?  I will admit that before I even considered cloth diapering, I was determined not to subject myself to pins and plastic pants, because that was all I knew.  Then as I became more involved with my beloved Babywearing community, I discovered that cloth diapering was not as poopy (heehee) as I once thought it was.
This is my experience!! If you have anything to add, please let me know!  Ok, so there are AIOs, AI2s, hybrids, pockets, envelopes, boosters, prefolds, longies, shorties, snappies, covers, prints, plains, snaps, velcro, PUL, liners, sprayers, deoderizers, wetbags, and the list.goes.on.  I decided that in order to get hubby on board with cloth diapering, we would have to go with the easiest possible route- AIO (all in one).  This diaper is like a disposable, but it's cloth- usually made with a waterproof outer layer. It can come fitted according to your baby's weight, or adjustable to fit your baby through potty training. Then I checked out the AI2 (all in 2)- same outer as the AIO but with a detatchable liner (liners are what absorb the wetness and stuff).  For this one, all you have to do is replace the liner when your baby needs changing.  Easy peasy.  Hybrid- AI2s that you can use with a cloth liner or a disposable liner.  Yes! disposable (earth-friendly, flushable and compostable) liner.  For me, these are great for outings.  Alright. Do you remember that I won a bunch of diapers? The style/type that I won are called 'pocket' diapers.  The liner fits into a pocket, between the outside layer and the inside layer, never touching baby's skin. I love, love, love these for nighttime. Haven't had any leaks, especially when the inside layer is accompanied with a booster.  Is your head spinning yet? You have got to learn the language.  It really is a whole new world. LOL. Moving on- I admit that I got scared when I looked at prefolds and longies/shorties.  Even so, I made my own pair of longies from a felted sweater just in case.  The longies are adorable but they never made it onto S4. Prefolds- luciously thick liners made of hemp, cotton, bamboo or silk.  They come diaper shaped or square/rectangle and you use fasteners to keep them together,  (my friends mainly use Snappis no chance of sticking yout baby with a pin!) with wool longies- pants or shorties- shorts.  Oh- and there are these dryer sheet looking liners that you can put on the inside of the diaper to help with catching poo.  For me, it's a crapshoot (heehee) depending on if S4 poosplodes or not. 
I have been advised to get a diaper sprayer- an shower-like sprayer that hooks onto the toilet.  I am told that it is a godsend and after S4's poosplosion yesterday, a diaper sprayer will be going on my Christmas list! lol.  I have a wetbag (for dirty dipes) in my diaper bag and have used it not only for wet dipes but for barfy onesies. Love it. I also have one that hooks on the change table.  Holds in the smell.  I love the smell erasers, natural detergents and other stuff available for cloth diaperers (CDers- yes, we have a title!)- so many cool work-at-home-mom companies to try out!  Did I cover everything that I listed above? I am sure I missed something because there are so many amazing options and choices when it comes to cloth diapering.  So far, my journey has been a great one.  For me, it has been a learning experience as well. I've been playing around with covers and liners of different brands to see what works for us.  All I can say is don't be afraid of the cloth! Even my mom was impressed at how much it has changed!  Do your research! It took me 3 children to be convinced that cloth would be a good choice!
Wanna see my stash? This is a chunk of it because some were in the laundry when I took the pic.  Pretty stuff eh? Honestly, there is nothing cuter than a baby in a cloth diaper.  Fluffy bums!

So much fun, so much better for the environment!

wordless wednesday

(ok, not so wordless- rucksack back carry in a piselli pink didymos wrap!)

Party Party! Giveaway too!

Lovelies, remember this post about Yo Gabba Gabba? Well, I am personally setting out a one woman campaign to get The Roots to the Phoenix Show at Comerica Theater on December 5th.  Seriously.  So if you know any of the band members, please put in a good word for me!! You want to join me at the show?  Want to see Yo Gabba Gabba in your city? Check out Yo Gabba Gabba's website for ticket details!

Can't make it to the show? It's ok- I've got a Yo Gabba Gabba Prizepack to give away! (like how that rhymed? lol) 

In the prize pack is:

BOOK: Yo Gabba Gabba! Party in My Tummy - Based on the popular song from Yo Gabba Gabba!, Party in My Tummy makes healthy eating fun for little ones! Lift the flaps, sing along, and find out what everyone in Gabba Land is bringing to the party! 

And “Yo Gabba Gabba!: Music is Awesome Volume 2.”   A new, super radical compilation of music featured from Seasons I, II & III, YO GABBA GABBA! MUSIC IS AWESOME! VOLUME 2 hit shelves nationwide on August 31, 2010, timed with the launch of the live tour, KIA Motors Presents YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE! THERE’S A PARTY IN MY CITY. Jam-packed with Super Music Friends & all of the songs you’ve grown to love including those from Weezer, MGMT & Jimmy Eat World. A deluxe edition featuring bonus songs from the hit series will also be available on iTunes. 

 You can score a free download of YGG Super Music Friends – Weezer’s track “All My Friends Are Insects” at www.yogabbagabba.com/freedownload 

MUSIC IS AWESOME! VOLUME 2 is available on CD at Target, Toys R Us, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, Borders, and independent music retailers nationwide 

READY TO WIN?

Here's what you've gotta do: Please post each entry in separate comment forms on this post! You MUST complete the mandatory entry or your other entries will not count!

  Mandatory entry- tell me who your little one's favorite Yo Gabba Gabba character is and why! 

Extra entries:

1.  Publicly follow my blog and let me know you did!  If you already follow, comment that you do!

2.  Follow me on Twitter and tweet the following: RT @cdnexpat08 @yogabbagabba Win a Yo Gabba Gabba Prize pack at Suburbanly Crunchtastic! http://tinyurl.com/3a2wnhu 
(you can do this one time per day!)

3.  Blog about the giveaway and post the link when you comment!  

4.  Follow @yogabbagabba on Twitter and let me know you did!

Giveaway will end on 12/4 and winner will be announced after notification. Winner will have 24 hours to respond.  If winner does not respond within 24 hours, another winner will be chosen.  

Ok ready, set, ENTER!!!!  

Is it holiday picture time already?

Oh my goodness lovelies, it is not even mid November yet and I am dreading the holiday family portrait.  We have not been very diligent over the years in taking family photos- alright, who am I kidding; we haven't taken a decent family picture since S2 was little (uh yeah, early 2006?).  Tragic!!!  Well, all that is about to change. I have recently discovered Shutterfly and all its photo goodness.  For years, we have wrestled with what card to send/do we send a 'family update/Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays, etc and Shutterfly has not made it any easier with their amazing variety of holiday and winter themed stationary, but at least you get to look at fun things and get great ideas!  Go ahead, browse all of the yumminess.  I'll wait.  



Let me tell you that Shutterfly has rescued me from the depths of photo madness, thanks to their awesome discount codes.  I have been able to print out all my digital photos from the last two years for under $40! Yes lovelies.  I love to take pictures, so getting them all printed was no small task.  Due to the fact that I have yet to decide on what photos to put on our Holiday greeting card, I might just opt into making a photo calendar- that way, I can dazzle you with how cute my children are for all of 2011. No? Ok then, my favorite (because it's pretty and there are a lot of us in my family) is Mod Merry Ornament.  Flat cards with enough photo spots for everyone and enough space for me to be short and sweet with the greeting!  You know I am going to add matching address labels because we have to coordinate!

Now all I have to do is get the pictures taken.  Wish me luck! Hahaha!