Blow outs aren't just for tires!

Anyone whose had a baby knows what I'm talking about. Right guys?! When I first had Ben we had so many blow outs I can't even count them. I do remember one time it was super cold out side and my husband and I were running errands with Ben and I was in the parking lot nursing him (Ben, not my husband) and he started pooping. And kept pooping. So much so that I felt my hand get wet as I held his back. We weren't prepared for such a disaster. We ended up having to lay him on the passenger seat because the poo was all over me, all over the nursing pillow, and especially all over him, and my husband stood outside the open door changing him as I tried to warm him up with the heater full blast blowing down on him. It was so bad we even ran out of wipes and had to use unpooped on sections of his outfit. Anyone who knows me.. and even if you don't if you've read the entry on the cart covers you'd know that I am a HUGE germ-a-phobe so when I tell you that being a new mom and not having any spare clothes you'll forgive me when I say I had to go into Old Navy and buy the kid a new unwashed outfit. I still cringe at the thought. So anyway- that day will stay with me forever. I'm sure of it. Along with many other blow out disasters. Especially the ones where my husband was at work while I navigated parenthood on my own.

So this brings me to my new best friend. Cloth diapers. I'd like to say that I got into cloth diapering because I wanted to be more eco-friendly. While that did play a roll in the decision, its not why I chose to do it. I can't remember exactly why- I think it had something to do with my shopping problem, and I read that cloth diapered babies potty train faster (although I don't know how true that is with cloth diapers these days keeping the babies bottoms dry) and I had also heard that you don't have blow outs. Que angelic music and bright sun rays from heaven. I didn't start cloth diapering until Ben was two. Or almost two. But I was pregnant and the thought of no blow outs really hooked me. Please keep in mind that I am super lazy and cut corners when I can. So the thought of doing diaper laundry really daunted me. Especially poopy laundry. If your like me, the thought of having poop tumble around in my washer really grossed me out. But I can assure you- thats not how it works and its much much easier than you think.
There are a zillion cloth diaper options out there. And I won't go into all of them. If you want to knwo about them let me know and I can do another post about them or you can just send me a message and ask. I'm no expert but I've tried them all! I started with bumGenius one size diapers. They're pocket diapers. Meaning you have an outer "shell" which is the part you see and fasten onto the baby. But there is an opening that you put "soakers" in and you can add as many as you need for the absorbency that you need. So to wash you just take out the soakers and wash them with the shells. These are also One Size diapers meaning they grow with the baby, so you don't have to buy a multitude of sizes.
I also bought Gro Baby diapers. Those are considered AI2 or All In Two. These diapers have a "shell" as well but they have a snap in liner so that you can reuse the shell. You just snap out the soaker/liner and replace with a new one. Assuming the shell isn't soiled.
I liked the both of the diapers with Ben. I liked the material and the fit better on the Gro Baby diapers, buy I did have leaks with those. Never poop leaks though. Which would be scary considering he was on solids at the time!
He maybe had one or two leaks with the bumGenius ones but that was only overnight. And after figuring out what we needed to for over nights, we were set!
Delaney is now in them. And I LOVE them! Although they are One size, they aren't suited for newborns (unless you have a 9+lbs newborn). So we did disposable diapers the first few days, and then I went to prefolds, which I failed miserably at. And then the Kissaluvs size 0 which were really nice. They do need waterproof covers though.
We then received a couple of cases of disposables. They were the new Fisher Price ones and I wanted to give it a go. With a newborn- your changing diapers often so your diaper bag can get bulky with extra diapers, so I wasn't completely set again disposables. I actually really liked these diapers. They have ribbing in the back that helped prevent blow outs. Please note, I said helped. They didn't completely. But other diapers for some reason don't have any sort of ribbing or gussets or whatever you want to call it in the back. This has always been strange to me. Anyway- we did still have quite a few blow outs and close calls. Not nearly the amount that we had with Ben though. So I credit that to the FP diapers.
With the cloth diapers though, Laney has had some SERIOUS poops. I don't know what formula poops look like. But breastfed baby poops are runny and messy! And not once have I had a blow out with the cloth diapers. I have had poop right up to the edge but none of them dare to escape. Love this! And I love that I don't have stained clothes! Man does baby poop stain!
I think if any of you are tired of wasting money on diapers that just go in the trash (by the way, did you know most states have a law against throwing human waste into the trash? Your suppose to dump the poop into the toilet prior to throwing out the diaper. Now I'm not sure if anyone is on poop patrol but for those of you who think your law biding citizens.. think again!) you might be interested in cloth diapers. It's expensive to start. I won't lie. But saves you a ton in the long run. Its kinda fun to do. They have great color options out there and who doesn't like a fluffy baby butt? So I'm saving my blow outs for my tires. Wait. No.

Wanted: Toddler Interpreter

So today my almost 3 year old Ben kept saying something that sounded like- well, the "F" bomb! He kept saying "Fawk" Like hawk. I'm not going to lie and say it never happens but Paul and I don't drop the "F" bomb often especially not around the kids so I for the life of me cannot figure out what the kid was saying. Usually when he says something and you don't know what it is and you go through a whole list of words that sound similar to what he's saying he will either keep repeating until you get it right, or if you say something he likes better he'll get a big smile and say "uh huh". That's when you know you didn't get it right but he'd like what your pretty much offering up! I can't think of what rhymes with what he was saying and how he was using it, what he would be wanting. But he said it like 10 times! So if any of you are professional toddler interpreters I'd appreciate an interpretation.

I can't believe my little man has grown so much though that I actually have to wonder if the kid is dropping the "f" bomb! Oye. My heart hurts already.

Friday Follow and A MAC Giveaway

Here's how YOU can join the Friday Follow celebration:
--Link up your blog name and URL using the MckLinky below. Only need to add on one blog to be seen on all the blog hops.
--Grab the Friday Follow button and include on your Friday Follow blog post.
--Follow the Friday Follow hostesses listed in the first 3 slots.
--Follow as many other blogs on the linky as you'd like.
--Take a moment to comment on the blogs telling them you're from Friday Follow.
--Follow back when you get a new follower through Friday Follow

You guys may have seen my other blog.. my "work" blog.. On said blog I talk about my new favorite lipstick. Its bright red. Very bold! I also talk about tips on how to get your lipstick to stay and not feather out or spread to your eyebrows. Well not really that far. If you lipstick is spreading that far.. maybe we should talk. One on one. But supervised.. Okay- that got awkward didn't it?

So onto the giveaway. I LOVE MAC.. so secret there. They have great products, annd they don't test on animals. That's a big one for me. So instead of giving away the new red lipstick I found, I'd like you guys to be able to decide what color it is that you want. So enter the giveaway and the winner gets to pick which color they want. The only thing is that it can't be a Viva Glam product.. So go onto the MAC site and pick something pretty!

To win, you must first be a follower of my blog, and secondly you've gotta check out my friend Shana's Blog. She's got tons of give aways on her blog as well.

Once you become a follower leave a comment in the comment section and tell me if you won what color you would chose.

For an extra entry- tell me what you like about Shana's blog

So simple it feels like I'm forgetting something!

Contest ends May 13, 2010 at . The winner will be announced on May 14th. The winner has 48 hours to contact me with their info otherwise, another winner will be picked

Ew! Cover that thing up!

If you know me, you know I'm kinda a germaphobe. If you don't know me, Hi- I'm Angela. I'm a germaphobe. Not like a "What about Bob" germaphobe. Just don't like touching public things. Like bathroom door knobs, the little pull down tab for the paper towel dispenser. Bathroom sinks. Shopping Carts. I'm not too bad though, except when it comes to my kids. I have antibacterial wipes, and foam in every purse I own. And if you know me, you know I own a lot! When I go shopping I wipe down the entire upper rim of the shopping cart. I'd do the whole thing if I had time. And if I could afford all the wipes I'd use to wipe it down. I think I've seen one too many specials on the unimaginable grossness that they find on those things. Unfathomable grossness. Okay, you get the idea.

So here's what I love about shopping cart covers. Not only do they help protect against germs, but they keep those stiff metal baskets cozy. When my son was a wee thing, probably about 6 months he use to fall asleep while I was shopping and he outgrew the infant car-seat really early on so I would just get a comfy blanket and prop him up in the shopping card with the padded cover. He would eventually get sleepy and all I would have to do is lay him down and he'd fall right asleep as I shopped. It was truly God-sent. I can't imagine him being comfy enough on the naked cold metal basket.

For some reason, when I like something, I can't just have one. I have three shopping cart covers. One I spent a lot of money on. (it was before I even had my son, and I felt like he needed the best of the best!) I have one that I made with my lovely mother in law, and another I bought off of etsy.com. <--Another one of my favs but we'll go there at another time. I have purchased two different types of patterns and tons of fabric, all in the hopes of making another one one day. I really am a crafy person on the inside. It's the lazy-can't ever finish a product person on the outside that reins dominant. And that chick just won't let me get started. I am a begginer sewer. Patterns confuse the heck out of me and I fair much better figuring things out on my own. But since I don't have room in my teeny house for any sewing projects, starting a sewing project is super time consuming and I just don't have the time.

There are a ton of different brands out there of shopping cart covers, and different types. Some cover the whole child basket, some cover just the back rest and handles, and some just cover the handles. For me, the kind that covers the whole child basket is for me. The ones I have are great in the fact that they have fit all sorts of baskets, from the teeny ones to the jumbo ones from Sams Club.

Mine is similar to this one but different patterns.

(found this picture on handmade4baby.com I have never shopped with this person before, I just did a quick google search looking for a similar cover to mine) This type also fits nicely on those super gross, never washed restaurant high chairs.This one is made by Jackaboo Great idea and great patterns, just not enough coverage for me.

This one is by Munchkin. Neat little play thing but I think it would get irritating having that bar in your face.

This one has the padding in the back, and looks easy to put on. But the thing that concerns me is that they can still grab the side of the cart. Listen people, I don't like a single inch of these things exposed! This cute cover is by Infantino.

So there you have it. A handly little lists of only a few different types of shopping cart covers out there. I know it sometimes sounds extreme to avoid germs. And germs help build a strong immune system. But I challenge you to google the kind of stuff they find on these things and tell me how exactly one builds an immune system agains some of the things on there. Once you do- embrace the info... and welcome to the dark side!

Hey! Who am I?

Okay, so I forgot to tell you who I am!
I'm a 28 (that hurt.. I just turned 28, and it pains me to admit it!) year old mother of two. I have a 2 1/2 year old son and a 3 month old daughter. I use to be a veterinary technician, dog trainer, and now I own my own business as a hair stylist and makeup artist! I am also diamond certified so I know my stones y'all! Hey, what can I say? I like to dabble!

So anyway- I try to be as eco friendly as possible. I use cloth diapers, reusable shopping bags, eco friendly cleaning products and laundry detergent and we're building our own garden. I also try to shop as organically as possible.
I work closely with local animal shelters and rescue groups and have fostered tons of animals from snakes, sugar gliders, cats, dogs, and birds. I personally have three dogs and three cats, all rescued of course, but not all of them are so greatful... ahem.. the cats..

I also have a serious shopping problem which includes tons of pet gadgets, baby supplies, and beauty supplies. So if your wondering about something out there, feel free to ask me. I'll probably have it!

With this blog I'd like to use it to give tips about things I know about as well and do some giveaways. So bare with me as I try to grow this thing and be an accomplished blogger!

Maybe I'll be better

I have blog envy. I have seen a ton of pretty blogs with fabulous photos an fun things to write about, and I have no idea where to begin! I want to blog. But do I blog about the kids? Do I blog about my pets.. my life? Do I blog about how I am hopelessly addicted to Dark Chocolate Almond Butter? Seriously, that stuff is SOOOO good. I eat it every day. Every.... stinkin'... day. I go through a jar a week. Seriously, I just got done brushing bread crumbs off my bed because its the only thing I'm not too lazy to get up and fix.

MaraNatha Dark Chocolate Almond Butter.. I love you.