O.F.B. Support a deployed family

Operation Fluffy Bums is a new program of The Rebecca Foundation designed to help American Military families who are deployed and stationed overseas.  As we continue with our mission to serve others in their communities, we have realized that the overseas military community members are just as important members of our family as the ones that are here locally.  O.F.B. was created to make sure "No Bum is Left Behind". 

Through your generous donation to O.F.B., we can assure that Military families abroad are able to receive assistance with cloth diapering from our home base.  In addition to your donation to O.F.B., we are extending the opportunity for families here at home to sponsor a family abroad by sending cards/notes, diaper care packages, and providing shipping assistance for all packages being sent to those families. 

The Rebecca Foundation wants YOU for Operation Fluffy Bums!

Apply or Sponsor   a family today

A wonderful giveaway from BabyKicks!

Please take this opportunity to go visit Mothering.com. This natural parenting community formerly a  magazine has been a trusted source for Advice and articles on Natural parenting more than 40 years. Mothering.com has everything from home to holistic advice for any and every stage of development and they are currently offering up a wonderful giveaway!
Babykicks offers high quality U.S. Made Hemp products like diapers, toys and nursing pads here is a link to visit Mothering.com and enter the giveaway!

MOTHERING.COM BABYKICKS GIVEAWAY

Great adventures in Baby Wearing

Wow I have been busy,... 

I have been  working in my older sons school and that is super fun. I am on the fundraising committee and I am the box tops for education coordinator. I extreme coupon and now that life is back to my new normal I am hitting the stores for deals! The holiday season is upon us and I have been out and about, Tonight in fact is the Great night for a Skate night for our older sons school, that is a fundraiser that I coordinate! I have a very very nice stroller that I won in a giveaway from Viva Veltoro  but my baby hates to be stuck in his car seat for longer periods of time... LOL He hates it sometimes upon entry! Last week when he got a vaccination he was very very upset, he would not let me put him down also unlike my older son who was happy with anyone to cuddle him Baby Ray has a preference for Mommy most of the time, So what is an active breastfeeding Mom on the Go to do? Babywearing!
I read an article on a blog called African babies dont cry and in this blog post I discovered the secrets of babywearing, I read Mayim Bialik's Beyond the Sling last week and she also talks about babywearing and its many benefits to the baby, and the mother. You can see that globally most indigenous women wear their young infants and it is no wonder because it just seems natural!
     I have 2 baby carriers One is a Wrapsody water water wrap that I received from the BumbleDoo Store and one Is a Hot Sling that I got from Out numbered 3 to 1 both are black
I have NOT got the hang (LOL HANG) of the wrap yet but the Sling is awesome. Its simple, take baby out of carseat put him in the pocket and go! Here is a list of things I have done in the past week while wearing Raylan in the Sling... 

Dishes 

Laundry
Cooking dinner ( NOTE while wearing baby be extra careful when cooking baby can get burned if you are not cautious)
Eating a hot dinner with my family (no kidding every time I eat Ray wants to eat and since we EBF this has been a challenge for me)
MAking flyers for distributing at Sam's School
Distributing the Flyers to 50 class rooms
Couponing, which is a lot of computer list making and a lot of shuffling through news paper and clipping
BLogging (doing that now )

Eating lunch
entering giveaways
Browsing the library
Grocery shopping
making up Diaper packages for Clients of the Foundation
Giving a tutorial of Cloth diapers to a couple that stopped in to pick up some diapers for their soon to be born baby
 DIAPER LAUNDRY INCLUDING hand washing diaper laundry! 

Grocery shopping while breastfeeding (no one batted an eyelash at me! talk about #Multitasking)
Helping dish ice cream out at Sams class Party! 

Tonight I will be running the ticket booth at the skate party
Visiting the skate party patrons 

and Twitter parting

My back doesn't hurt, my baby isn't crying all the time, My Milk supply has increased and
I can go about my business mostly hands free with out having to stop and check on baby every few minutes or saying "its ok Momm'y over here" loudly from the kitchen. 

TA DA BABY IN A SLING SELFY!
Wrap

"Love My Cloth Diapers"

      A few years back, over 4, my Cousin's baby got a terrible diaper rash. She told everyone she had switched to Cloth diapers called bumGenius and they were way different then the kind we wore in the 80's, and the diaper rash was no more. At the time my own child was about to be 4, I smiled and nodded  I paid absolutely no attention to her because it was of little interest... after all I didn't want to have anymore kids. Two weeks later I rekindled a relationship with my first love and we immediately started trying to conceive.

     Fast forward three years to a saturday last September and we never had gotten pregnant and I was at the point of baby obsession. I found a giveaway to enter for some baby stuff online, I entered then saw THEN I SAW IT an ad for Modern cloth diapers. It had occurred to me at the time to ask my cousin about them and I did a search for them and found a veritable cornucopia of fluff! I was bitten by the fluff bug at that moment.
    I started learning about cloth then, I ingratiate myself into the online community and I was embraced there even though I didnt have a baby to diaper and all the information I doled out was regurgitated and theoretical, at least to me. I won a few giveaways and I leaned to sew and repair some handed down diapers that I had gotten from freecycle! I developed friendships and relationships with people and companies. I have learned to use twitter thanks to Cottonbabies.com Monday night twitter chat. I ignored my husbands eye rolls when I won a Freetime (he told me to donate it, cant you imagine?!?!)         I have told my sisters in cloth my secrets, and they have told me theirs. I cried to women I never met about our struggle to conceive without fertility coverage and I commiserate with others that grudgingly viewed other peoples beautiful second children in cloth knowing we may never have little others and sisters for our lonely only boys. The advice and Love came over the Twitterverse and one day some one told me to start drinking Apple Cider Vinegar. I tried every cocka mame thing I could find so I tried it and three moths later I learned I was pregnant.

(a photo of tme the day I got pregnant ha! )

      I have learned about so much from the online diapering community, my husband no longer rolls his eyes on mondays at 9pm! I have discovered babywearing and found support in breastfeeding. I know about parenting styles and tricks that never would have occurred to me. It also never would have occurred to me that there are people who never think to wrap a dish cloth around their baby's butt rather than reuse a disposable because they cant afford diapers. That lead me to take over a chapter in a nation wide diaper charity, so that I can help others in the way that I have been helped by this community. I have never felt so good about something in my life.
         THere are many many reasons that I love cloth diapers; They help reduce waste, they are cuter than disposables, they keep chemicals off my baby's bottom. Cloth diapers are super inexpensive (when I am home for the day we wear flats and prefolds sometimes without covers and, yes I wash them in a bucket with a breathing washer) And Cloth diapers are have lead me to more "green and natural" products and ways to live.
     I have won giveaways and I have been given diapers by friends, I have flour sack towels and home made covers, I never had this stuff the first time around, I also didn't have friends that told me to try drinking ACV, which I wholeheartedly heartedly believe is the factor that helped us conceive. Because before being a part of the Cloth Diapering online community I never had comradery or friends to speak of, Without the wonderful community I have become a part of I probably would not have my sweet baby boy, I definitely wouldn't have the knowledge and confidence to cloth diaper, and breastfeed and wear him in a sling. Our parenting generation is a different one than our parents lived in and they are not always the best source of advice in the same  way that their mothers were to them. I Love the friends whose babies bottoms look like mine, those distant people I may never meet and exist only in my phone and on my laptop screen, I love my fluffy butt baby and his cornucopia of cloth, and with out either of those things I might have neither.
  That is why I love my cloth diapers because they have given me so so much that I didnt have before, Cloth has made me a better person.

Baby Ray in his Irwin

I have written this post as an entry to a contest on  Cottonbabies they are my favorite diaper retailer, I am sure many will enter, I know that I wont win because I doubt anyone will comment here on why they want to try cloth or why they love it but I wonder if all the others know what I do, by being here in this good company with our lovely Babies in Cloth that we have already won...

Yes I wash my Diapers by hand sometimes, for fun... yes I said "for fun ! "

Yes I wash my diapers by hand, for fun... yes I said "for fun ! "

Every year in he merry merry month of May a lot of people in the diapering community participate in a flats and hand washing challenge. For those who don’t know flat diapers are what most people picture when the words "Cloth diaper" are uttered in conversation, a large square of fabric usually 30''x30'' attached with a pin or snappi. Mine are  flour sack towels from Walmart. I frequently use then at home with out a cover (with an insert folded in for extra absorption.) and inside a cover to get a trimmer diaper when running errands. The challenge puts people to washing for a week. I like to do this every week at least once a week to demonstrate that it is a real option for people who dont have a washer. 
 I have said before  I have a Breathing washer I won in a giveaway. It is a really cool amazing thing! It looks like a plunger and a salad spinner got together and had a baby! I got my husband to buy a 5 gallon bucket from Home Depot a few weeks ago and oh boy what fun it is to wash my diapers with this thing! But If you don’t have one and cant buy one a sink plunger from the dollar store is just as effective (drill a few holes in it if you can) A broom or mop may also work.

here is the washer and bucket and my feet, I have fun socks! 

THE WAY I "HAND" WASH Diapers.... flats and microfiber inserts, wipes and covers are best. This works for pockets and aio/ai2 as well as hemp or baby clothes too.

Instructions for 5 gallon bucket washing 3-8 items, depending on size. Items should move freely when agitated in 4 gallons of water.

1- Remove any solid waste (my baby is EBF so this step isnt necessary to me yet 

2- Rinse with cold water either with a toilet sprayer or a shower or sink sprayer. NOTE if you spray in sinks or shower stalls bleach the area after to avoid bacterial contamination. 

*Alternately if you cant spray or rinse, soak in cold water for about an hour agitate for 3-5 mins drain refill with cold and repeat agitation. 

3- Fill bucket with 3-4 gallons very very hot water and 1-2 TBS Cd safe detergent , if hot water isnt available do this twice with cold water and add 1 tbs of bleach to the second "cycle"  in place of the detergent and add items to bucket after its full

AGITATE ITEMS FOR 15-30 mins

4- Rinse, either in running water until clear or by filling with 1-2 gallons of cold and agitating for 5 mins until no bubbles are present and the water remains clear after agitation 

NOTE * your diapers may appear to be more stained after a "hand" wash they are still CLEAN! if you are using enough detergent and water and agitating them until they smell Clean and the water rinses clear. BABY POOP STAINS, even in an electric washer my items come out with stains occasionally

5 Ring as much water from the items as possible being careful not to stretch elastic on covers or pockets too much, I find rolling them in a towel and applying pressure after a good squeeze helps. 

6- FINAL STEP. Hang to Dry in a sunny area, any stains should disappear with in an hour. 

TA DA Just like in the days of old you have washed your diapers, Plus I feel this is good exercise! 

I sometimes just fill the bucket with water and detergent and keep baby in flats, rinsing as he uses them then adding them to the bucket and agitating as I walk through the room. this allows me to do whatever else needs to be done and facilitates had washing in addition. 

Call me crazy but its super duper convenient and fun!  

BabyKicks Premium pocket diaper.... to the rescue!

          I have won and been given a most of the diapers I use on baby Ray, almost all of the diapers I have are Pocket Diapers. I just am not a big fan of them.
           Dont get me wrong... I like them I like that they are convenient, I love the look and they are pretty easy to wash, Microfiber inserts are very very easy to hand wash! As an advocate for cloth I promote them because the concept of pockets are great for sceptical parents dipping a toe in to the cloth is cool pool. But my Baby seems to no like the way wetness feels on the microsuade and fleece in them Enter BabyKicks Premium Pocket diapers! I recently got the opportunity to try a BabyKicks premium Pocket diaper, Well I am changing my tune has changed here! The inside of these are different than anything I have ever seen in a Modern Cloth diaper,
This from the babyKicks site...
 

• Natural fiber inner lining is incredibly soft Bamboo Velour (against baby’s skin) made of luxurious 30% Certified Organic Cotton and 70% Rayon made from Bamboo. The material will remain soft, absorbent and silky wash after wash

and I tell you what, it really really makes a difference, My baby had been circumcised a few days before and the normal pockets were not comfortable at all for him so I was using flats and disposables, every single time he peed he was getting upset. so I said "ok I will try the New diaper" he was obviously more comfortable and wore it for a couple hours, the diaper was so absorbent and soft on his skin that there wasn't even a hint of Urine left on his skin.

Baby Ray is 6 weeks old and Weighs 10lbs he is Tall and some of his diapers are still loose to fit his skinny booty, NOT the BabyKicks the Amazing hook/and Loops adjusted to both make him fit in the waist and took up the slack in the booty that cause a gap in some diapers. I was actually shocked at how well the diaper fit Raylan, it didnt look bulky and while I have NOT yet put pants over the diaper, I have no doubt that it was trim enough to look normal in his correctly sized clothing. THe Adjustability is such that a baby much smaller than Ray would fit in this diaper, I believe a 6 or 7 lb baby would be just as "Fit" and trim in the Premium pocket.

The Adjustable hemp insert fits in the diaper and Unlike other popular pockets is inserted into the front so the folded over part, (folded over for smaller babies) doesn't slide around and bulk up the front of the diaper. Hook and loop closer actually helps in this because the wide loop section keeps the diaper and insert where it belongs!Another thing about the Hook and Loops, they are not like velcro in other diapers it has shorter more organized looking hooks and the laundry tabs actually work to keep it from sticking, I prepped this bad boy with towels and with diapers and it stuck to Neither!
I am very curious about the Side Snaps on the other BabyKicks Closer. I Never have tried it but as a person who normally picks snaps I fear I have fallen too in love with Baby Kicks H/L to order them! Whats a Mom to do??

THe only even remotely negative thing I can think of so far is that the fleece "Air Gussets" seem to have some pilling after laundering a few times, I am going to take some scissors and fix this later and The Air flow seems to agree with my baby so dispite the pilling I am a fan of the "air gusset" technology and I wish other diapers would employ a similar style!

I am hope to be trying a LOT of babyKicks products in the next year and I will be surprised if any are  as Cute as the Premium pocket I got this month but I am looking forward to the quality that I am experiencing with this diaper!


BabyKicks Diapers are available at a lot of online retailer, and on the BabyKicks Website
Disclosure I was given a babykicks Premium Pocket diaper to try, however this review and the opinions expressed here are my own from the experience and are in no way influenced by BabyKicks

Circumcision and Cloth diapers... a Touchy Subject

Circumcision is a topic of serious and dire debate and not only in the Cloth diapering community.
Most boys Globally are no longer circumcised as standard procedure, many regard it as a unnecessary cosmetic procedure and barbaric. However many boys are still Circumcised  everyday for a variety of reasons including malformation of the foreskin and other medically necessary reasons and a percentage of those boys, Including baby Raylan, are Cloth diapered. The aftercare of the procedure site is covered in petroleum jelly and every cloth diapering parent knows that Petroleum and Cloth are not compatible.

So What the heck are Cloth diapering parents to do with their Childs bum in the days following a procedure like this??? Well Lets explore the options.

1 My son is 6 weeks old, he was circumcised last Monday. I have no wish to discuss why our child was circumcised to protect his future privacy This is meant to help parents of children who need to care for a procedure area after the fact. I respect and applaud those of you with Intact boys and rest assured our decision was not made for athletic reasons in fact I prefer the natural look of the uncut male body . Please do not send me articles and comments about NOT circumcising for whatever reason. This is for help not judgment.

2 I have only purchased One Package of disposable diapers, I put them on baby at night (he is very sensitive to wetness and wakes up every time he is even slightly damp)

3 Vaseline is used on the circumcised penis, it keeps the open area protected during the healing of the skin.  IT CAN COAT CLOTH DIAPERS AND CAUSE REPELLING ITS BAD BAD BAD FOR CLOTH DIAPERS!

My sons doctor told me to put Vaseline and gauze on the area
I decided to use disposables the first day after but I couldn't see buying disposables for days of throw away diapering, so here is what I did.

I used mostly flats to minimize the petroleum exposure and to be able to boil if needed
We received dry disposable wipes from the hospital, these are made by pampers I think, I cut them into liners, viva paper towels also make good liners for this.
I also have taken the precaution to put a small amount of Dawn, on any area I think may have had petrolium on it.

I also put the hottest water I can in with my diapers to break up any possible residue.

I am hoping that we will not have any issues with our diapers now that the area is healed up I have heard people using make up sponges cotton balls and other things to cover the area, I would love to hear your ideas. I think the paper towel liners are a good idea and if you want to use disposables during this time its not a bad plan

Breastfeeding up date: Breast is Best...but its hard and I am hungry

I previously wrote a post about how I wanted to breastfeed and do it right this time,
I was delighted when in the recovery room after my Cesarean My 8 lbs baby was handed to me and nursed for 15-20 mins like a champ! In the hospital we roomed in and he picked up the nursing very well. After a week we started pumping a bottle a day to help get Dad in on the action EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT!

Then I started eating my normal diet and HORROR everything I like gives my baby gas. In the wee small hours of the morning (1-3am) my sweet happy boy turns into a fuzzy restless gas factory who cant get comfy or sleep I have been doing trial and error, mostly error, with my meals. It appears that only my dinner selections are to blame so here is a list of things I can no longer eat that give my baby gas or rash

Beans (this is all beans except green which I hate because I think they taste and look like canyons)
Tomato sauce, any thing containing it is out except for small amounts of ketchup apparently and pizza seems ok in moderation
Onions.... I didn't even attempt onions on my own my Husband put them in and I didnt realize until it was too late!
All of the above are components of my favorite weekly meal CHILI (good bye chili see you next fall)
also included are is spaghetti but I am not too upset about that as I dont really care for it! |
I am not a person who Likes raw fruit nor do I eat veggies through out the day it is our custom to eat a hot veg with dinner and we consume salads in mass for our 5 a day and generally I eat a salad for lunch or w dinner (all through the pregnancy I went weekly and twice weekly to Sweet Tomato aka Soup Plantation) NO MORE CANT DO IT Salad is out
I love spicy food and I cant have any of that
Garlic is out
I completely forgot about the amount of Caffeine I regularly consume and so cutting back to 3 coffees and a caffeine free soda is a complete system shock!
I am in a funk trying to figure out what to eat.
I am sleep deprived because my husband both works full time and doesn't have milk glands

The Nipples on the bottle we choose are apparently too long to be compatible with my breasts and baby's latch so after a very frustrating couple of weeks wondering why we were struggling to latch in a comfortable manner I think I got it figured out by switching to a shorter wider nipple.

BUT the baby is getting fatter, other than gas he is healthy and happy and doing well with breast feeding all the issues we have are with my struggle in this venture
I am frustrated and tired and having occasional anxiety issues that I cant take my Medication for because...
benzodiazepines have not been studied in breastfeeding babies there for could be excreted in breastmilk.
Plus I am really hungry and cant figure out what the hell to eat that is healthy and wont give baby "booty toots"  Every baby is different so I have to keep with the trial by fussiness .

I will not give up! My baby is doing well so I will find a way to do better with this!

I am now gonna go try to eat some spinach and hope for the best !

A month in cloth!

Its been 1 month and diapers are easy. I am washing every other day. My baby is EBF so I am not doing any rinsing or spraying.
I am doing a full cold cycle w no detergant in my top load standard, then a hot cycle w a quarter cup of EcoSprout, extra cold rinse! Once a week I use calgon and I did a 1/4 c of clorox in the middle of the month
Sunning covers and most other stuff. I fluff in the dryer on low of or no heat w woolzies dryer balls.
I love the colors and prints and I love peoples reaction...the UPS man was real impressed! I saw another cloth diaper
Mom at target and was really excited. I am so happy to be diapering him for free! Plus look how cute!

A dirty confession,SHH! I hate cloth wipes

WHen we decided to Cloth diaper, it was a NO BRAINER that we would use cloth wipes, or so we thought...


I have made wipes, won wipes and wash cloths for wipes, I have warm water and a peri bottle, a jar, a spray bottle, wipe cober and several different wipe solutions containers for wipes....I have watched Dirty DIaper Laundry how to make your wipes pop...found  here

Boldly we went forth into the cloth diaper journey at the hospital! I even packed some cloth wipes but the baby wipes in the hospital were very soft and chemical free so we used them instead,I actually brought the diapers as an "If i feel up to it" thing so I fully prepared to use sposie wipes while admitted. I got home and when the last disposable wipe was finished (day 5) I pulled out my baby cloths and soaked them down and proceeded down our crunchy path. OH NO there was a road block! I HATE THE CLOTH WIPES. One they are ruff on baby (the softy soft sposie wipes are much more lux) They are too pretty and poo looks not right on them... I know that part sounds strange but nothing is as weird as newborn poo on the face of a little fishy wash rag or on the bright yellow of a WAHM flannel wipe.

Other more important reasons, I can’t find a solution I like, I run out of solution at strange times (3am much, I am a poor planer) the idea of pre-moistening them seems wasteful for some reason or wrong to me like they will mildew, I however never seem to get enough butt wash on the wipes, also and HERE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT REASON... my baby had a rash as soon as I started using them. I dont think they get his booty clean enough. Am I doing it wrong? I dont think so. As soon as I switched back to pop up sposie...Soft nice smelling sposie wipes! My baby’s booty is clean and not RED, Now I have a different set of problems

I sometime forget to remove the sposie wipe; it gets in the diaper wash and LINT CITY!

I got pilly lint fluffies all over my pockets and Flats its FLUFFING RIDICULOUS!

This makes me want to scream!  Also they are MAD EXPENSIVE they are like 3 cents each and my baby goes through a pack a week, thats $3.00 a package! My husband gladly buys them but I feel guilty for using them, THey are sneering at me from the wash My pretty baby cloths sit idel and unused in the box by the changer and I am at a loss

Torn between hating cloth wipes to wash baby and hating spoise ones for everything else!

I will update yall if I kick the pop up habitl

Diapering New Born... FLats are where its at!

I saw a great Meme before I had the baby
One that perfectly described my diaper stash

True! in fact the only sorta diaper I dont have for Baby Ray is a contour diaper, I just nevbiger have been given them any place nor have I received one for the Foundation so far so I havent actually encountered one! 

    So with a magical amount of Beautiful diapers I ventured into the world of CLoth diapering and I was so so excited to do so I brought my two nb covers and a couple different kinds of Once size pockets with me to the hospital, I before mentioned my Husband is a large man, and he was 14 lbs at birth, It was estimated that Baby Ray would weigh about 10 lbs (I imagined 9lbs at the least) so Imagine our shock and surprize when we had a healthy  but normal 8lb Newborn The NB covers fit great, as do the Grovia shells that use hook and loop. I used Flats on the day I brought home baby... they were trim, I was worried about a floppy new born in a tight car seat with a puffed up booty! I havent used many disposables at all (In fact I took back the ones I got at the shower and got store credit!)  Most One size diapers don't fit him well in the legs and the take him over! I have 6 Older Style Fuzzibunz that Look and fit him very very well and they are very cut,e as are the 6 Moraki and our LONELY Best Bottoms Shell which truely will fit a newborn! none of these are super fluffy. I was so so Excited Last week when my cousin pointed out that his Bumgenius diapers would fit him now! they did fit and he looks really cute. the are a little puffy and super Cute.... but here is the thing I forgot about newborns after 8 years with out a new born. THEY POOP ALL THE TIME! Ray Poops when I feed him, He poops when he is done eating, he poops when he sleeps, he poops right after I change his poop and twice he has pooped while I am changing his poop! Well the Point here is that all the pretty fluffy diapers are on his butt for about 20 mins or at the most an hour he pees a lot at night and sleeps for a few hours so there is a brief period where his most attractive diapers get to be worn for a good stretch under him night night clothes where no one can see them!

You know what works best, the only Diapers I have Paid for! THe flour sack Towels I purchased from Walmart for emergencies, washer dies, power outage zombie apocalypse! WELL I have Pad folded, kite folded, Origami folded and as of yesterday folded them in a big fat triangle the way my Mother in law did them on my Husband! I have used all the super cute Diaper Pins my Father In Law got me with Monkeys and frogs and bananas on them! I even tried snappi baby diaper closers and I couldn't get them to grip the FLour sacks but I tried them!
I can actually use one or two diaper covers all day with the flats

The Flats are easy to wash

the flats dry quickly on the rack in the sun or in the dryer
The Flats go in the flats go out

The sun bleaches the flats poops stains out (in like 20 mins I tell you!) 

I love my Best bottoms shell, and the grovia shells and the thirsties cover and I dont like the prorap NB cover but I do love the one I won from Zookaboo ( which was Raylan's first real diaper) 

I cant wait until I can get him to wear cute OS diapers long enough to show people how cute and easy cloth is, I personally think the flats are super easy but people get all freaked out by them for some reason. 

I am freaking out too, over how much I love flats. They will alway be the diapers I wore the diapers Hubs wore and the first diapers our baby wore!

I plan on keeping them in the rotation as long as I can, If I need to buy more they are $5 for 5 and I worth so so much more!

#BabyKicks 2+2+2 twitter party!

Go Pink with BabyKicks and The Inquisitive Mom at the latest #BabyKicks Twitter Party on Tuesday, October 22nd, from 9 pm until 10 pm. We'll talk about the October 2+2+2 promotion where you buy a limited edition diaper at $2 savings, with $2 shipping, and BabyKicks donates $2 to two important charities! Plus, 4 pink BabyKicks prizes will be up for grabs, including 2 pink fitted BabyKicks diapers, 1 set of pink BabyKicks Washies, and 1 pink trimmed BabyKicks receiving blanket! Special thanks to ambassadors @ABCGP, @SomeCallUsCrazy, @SewFatty, and @MrsFewTreezy for joining us! New to Twitter Parties? No worries! This Twitter Party Guide will help you understand the what, why, and how of twitter parties. What is the 2+2+2 Promotion? BabyKicks has decided to honor Breast Cancer Awareness month by offering a toxic free, pink colored product for sale and donating a portion of the proceeds throughout October. They hope to make a contribution to the fight against breast cancer by donating $2 from every pink, natural cloth diaper sold , with $1 from each diaper going to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and $1 to Women Supporting Women! BabyKicks has the limited edition pink cloth diapers available for the month of October 2013. To further benefit the customer, the diapers will be sold at $2 off of MSRP and will be shipped for a flat rate of $2 in the 48 contiguous States! You can save money on a new diapers while at the same time supporting these worthy causes. Details on how to purchase are available on BabyKicks' Facebook page.

Ready to Party? Be sure to RSVP using the form below to be eligible to win prizes at the party! Be sure to follow party host @InquisitiveMom and sponsor @BabyKicksUSA. Only the first entry is mandatory to RSVP, but completing additional entries will increase your odds of winning one of four awesome prizes! You must RSVP and tweet at least once publicily using the hashtag #BabyKicks during 9pm and 10 pm EST on 10/22/13 to be eligible to win. Can't wait to chat with you at the party! RSVP Here

Rebecca Foundations Autum Auction!

I have mentioned before that I and my husband have a single income family. We don't have a lot of money. Had it not been for the generosity of my friend Michelle and my winning several giveaways we would have qualified 4 help from the Rebecca foundation. The Rebecca foundation is a cloth diaper closet providing low income families that qualify for assistance with diapering your child. It's estimated that one in three families in our country have difficulty paying for diapers at some point during their babies life. Since I have been so fortunate I wanted to get back so when the opportunity arose for me to take over the closet in the Orlando area even know I was 9 months pregnant I jumped at the chance. I am still working toward becoming an effective tool for families in our Orlando Florida community, and part of that is participating in fundraisers like the one listed. There are many wonderful items up on the block and all of the proceeds will go toward our branch chapters nationwide. Please take the opportunity to look over the auction bid, and patronize the businesses that donated to our great cause! For every person we help that's another cute  fluffy bum that's parent is not worried about diapering! After all as the childrens song states " the more we work together the happier we will be!"

Check out @TRFCDC's Tweet: https://twitter.com/TRFCDC/status/389962891320782848

I breastfed in Public and No one threw Rocks!

It Happened two weeks ago. my Son was 5 days old. My husband took the week off to help Post Cesarean me and spend the first week with baby! Since I was told not to drive for 2 weeks and to not physically stress myself for several weeks I planed appointments for the first week home all in one day... THis brilliant idea was suppose to make the week easy by accomplishing the "have tos" in one swoop and keeping me in bed for the rest of the week. I didnt plan on the appointments running LONG!
The Offices were packed, and the two hour venture turned into a 6 hour ordeal. THere we were in the WIC office, with a newborn for an hour, and he started to cry because he was hungry, also the second appointment was fast approaching and we were going to be late... very late, late enough for the Pediatrician to cancel! My Husband isnt a patient person abut waiting longer than he believes is necessary and I know that the Pediatrician's office has a wait time for first visits that can last hours so being late to them was even worse when I factored in my husbands frustration. What was I thinking to schedule these so close...   I didnt bring a blanket w me either, I dont have one of those cover things I was planing on nursing the baby after the appointment in the car at the parking lot of the Doctors office! I had not taken a  baby out in almost 8 years! I was having a full blown panic attack. My Husband told me to calm down. He was attempting to calm the baby we were nearly done at this office and would soon be on our way. Well I hit a breaking point.
I said "GIVE ME THE BABY" Lifted my Top shirt unclasped my nursing tank top (so glad I got these!) and Nursed my baby in a room full of people! (there were literally like 50 people in a small space) No one stared (not that I noticed) No One pointed or laughed ( good thing for them my husband would have given them a what for) No one awkwardly looked away or blushed!
Here is the best part, My anxiety instantly dissipated!  I went in the bathroom called the Doctor Told them the situation and they put us up for later that day ( we ended up waiting for nearly 4 hours and were only 15m late) I walked out of the Bathroom (baby still at my breast) and we went about our business at the office! I was relieved to have been in a place with signs on the wall encouraging people to "Breast feed you baby where ever you would like" In Fact the Bathroom door at the WIC office is covered in a collage of Breastfeeding support themed pictures!
I Came home and printed a card up with Florida's Breastfeeding statue

I am not gonna flop my titties out at Walmart, I dont want to be making an appearance on the people of WALMART page. I wouldnt walk around with the baby hanging off my breast in a lot of places,I wont take Breastfeeding Yoga photos or become a "lactivist" daring anyone to comment about my in your face style of nursing.
but
I am not gonna Carry around a pump and coolers and bottles and try and figure a way to heat up milk, Nor will I skulk in Rest Rooms and feed my baby in a filthy stall in which I would never even pee! I will not cover my child with a blanket and hide shamefully like a woman in the Middle East afraid of being stoned or hung for indecency.
I WILL NURSE MY CHILD IN PUBLIC, I will not be looking for a fight, I will do so discreetly in appropriate attire in a manor that is comfortable and convenient.
If a manager or business owner tells me to cover up I will discreetly hand them my Card stating the law in Florida and if they give me a problem I will leave their establishment and contact the appropriate people to make sure they are sorry for harassing me and my child while I patronized their business.

IF A STRANGER gives me a dirty look, I will give them one back, If an adult says something to me about feeding my child, I will do what I do when a stranger is rude to me in anyother situation, I will tell them to kiss my ass. I make no apologies about being rude back to people I will likely never see again. I HIGHLY DOUBT I WILL EVER HAVE TO CURSE A STRANGER OUT FOR HARASSING ME ABOUT NURSING MY CHILD IN PUBLIC but I will if I need to

I feel a sense of relief that I have already crossed this milestone in breastfeeding, I had decided that I would Nurse In Public, Uncovered if the situation arose, I didnt realize it would be less than a week into breastfeeding! I guess expect the unexpected is great advice, especially in parenting!

Cloth glorious CLOTH two weeks later and easier than I thought

As you all know, Last year I became obsessed with Cloth Diapers. After hearing about my cousins years ago then seeing an ad I became rabid for cloth. You can read about how I amassed a stash in my Diapering baby when money is an object. When I got Pregnant in January I was Elated that I would get the opportunity to cloth diaper a baby! Yes my very own Fluffy boy would come in October! So naturally in September I started to freak out, I have 100 Diapers, I am the Chapter head of a charity that provides cloth diapers, IF THIS DOESN'T WORK OUT I AM TOTALLY IN TROUBLE!
I have my Cloth safe detergent
I have my Cloth support group on my phone a the touch of a finger
I have my wipe solution
My Cloth wipes
I had several diapers and a wet bag to go to hospital!
I had to have a repeat cesarean, so I had disposables incase I wasnt able to "deal" with the laundry

Well Day two in the hospital I was ready! I put a flat and a nb cover on my baby!
HE LOOKED GREAT!
THere was even a Diaper Sprayer on the Toilet! yes a flip down shower head! It wasnt like a beday it was presumably for rinsing out bed pans, but it looked like a freaking diaper accessory to me! I USED IT!
Having had a cesarean I was in an extra day so I used liners and some of the disposables, I tossed the diapers in the wet bag (a Gen-Y go bag) and took them home...

It was easy to throw them in the washer, the meconium that did get in the diapers didnt stain much , I put them on my rack and dried them!

My baby got a little bit of a butt burn around Day 5 or 6 and I think it was from something I ate (its been 8 years since I breastfed a baby and I only did it for 4 months the first time) so I did use the Zinc Cream and disposables overnight and it pretty much took care of it!

Yesterday the COOLEST thing happened I discovered the One size diapers FIT RAY!
This is by far the most exciting thing ever ever ever!
Plus even more excitement. I have just been asked 2 participate in the baby kicks ambassador program. Soon I will be trying out natural hemp products made by baby kick and telling you all about them I'm very excited to be getting this opportunity! The idea of natural fabric like cotton and hemp are preferable to me, can't wait to see how it goes!

so far so good ! rinse wash

Welcome Crunchy Baby

      I became a Mother 8 years ago at 21 as the result of a rebound relationship and decided to have a baby on my own. I lived with my Mother and Father. I took all the hand me downs and advice I was given. I was very stressed out and unhealthy. I had a Csection, I gave up breastfeeding at the first sign of trouble the words Cloth diapers never crossed my mind. I was a child and a parent all at the same time. My Parents were taking care of me as my Mother fell chronically ill and I was also taking care of her. WE all took care of the baby and a lot of the way my first son was raised for the first 4 years were a group effort.

Here is a quick Backstory on my Marriage. When I was 16 I met a boy during teen night. First Love YOung love but we were together until we were both 19 and had a falling out. After graduation we lived together and never used birth control we never got pregnant. so fast forward 5 years and we rekindled our romance, Aaron became an instant father to my fatherless son, my then three year olds first declaration to the Man my whole family adored was, "Hi, I love you!" and their relationship went from there.

     My husband was the first person I was ever intimate with and after my high school graduation and in the time since we had gotten back together we never used any kind of birth control, It was massively shocking to us that despite our best efforts (hubba hubba) we were unable to conceive! We are a single income family and we don't have coverage for fertility treatments so the question of why we werent was never addressed, we just kept trying and every month for years our hope for a baby became less reality and more fantasy.
     In the mean time I took a "if you build it they will come attitude" I never actually thought we would have a baby but I became obsessed with cloth diapers and online giveaways for baby stuff. Before we conceived I had won lots baby related prizes including cloth diapers, detergents and some odds and ends for our older son! I just kept getting things but never though I would get to use them and then last year I decided to stop hoping for baby to come. I started getting fit Biking with Our Son to school, eating more healthily, and Drinking a tbs of apple cider vinegar everyday to stabilize my blood sugar and balance my PH for clear skin, I also heard it helps you loose weight. I also heard it can help you get pregnant so in december after a party for my sister in law after drinking a gallon of ACV, after amassing a baby stash for a baby that would never come after making the new years resolution for 2013 to loose 20lbs I found out that Our dream baby was coming I still dont believe it happened

ON September 28th after Walking, having sex, eating jalapeno peppers and taking a shot of castor oil (I do not suggest this unless you know you are scheduled for a csection it causes Irregular and intense contractions and using this wives tale for induction almost always results in a cesarean because the cervix dosent always dilate, mine did but I was scheduled for a repeat section so when I got to the hospital I was intaked for surgery )

SO HERE WE ARE! After 13 years of love a baby of our very own! We are cloth diapering
, in fact until the day we came home from the hospital I never accepted the fact that were actually having him! Yes Him!
breast feeding and despite baby's initial reaction of HATING THE WRAP CARRIER!  baby wearing!

Join me on Our journey with a second baby, I am so so much different than I was at 21 and I cant wait to see what happens with this fugal and crunchy lifestyle!

Love Lovely Mrs Long
and the Crunchy baby!

Breast feeding! Lets try this again!

When I had Sam (seven years ago) I made the decision to Breastfeed. Not only did I know how good it was for my baby but I was just starting to become thrifty and knew that Breast milk costed nothing! As a single woman who was on Public assistance I was encouraged by WIC to breastfeed and it was easy to start! Sam had a good latch and I was a high yield milk producer! I was recovering from a C-section and Living with my Mother so it was easy to spend lots of time with baby and keep on it.
 I noticed early on Sam spit up  A LOT and Having had a problem with breastmilk my self I was quick to find out the reason! Sam was gaining weight and was not having any Breastfeeding issues but the first thing they did was switch him to formula, by the time I found out my 4 month Had GURD (a weak muscle on top of his stomach didn't close properly so much of what he ate spilled right back out) My baby had already been on formula for weeks and had to have supplemental juice to help with the constipation this caused.

Sam's Doctor now is a different Doctor at the practice he comes from Columbia and is currently the Doctor that goes to the hospital I am slated to deliver at, he recommends (as well as several other Doctors) giving babies with GURD a little cereal mixed with breastmilk to weight the milk down.

I am more hopeful going into breastfeeding this time. I am a supporter of those who use formula but I am very very excited and supported by my husband who is glad not to have to shell out for cans and cans of formula.

I have gotten an awesome Nursing Pillow and I learned the nursing laws in the state! I am not completely comfortable with the idea of flopping my titties out for all to see but I plan on getting some awesome nursing tanks!

I have found some great DIY ideas and am going to be trying to do some cool cheap DIYS on tank tops and maybe one of those covers apron things!

So check back and I will be updating my Breastfeeding journey with baby number 2

Poop on those old high school sweaters. No really let your baby poop on them!

If you go through your closet or the any thrift store you can find clothes you are sure that you will NEVER WEAR AGAIN! Sometimes we hang on to this stuff for sentiment and sometimes it is because we entertain that one day, someday we might fit them again!  I personally have gone through and tried to get rid of some things but I really need to try again because I got rid of NOTHING! It is easy to put things on freecycle but some of the things I have are hopeless, I know that if I give them away they will end up in a trash bag when they reach their final destination. SO What do we do with the woolen sweaters and shirts of activities past... we UPCYCLE THEM!!!

It is very quick and easy to turn the fashion statements of yesteryear and the debonaire Fluffy butts of tomorrow! here are some ideas and examples of upcycling for your baby.

T-Shirts- Everyone has shirts of sporting events, races, fundraisers and the like, I have an Aunt that runs Marathons and every time they give her a shirt! Well she is gonna let me have them and I am going to cut large squares out to use as Jersey flats, this takes only the skill to use scissors. A quick search on Pinterest shows a ton of ways to upcycle shirts into onesies and bibs and jumpers and the patterns looks easy. If you can sew a strait line on a machine you can make most of this stuff, and if you have snap players (about $10 after coupon from craft store)  the possibilities are endless. YOu can also cut squares for reusable baby wipes!

Fleece Blankets- every year people get tons of those cheap fleece throws sometimes they are ugly or thin and scratchy. I happened to get a really nice one last year with an owl on it, it rendered all my others useless... or are they?
 I have seen people cut them up to use as diaper liners ( keep baby feeling dry even in natural fibers)
I have made reusable panty liners and diapers out of them myself
YOu can also cut them into squares, make notches in the sides (about every 1/4in) and then tie the notches together to make a really nice baby blankie!
Cut a hole in the middle or sew one corner and you have a baby parka or a hooded blanket.
Make sure if you are using the fleece for diapering you check to see if it either repels or wicks away water do this by squirting water at the fleece before starting, or take a water bottle, cover the mouth of the bottle with the fleece and tip it if water come through you got a stay dry layer for liners or "facing baby" layer if no water pours through then you got a water resistant layer. Most of these throws are the former non water resistant type but most fleece sweaters and hoodies are made of the water resistant variety!

Sweaters- Again do a pinterest search of  upcycle sweaters and you will find a host of products from coffee sleeves and stuffed animals to Skirts, bunting and wool diaper soakers.
I have personally made diaper soakers and it is really easy, cut off the cuffs and cut a triangle (the bottom of the sweater becomes the base of the triangle and the waste of the garment) sew the triangle points together and take the cuffs to make leg holes. I used my machine but it can easily be done by hand. you take some soap and lanolin and wash it by hand ... waterproof diaper cover for the price of thread and lanolin! acrylic sweaters can be used to make lots of fun stuff like stuffed animals and baby pants baby pants are easy too just take the collar and sleeves off cut open the wider upper arms seams, and then sew the two legs together and put the collar on as the waist! Arms can also be used to make Leg Warmers!

Knee socks-  Knee socks can be cut up and hemmed to make leg warmers, baby leg coverings (to show off cute diapers, emo cool arm warmers, childrens scarves, hip embellishments for kids clothes, baby hats or more stuffed critters!





So as you can see with a little bit of imagination or just an internet search you can turn your closet relics or thrift store finds into a wonderful wardrobe for baby, accessories or trendy vintage looking keepsakes.

Dont spend a ton on baby sized fun!!!

     WE bought EVERYTHING when I had Sam, I bought a Crib, I got a bassinette from a friend, I bought an exersaucer. My Dad went Baby crazy he got a Walker a play mat clothes out the wazzu, bibs and outfits galore! At the shower I got about 100 toys, bibs, burp cloths, towels teethers ...we spent major bank on the baby to be! and we hardly used any of it. Really I was single and Sam slept mostly in the bassinet and then he slept with me until he was three (that crib was unneeded) I gave him frozen bananas while teething he didn't wear many of the clothes and I think he used the walker about twice, the point is that babies grow so quickly that this time around spending all that green on some stuff that I only plan on using for several months (and other babies likely haven't used for even that long) seems wasteful so I had a novel idea ! I have been checking Freecycle and craigslist and have found some really GREAT items for FREE. I have also gotten a few things from Once Upon a Child and yard sales for CHEAP!!! Here are some items I purchased and got from freecycle and from thrift shopping and and some price comparisons of similar items at retail!

Exersaucer $99.99 I Paid  $0
graco travel system $299. Freecycle $0

Fisher Price Rainforest swing
Retail Price $139.99
Once Upon a Child consignment store
$60




HOT SLING TATTOO Print
                                                     hotsling website price $68
                                                  Once...price $12 (looks new)



SO Keep an eye out for giveaways (I have won a few NICE baby items including one of these Bean bags and a Water wrap carrier. Look at Craigslist daily for items you need or want, Look at the cheap stuff section in the newspaper. And Sign up for Freecycle, buy/sell/trade groups on Facebook and yahoo groups. And don't be afraid to take something that you might need to clean up from thrift stores or from yard sales. People are usually trying to get rid of stuff they can't use and if you have a spray bottle and a dish cloth you can have a new looking item that you paid little for!





ON a side note be aware that car seats expire so check out the date stamped on the item before buying it or using, make sure when getting items like car seats you are sure they haven't been in an accident. I don't recommend using car seats second hand but I do have one myself that I know was properly cared for and in date. Also before purchasing an item second hand be sure to search the recall list for that item but entering the name of the item and "recall" on an internet search engine or by calling the retailer. Some people are unscrupulous and will sell you a recall item if you don't check it out, they themselves might be unaware of the recall. Notably Bumbo seats have been recalled and I have noticed that A LOT of people have been selling them. So be aware! and be thrifty!!

Poppin' Tags!!! Thrifty Clothes shopping for Baby

"I'm Gonna Pop Some Tags, Only got $20 in my pocket..." 

          When I had Sam I was single, It isnt a lie that GOODWILL helps people in the community find jobs, they helped me find one that I worked in until my Mother took ill and I had to stay home with Baby. That isn't what this post is about though it is about the fact that Baby clothes can be EXPENSIVE!!! and they have the most limited shelf life of pretty much anything you can buy your baby. With Sam I had a HUGE baby shower, My Aunts all came! My Friends all came everyone brought presents and almost every gift included a Out fit for my sweet sonny boy. Women especially like to buy baby clothes because you can only buy them for your own babies for a few short months, I had so many outfits for my first child that I Handed Down and donated many outfits that had only been worn once, some with tags still attached that were never worn by Sammy at all. This time around the bump, I know better. Why am I going to go pay $30 for an outfit my child will wear one time or $20 for a PJ that he is gonna wear for a moth or two? I instead got wise and Hit the Clearance rack... then I got really smart and hit the thrift store! I have been buying BRAND NEW WITH TAGS! Overstock baby clothes from Goodwill for as little as $0.75 each and as much as ...$1.49, yes that is right I haven't paid more than a fiver for a trips worth of baby clothes! Here is a Cater's Child of Mine brand Fleece footed pajamas that retail at the department store costs $16.99 I got it for $0.75 cent as it was the "Color of the week" and there for Half off! this outfit had the tags on it and Is very very soft!

I have purchased quite a few NEW and like new baby gowns (i love baby nightgowns) for this price they are all Carters or Target Circo brand and the savings doesn't stop there I plan on taking my Gently used items to the Consignment retailer ONCE UPON A CHILD to get store credit to buy MORE Clothes for baby once he Grows out of the ones I have now. I have mentioned that I checked out the Clearance racks at Target and Walmart then I saw the exact same outfits a week or so later at the Thrift store! I found the Black Onesie here on the surplus rack for $0.99 I looked it up on Target website for $4.25 a day later. I saved more than 75% I have also gotten fancy outfits Holiday clothes and other amazingly cute clothing items for cents on the dollar. I am sure that I will continue to be wise and shop for baby clothes and kids cloths for very low prices. I have also found some awesome deals on Clothes for myself! I got a $40 pair of Maternity shorts at Kohl's, the same day I hit the Goodwill and found the SAME EXACT SHORTS for $2.49 I wanted to slap myself for not shopping in the opposite order! I have gotten; NEW SHOES, skirts, shirts, and home decoration, craft items Knee socks to make legwarmers for baby, Items for my sons 1st grade class, storage containers and halloween costumes all for less than a few dollars a piece! I have seen the light and it was coming from the thrift store. You can also fell good because the money you spend at goodwill is helping to fund job access to people in your community. Dont waste money on stuff you snuggle baby is only going to wear once or twice, I also think that buying used keeps stuff out of land fills and causes less production and waste. you can resell or donate the stuff after you use it and the best part is its like a treasure hunt! you never know what Gems you will find hiding out with Gramp Pas hand me downs...here are some of mine! 

 from top to bottom; Circo onesie(.99), christmas outfit with hat(1.48) WHite shirt I tie dyed old navy brand (.79) Nautical onesie(.99) "Cowboy" shirt (.75) I have literally three times this these were just the cutest ones!