You may not believe me when I say this but I have never and I mean NEVER been so excited to do laundry the first week I was CDing my daughter. Later my love of washing my lovely stash waned a bit when I came into some issues but being the ever determined woman I am I did not give up! So, we will take it one step at a time with the first step being, water.
Water
Duh! You may say..Of course you need water to wash and to that I totally agree but you need to know your water. By this I mean you need to know if you have hard or soft water because while you may not have any issues with your wearable clothing this will cause you HUGE issues when it comes to your diapers.
I found the easiest way to find out what type of water you have is to Google it. The hardness of your water is something that your County is required to publish to public record. So just type in your search engine "Does _____ County in ____ State have hard or soft water?"
This is important because hard water has more minerals in it and requires more soap to clean and soft water requires less soap to wash properly among other issues that can arise. If you join a Cding community and you post a question regarding washing issues this will be the first thing you are asked....Do you have hard or soft water.
FYI: something like 80% of the US has varying degrees of hard water.
Detergent
You will not be able to just use any old detergent to wash your precious fluff. Many detergents contain brighteners and softeners that can build up on your diapers and irritate your babies skin. There are many different brands of CD safe detergents such as Rockin Green, Soap Nuts, Charlie's Soap, Crunchy Clean and these just name a few. I use my homemade detergent that you can find here. Some of this may be trial and error to find the right detergent for your diapers.
I am giving you this link to Padded Tush Stats. This website/blog has been an amazing resource to me in my adventurers into cloth. Besides lists of retailers and reviews of TONS of diapers they also have detergent stats . So, bookmark this site..
I have to share that my MIL said she used Ivory Snow and so did many many other people that I have spoken with that CD'd before the age of disposables. You can still find this soap and I am thinking of trying it myself.
Prepping
So you have been stalking your mail person for days anxiously awaiting your fluffy mail and it is finally here! You tear open the package like a kid on Christmas morning and there they are..Your beautiful diapers. You take them out and instantly you want to place them on your precious baby but wait! First you must prep.
Cloth diapers need to be washed before you can place them on your child. You want to make sure they are 100% clean and free of anything that might irritate you babies skin. Depending on what type of diapers you have they will need to be prepped differently.
Microfiber inserts and All-in-ones can be washed once and be fully absorbent. Follow the instructions for your particular diaper but in general you will want to line dry your covers and you can toss your inserts into the dryer. If you have an all-in-one you might be able to put them in the dryer but you should NEVER put them on high. You will damage the plastic coating on the diaper and they won't be water proof.
None synthetic material like cotton, bamboo and hemp contain natural oils. These oils need to be removed before the diapers are fully absorbent. You will need to wash and dry these diapers anywhere between 5-7 times before they are at maximum absorbency. I need to add that I used to fully wash and dry my diapers exactly 5 times before I would place them on my baby. I now feel that this is totally unnecessary. Not only is it time consuming it is extremely wasteful to use that much water to increase the absorbance of my diaper by 10 or 20 mls. After a few weeks of owning them they will be at 100% absorbency so I say just wash once maybe twice and put them on and admire your fluff!
After the Prep
After you prep your diapers and happily place it on your baby take a step back and admire your beautiful fluff then count to oh lets say 10 and you will see the biggest smile ever on your babies face...followed by the sound of the largest poo ever coming from your baby. It seems to be an unwritten law of fluff that the second you place a new clean diaper on your child they will poo in it. Your heart will break a little but remember that is what you bought it for :)
You take off the diaper and place it in your dry pail or hanging bag but before you do that know that if your baby is breast fed the poo is water soluble so there is no need
to do anything..If your child is eating solids you need to either dunk and swish
your diapers in the toilet to remove the solid material or use a diaper
sprayer or rinse in your utility tub in your laundry room..but we will
cover this in more detail later basically you need to remove the solid material. You do this for a couple of days until your pail is full or you are running low on diapers. Finally, it is laundry day so what do you do? Rinse cold or warm no soap, wash hot with soap, rinse cold or warm no soap is the easy answer. Everyone has a wash routine that they have learned though trial and error and swear by but I can give you the general gist of it and we will save problem solving for another post.
Take all those lovely diapers and place them in your washer. You will run either a cold or warm or hot rinse or full cycle without any detergent. This "rinse" cycle is to remove any large pieces of crud to allow your detergent to do its real work on the cloth.
You will then do a full hot wash with detergent.
Then you will do a rinse cycle to remove any left over detergent and either line dry or use the actual dryer to dry your diaper.
Voila! Clean diapers
Taking one simple step at a time to a more natural way of living
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Friday, December 14, 2012
Adventures into Cloth Diapering : How to choose?
Hindsight being 20/20 I feel like I have good advice on how to find the right diaper for you and your little one. Advice that I was given but did not follow but wish I did. Finding the "right" diaper is one of the harder parts of cloth diapering. It is pretty hard to find stores that have cloth diapers so you can actually look at them so mostly, you will end up buying them online through Buy/Sell/Trade boards like Diaper Swappers or through retailers.
Word to the wise..Do not..let me repeat..DO NOT just spend 100$ on one type of diaper you have never tried or seen. Yep, I did this and seriously regretted it. I highly recommend Googleing " Cloth Diaper Trial Programs" or you can visit this link from Diaper Swappers, Cloth Diaper Trial List.
This is how the trials typically work. You place a deposit and they send you the diapers listed. You keep them for a specified time ( 21-30 days typically) and return the ones you don't want, all of them or none of them. They refund you per the agreement. Tip: make sure that who ever you pick refunds in cash and not store credit. I mean what good does store credit to a cloth diaper store do you if you decide you don't want to cloth diaper!
These trials come in handy so you can find out what you like or don't like about a particular style of diaper or if your child (like mine) has sensitive skin and can't use a particular material. I will give you my sob story of CDing.
I researched several brands but not nearly enough and decided I wanted to go with Cotton Babies. They sell Eco Bum, Flips, BumGenius ect...They were having a wonderful sale and if you know me I can't turn down a sale! So, I decided I would buy the Flip system. This required me to buy Flip shells and inserts. I bought 6 shells and 12 micro fiber inserts. I stalked my mail man daily waiting for my fluff mail to arrive. The day it got here I followed the prepping instructions and put my first cloth diaper on my daughter. I have never been so excited to change a poopy diaper in my life! I was super impressed. Her bottom was nice and dry and the system was very easy to use.....That was day 1. Day 2 I noticed that she had a redness to her skin that was the same shape of the insert. I made sure I was placing it in her shell correctly because one side cannot touch the skin because it will dry it out. I was placing it on her correctly but the redness continued to get worse. Day 3 I was worried and I Googled " Redness with microfiber inserts". Very quickly I realized she was sensitive/allergic to the microfiber! I did a sorta patch test by laying her back on the insert and within minutes she had a red square on her back. I just spent 100$ on diapers my daughter couldn't use! Lucky me I had found a buy/sell/trade board for cloth diapers and I was able to sell the inserts (for less then what I paid) and repurchased natural cotton inserts instead.
The point of me tell you this is to say that had I listened to my friends that told me to do the trial package I would have figured this out with out loosing money which was the reason I wanted to cloth diaper..to save money not lose it!
So, try a few out..find out if you love aplix or snaps..If you are a all-in-one kinda girl or if you love pockets. Find out if you love a particular brand or style and you can't do that if you don't try them...
Go out there have fun! Love your fluffy mail and love those fluffy butts!
Next...we will go over washing those lovely diapers!
Word to the wise..Do not..let me repeat..DO NOT just spend 100$ on one type of diaper you have never tried or seen. Yep, I did this and seriously regretted it. I highly recommend Googleing " Cloth Diaper Trial Programs" or you can visit this link from Diaper Swappers, Cloth Diaper Trial List.
This is how the trials typically work. You place a deposit and they send you the diapers listed. You keep them for a specified time ( 21-30 days typically) and return the ones you don't want, all of them or none of them. They refund you per the agreement. Tip: make sure that who ever you pick refunds in cash and not store credit. I mean what good does store credit to a cloth diaper store do you if you decide you don't want to cloth diaper!
These trials come in handy so you can find out what you like or don't like about a particular style of diaper or if your child (like mine) has sensitive skin and can't use a particular material. I will give you my sob story of CDing.
I researched several brands but not nearly enough and decided I wanted to go with Cotton Babies. They sell Eco Bum, Flips, BumGenius ect...They were having a wonderful sale and if you know me I can't turn down a sale! So, I decided I would buy the Flip system. This required me to buy Flip shells and inserts. I bought 6 shells and 12 micro fiber inserts. I stalked my mail man daily waiting for my fluff mail to arrive. The day it got here I followed the prepping instructions and put my first cloth diaper on my daughter. I have never been so excited to change a poopy diaper in my life! I was super impressed. Her bottom was nice and dry and the system was very easy to use.....That was day 1. Day 2 I noticed that she had a redness to her skin that was the same shape of the insert. I made sure I was placing it in her shell correctly because one side cannot touch the skin because it will dry it out. I was placing it on her correctly but the redness continued to get worse. Day 3 I was worried and I Googled " Redness with microfiber inserts". Very quickly I realized she was sensitive/allergic to the microfiber! I did a sorta patch test by laying her back on the insert and within minutes she had a red square on her back. I just spent 100$ on diapers my daughter couldn't use! Lucky me I had found a buy/sell/trade board for cloth diapers and I was able to sell the inserts (for less then what I paid) and repurchased natural cotton inserts instead.
The point of me tell you this is to say that had I listened to my friends that told me to do the trial package I would have figured this out with out loosing money which was the reason I wanted to cloth diaper..to save money not lose it!
So, try a few out..find out if you love aplix or snaps..If you are a all-in-one kinda girl or if you love pockets. Find out if you love a particular brand or style and you can't do that if you don't try them...
Go out there have fun! Love your fluffy mail and love those fluffy butts!
Next...we will go over washing those lovely diapers!
 |
| My Stash of BGE's, Flip and Flip Organic Inserts! |
Friday, November 30, 2012
Adventurers into Cloth Diapering : Types of Diapers
Now that you have had sometime to learn the lingo lets dive into part one of choosing a cloth diaper. You need to know what kinds of diapers there are.
Prefolds and covers: These are pieces of rectangular cloth that are prefolded into 3 sections. You place them on baby and hold with Snappies. The cloth is NOT water proof so you need to cover them with a water proof cover. You will also see numbers like 4x6x4 or 4x8x4. These numbers are describing the number of layers of fabric in each third of the fabric. The higher the number the more absorbency. These are popular because they are probably the cheapest way to start cloth diapering. You can get prefolds for a few dollars and Snappies are equally as cheap. The covers can be very cheap if you go with simple PUL or you can use wool covers treated with lanolin to make them water proof but that is another post.
AI1's : All in One diapers are exactly what they sound like. They are functionally just like a disposable diaper. You put it on the baby and secure with either aplix (aka the genric name for Velcro, in hind sight I should have added this term to the list) or snaps. When you need to change you take off the whole diaper and toss it in the diaper pail.
AI2's: All in two diapers are diapers that can function as a all-in-one or as a diaper cover. They have a layer of PUL fabric which makes it water proof . You can typically remove the inner soaker that is attached by snaps or is laid in the cover and reuse the cover until it becomes soiled. Many people prefer these diapers because you have less laundry.
Pocket Diapers : Pocket diapers are two material sewn together with a pocket in the middle. The outer material is made of water proof PUL (polyurethane laminated) or a hidden PUL layer and the inside is made of different materials to wick away moisture from the skin. The material typically tends to be micro fleece but I am seeing many WAHM diapers that ingeniously use sport wicking fabric! Genius!!! There is an inside pocket between the PUL and the inside material that you can stuff with different material to absorb the wetness. These are popular for the ability to stuff the pocket with nearly anything you want. They are great for night time diapers.
I tried to use several brands of diapers but I have to admit I am very bias to BumGenius/Cotton Babies products. I am trying to branch out but I haven't done so just yet. Next, how to choose from all of the choices!
Prefolds and covers: These are pieces of rectangular cloth that are prefolded into 3 sections. You place them on baby and hold with Snappies. The cloth is NOT water proof so you need to cover them with a water proof cover. You will also see numbers like 4x6x4 or 4x8x4. These numbers are describing the number of layers of fabric in each third of the fabric. The higher the number the more absorbency. These are popular because they are probably the cheapest way to start cloth diapering. You can get prefolds for a few dollars and Snappies are equally as cheap. The covers can be very cheap if you go with simple PUL or you can use wool covers treated with lanolin to make them water proof but that is another post.
 |
| Unfolder Prefold w/snappi |
 |
| Prefold as if it were on a baby |
 | |||
| How to fold a prefold |
 |
| One of my JuneBug mommies LO. This is a Prefold with a PUL cover :D |
AI1's : All in One diapers are exactly what they sound like. They are functionally just like a disposable diaper. You put it on the baby and secure with either aplix (aka the genric name for Velcro, in hind sight I should have added this term to the list) or snaps. When you need to change you take off the whole diaper and toss it in the diaper pail.
 |
| This is a BumGenius Elemental AI1 (my favorite!) |
AI2's: All in two diapers are diapers that can function as a all-in-one or as a diaper cover. They have a layer of PUL fabric which makes it water proof . You can typically remove the inner soaker that is attached by snaps or is laid in the cover and reuse the cover until it becomes soiled. Many people prefer these diapers because you have less laundry.
 |
| This is a Swaddlebees Econappi allin2 |
 |
| This is a Happy Heiny's Pocket diaper |
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Golden Toe BzzAgent Give Away!
Yippie, I have long waited for this day. This is my first give away. First let me tell you why.
I am a super lucky BzzAgent. BzzAgents are a international WOM (word of mouth) campaigning program. Customers, like myself, are given products and asked to report back to the company if they like or dislike the products. This is the big key part..they want us to give our honest opinion, no hype or BS. We are also asked to share our experiences with our friends and family positive or negative. This also means my friends and family get tons of great coupons! The last campaign I was in was for Fair Trade Green Mountain Coffee which I loved and now buy nothing except Green Mountain Coffee. I am currently in a few more and will report back to ya'll with those experiences later.
On to the current one...Golden Toe. I received my lovely Bzz Box with my Golden Toe goodies. Boxer's, socks and TONS of coupons to use at Kohls. They are 5$ off 25$ worth of Golden Toe products and with all the sales running right now that can get you a great deal. First, I have to say that I already love Golden Toe products. They are the only socks I buy for myself. They last for a super long time and are very durable. The socks I received are just as amazing as the ones I have bought for myself. They have reenforced toes with comfort seams and are super comfortable. They also have an elastic band at the top to hold them up, which is PERFECT for fall boots. The two pairs I am giving away have a great blue argyle and blue stripe print. My husband and I fought over these sock because while I am fully aware that they are mens dress socks I needed a new pair of fall/winter boot socks and these were cute, comfy and perfect!
So, enter below for your chance to win! Good LUCK!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I am a super lucky BzzAgent. BzzAgents are a international WOM (word of mouth) campaigning program. Customers, like myself, are given products and asked to report back to the company if they like or dislike the products. This is the big key part..they want us to give our honest opinion, no hype or BS. We are also asked to share our experiences with our friends and family positive or negative. This also means my friends and family get tons of great coupons! The last campaign I was in was for Fair Trade Green Mountain Coffee which I loved and now buy nothing except Green Mountain Coffee. I am currently in a few more and will report back to ya'll with those experiences later.
On to the current one...Golden Toe. I received my lovely Bzz Box with my Golden Toe goodies. Boxer's, socks and TONS of coupons to use at Kohls. They are 5$ off 25$ worth of Golden Toe products and with all the sales running right now that can get you a great deal. First, I have to say that I already love Golden Toe products. They are the only socks I buy for myself. They last for a super long time and are very durable. The socks I received are just as amazing as the ones I have bought for myself. They have reenforced toes with comfort seams and are super comfortable. They also have an elastic band at the top to hold them up, which is PERFECT for fall boots. The two pairs I am giving away have a great blue argyle and blue stripe print. My husband and I fought over these sock because while I am fully aware that they are mens dress socks I needed a new pair of fall/winter boot socks and these were cute, comfy and perfect!
So, enter below for your chance to win! Good LUCK!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Adventures into Cloth Diapers : The Lingo
One day I was on Face Book talking with my Momville aka the June Bugs and the topic of cloth diapering came up. I have to be honest I never even considered cloth diapering my three year old and therefor never consider doing it with my newest addition. I have never been more confused about a baby product in my life. I asked question after question and scoured the internet for information. I instantly felt like I was totally over my head and I nearly gave up on the idea. Learning about cloth diapers was in a sense like being thrown into a new Country where I didn't know the language or culture but being the determined type of person I am I just took a deep breath and powered on. I want to make these post easy to understand and I feel that doing that means breaking the post up a bit. It seemed to me during my research that if the information would have been in smaller bite size chunks that I might not have gotten so overwhelmed and nearly gave up.
When you go to a new Country the first thing you may want to learn is the language and this is no different when it comes to CD's....See, right there is a perfect example! You are thinking what is CD?!? I have compiled a short list of some of the language when it comes to CDing aka Cloth Diapering. Just put this list in your back pocket as we move forward into the world that is CDing. Try not to put too much though into what some of these words mean just yet. This is just your introduction into the culture...Think of it like you need to know how to pronounce the words before you really understand how to use them..These are most of the helpful abbreviations and words that I came accross when on my adventor. I am sure I have missed some but this will get us started...
Wicking- The movement
of moisture
When you go to a new Country the first thing you may want to learn is the language and this is no different when it comes to CD's....See, right there is a perfect example! You are thinking what is CD?!? I have compiled a short list of some of the language when it comes to CDing aka Cloth Diapering. Just put this list in your back pocket as we move forward into the world that is CDing. Try not to put too much though into what some of these words mean just yet. This is just your introduction into the culture...Think of it like you need to know how to pronounce the words before you really understand how to use them..These are most of the helpful abbreviations and words that I came accross when on my adventor. I am sure I have missed some but this will get us started...
AIO - All In One cloth
diaper, has a soaker pad and waterproof material sewn all together like a
disposable diaper
AI2 - All In Two cloth
diaper, waterproof cover with snap in soakers that can be used more than one
time
CD - cloth diaper
Chinese prefold- made
of high quality cotton, requires a cover
Dry Pail- A diaper pail
where you keep dirty diapers until they are able to be washed
DSQ - Diaper service
quality
Fluff- cloth diaper
Fluffy Mail- cloth
diaper package in your mailbox
Fluffy Butt- a cute
little cloth diapered baby bum!
HE - High efficiency
(when referring to washing machines)
Hyena - A term for hard
to get, popular diapers that are stalked by diaper hungry moms
Indian Prefold= A type
of prefold that is not as soft as cotton but durable
MF=Microfiber. A type
of fabric that wicks moisture away from the skin leaving the skin to feel dry
OS= One size fits most
diaper
Pail Liner- A liner for
your diaper pail
Prefold- A tri
sectioned prefolded cloth diaper you pin or snappi on, requires a cover. You
will see numbers like 2x4x2 which refers to the number of layers of fabric in
the prefold.
PUL - polyurethane
laminate, a material used to make diaper covers/wraps
Snappi- An ingenious
little three sided stretchy fastener used to hold prefolds or flat
diapers closed. The Snappi eliminates the need for pins.
Soaker- the area where
you want to accumulate moisture. These
can also be added material to enhance the absorbency of the diaper.
TLer - Top loader
washing machine
WAHM - work-at-home mom
(Usually refers to diapers made by mom’s who work from home)
Wet Pail- A diaper pail
filled with water
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Happy Halloween!
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
I am a BzzAgent!
A while ago I got a letter in the mail from the grocery store chain Kroger. I do most if not all of my shopping there. The letter was an invitation to become a BzzAgent. The letter specifically invited me to get free coffee and if you know me you know I love my coffee. I thought what the hey, might as well log on to the website and see what it was about. I logged on on found out that the BzzAgent website partners with one of my favorite survey sights MyPoints. Besides earning MyPoints for filling out surveys you can be chosen to receive free items like coffee, shampoo, cereal you name it. I filled out some very simple surveys that took me no time at all and earned a bunch of MyPoint points.
Shortly soon after I got an email from the BzzAgent website saying I was chosen to be part of the Green Mountain Fair Trade Coffee Bzz Campaign. I was so excited! A few week later I got my little Bzz Box in the mail. Not only did I receive free coffee I was happily greeted with a bunch of coupons! I also had a pamphlet on the Green Mountain Coffee company.
Now, I have to say that I am very accustomed to their coffee as I already buy it in the store before the campaign but I knew very little about what Fair Trade was. Fair Trade goods are items that are purchased though farms and farmers who compensated fairly for their goods. When you purchase a Fair trade certified product, like Green Mountain coffee, you are not only getting a great cup of Joe you are ensuring that the workers and farmers are paid a proper wage and then in-turn their communities and families thrive though keeping their businesses sustainable. Fair Trade is also a non-profit organization they do not do charity but they teach disadvantaged communities how to use Free Trade to benefit their families and communities. The latter is my favorite part about Fair trade it follows with the.."teach a man to fish and you feed him for life" idea.
I really like their coffee and to be honest it is typically cheaper then other brands that cannot claim such high standards of practice. They have tons of flavors including Mountain Blue Berry...So, why don't you go get a cup and sit back and enjoy while feeling good about it :)
Want to know more about Free Trade click here
Want to know more about Green Mountain Free Trade Coffee...click below.
Shortly soon after I got an email from the BzzAgent website saying I was chosen to be part of the Green Mountain Fair Trade Coffee Bzz Campaign. I was so excited! A few week later I got my little Bzz Box in the mail. Not only did I receive free coffee I was happily greeted with a bunch of coupons! I also had a pamphlet on the Green Mountain Coffee company.
Now, I have to say that I am very accustomed to their coffee as I already buy it in the store before the campaign but I knew very little about what Fair Trade was. Fair Trade goods are items that are purchased though farms and farmers who compensated fairly for their goods. When you purchase a Fair trade certified product, like Green Mountain coffee, you are not only getting a great cup of Joe you are ensuring that the workers and farmers are paid a proper wage and then in-turn their communities and families thrive though keeping their businesses sustainable. Fair Trade is also a non-profit organization they do not do charity but they teach disadvantaged communities how to use Free Trade to benefit their families and communities. The latter is my favorite part about Fair trade it follows with the.."teach a man to fish and you feed him for life" idea.
I really like their coffee and to be honest it is typically cheaper then other brands that cannot claim such high standards of practice. They have tons of flavors including Mountain Blue Berry...So, why don't you go get a cup and sit back and enjoy while feeling good about it :)
Want to know more about Free Trade click here
Want to know more about Green Mountain Free Trade Coffee...click below.
Friday, October 12, 2012
It's not always sunshine and rainbows...
The sun shines thought a window as she sits in her rocker glider cascading a warm glow on her and her baby..Quitely, she rocks as her baby nurses making soft coos.
This is what many women picture when they dream of their adventure into mommy-hood. The truth is very different from this. First, let me say that being a mom is the hardest job I have ever done in my life with the best most awesome rewards. I love my children with all my heart and soul but most days I feel like there are not enough hours in the day to do all the things I need to accomplish. Some days I totally forget to eat until I start getting dizzy and remember that the cup of coffee I drank at lighting speed at 7am does not count as a meal and oh by the way it is 2pm so maybe it is time to eat something before I pass out. My three year old is in a throwing phase and things can get very dangerous in my home. I have gotten very agile and great at dogging flying objects while carrying an infant in one arm and dragging a toddler to timeout with the other. Everything is a constant work in progress from meals to laundry. Some times I am so tired I can't sleep. I lay in bed and think about how tomorrow I will get a step ahead...yeah, sounds crazy but this is an actual problem I have. Well, dreamers can dream.
Being a mommy I have learned how to relax and take a deep breath..I have learned to let go of my expectations of what being a mom is. I have learned that my son eating a PB&J sandwich for dinner is not a bad thing. I have learned that a messy kitchen doesn't make me a bad mom but the fun we had coating my kitchen in flour while making cookies is what makes me an AMAZING mother! I will skip a homemade meal to got to the pumpkin patch and we will eat pizza for dinner and sometimes pancakes for dinner are awesome and so easy, might I add. Life is messy and while I may never be one step ahead of the game my babies love me and we are making memories.
Somehow no matter how crazy and hectic the day get it all seems to melt away when my babies smile at me or we can have a 10 minute tickle giggle fight.
I want to share with you another story of mommy-hood from one of my amazing JuneBug mommies Marian Willis.
"If you have ever browsed the kids section of Pinterest, you know the common representation of parenthood (specifically mommyhood). It's a crafty, sparkly, loving, creative, and I have never in my life met anyone who has time for any of that bullshit. Oh, don't get me wrong, I pin stuff. I like to pretend that I will be a certain type of mom. The type that plans crafts, and then actually makes it to the craft store, buys the right supplies, and (this step is key) actually DOES the craft. Of course, this fantasy includes a cooperative child (adorably clad in a craft apron that has her name stenciled on it) and a maid to clean up whatever mess may occur. I do try, in a half assed sort of way. We color (with crayons stored in a ziploc bag, although all those pretty mason jars full of markers sorted by colors call to me), on a good day she'll get a scavenger hunt nature walk, and occasionally there are chocolate chip cookies or brownies baked. Mostly I fall far, far short of the pretty pictures I pin.
In the interest of full disclosure, I have amazing, easy kids. A 4 month old, Cordelia, who slept through the night pretty much from the get go, and who barely cries except when she is hungry or wet. A 3.5 year old, Finn, who is an articulate, funny, reasonably good little girl. I really have it easy compared to some moms, but there are bad days (weeks even), and we should not be afraid to talk about the bad ones.
Yesterday, I put myself in time out. Cordelia was annoying all day, not hysterical, but whiney unless she was being held. Finn is getting a cold, which, for her, means she is an emotional wreck. It was a long, virtually napless day, made longer by the fact that my husband was at work (which although I want to hate him for being gone, I can't reasonable object to this), then came home for a hour or so (during which he took Finn into our room to watch a movie, then fell asleep, leaving me with both kids still), and then went off to play darts (because he's in a dart league, which is in fact a real thing, I checked). Somewhere around 7pm, after yet another round of "Mama, I woke Cordelia up and now she's crying! Make her stop crying! Mama, she's crying!! MAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAA", I almost lost my shit. In my head, I screamed loud and long, because I was just so tired of being needed, but kept it in my head because I honestly couldn't stand anymore crying, even if it was me. Since my grip on sanity was very slippery, I decided I needed a time out. I walked over to the time out steps and sat down (replacing Cordelia's nukie on the way, which is all she really wanted anyway). Finn immediately followed me there and stared at me like I had gone crazy.
"Mama, what are you doing?"
"I'm in time out"
"Why?" "Did you break something?"
"Nope, I just need to regroup"
"Oh, well I better not talk to you because we don't talk to people in time out. I'll check back to see if you are ready to come out in a little bit."
Why is it so hard to say " Sometimes I really don't like my kids"? We all know it doesn't mean you don't love them. Or that you will neglect them in any way. Kids are relentless. If you spend time with them day in and day out (or night in and night out if you work days), there will come a time when you are sick of their shit. Throw in any type of behavioral, psychological, health, or learning issues and it just gets harder. Motherhood sucks sometimes (and the definition of "sometimes" is very fluid). We have to all agree that we will do whatever we have to to make it through this motherhood thing with our sanity in tact and our kids alive. So, to that mom that is buying their kid a candy bar at the checkout just so they will shut the hell up, I say, go ahead! Feel free to make a choice that others may judge. Ultimately, you know that you do the "right" thing as opposed to the easy thing as much as you can. So ignore the looks and know your doing a good job. Society teaches us that it is normal to judge others. I think we should give other moms a break (except the one lady who let her baby crawl around on the bathroom floor in a Walmart. Because seriously? That is nasty). This motherhood thing is hard and not always sunshine and rainbows.
For anyone who doesn't have kids yet, don't despair. Yes, it's at times. actually awful. It's tiring, stressful, and there will be days you don't want to do it anymore. But...
After about 5 minutes, Finn came back. She looked me dead in the eyes and in a tone of voice that I must use to talk calmly to her, she says "Are you calm? Are you ready to play nicely? You are? Okay, I love you, now lets go find a fun game to play."
And that, my friends was the return of the sunshine and rainbows."
As my readers I want you to understand that you are not alone..Being a mom is hard. Like most things in life it has is ups and downs but I am a firm believer that you reap two times as much joy as hardship you endure. So, for every bad you have you will have two good day! Share your stories with your friends I bet you will find that they all can understand where you are coming from and have similar stories...and if they tell you different feel free to roll your eyes because they are not being honest..
Thank you so very much Marian for sharing your story with me..it made me smile and I am sure it will do the same for many other women. Also, your babies are beautiful!
This is what many women picture when they dream of their adventure into mommy-hood. The truth is very different from this. First, let me say that being a mom is the hardest job I have ever done in my life with the best most awesome rewards. I love my children with all my heart and soul but most days I feel like there are not enough hours in the day to do all the things I need to accomplish. Some days I totally forget to eat until I start getting dizzy and remember that the cup of coffee I drank at lighting speed at 7am does not count as a meal and oh by the way it is 2pm so maybe it is time to eat something before I pass out. My three year old is in a throwing phase and things can get very dangerous in my home. I have gotten very agile and great at dogging flying objects while carrying an infant in one arm and dragging a toddler to timeout with the other. Everything is a constant work in progress from meals to laundry. Some times I am so tired I can't sleep. I lay in bed and think about how tomorrow I will get a step ahead...yeah, sounds crazy but this is an actual problem I have. Well, dreamers can dream.
Being a mommy I have learned how to relax and take a deep breath..I have learned to let go of my expectations of what being a mom is. I have learned that my son eating a PB&J sandwich for dinner is not a bad thing. I have learned that a messy kitchen doesn't make me a bad mom but the fun we had coating my kitchen in flour while making cookies is what makes me an AMAZING mother! I will skip a homemade meal to got to the pumpkin patch and we will eat pizza for dinner and sometimes pancakes for dinner are awesome and so easy, might I add. Life is messy and while I may never be one step ahead of the game my babies love me and we are making memories.
Somehow no matter how crazy and hectic the day get it all seems to melt away when my babies smile at me or we can have a 10 minute tickle giggle fight.
I want to share with you another story of mommy-hood from one of my amazing JuneBug mommies Marian Willis.
"If you have ever browsed the kids section of Pinterest, you know the common representation of parenthood (specifically mommyhood). It's a crafty, sparkly, loving, creative, and I have never in my life met anyone who has time for any of that bullshit. Oh, don't get me wrong, I pin stuff. I like to pretend that I will be a certain type of mom. The type that plans crafts, and then actually makes it to the craft store, buys the right supplies, and (this step is key) actually DOES the craft. Of course, this fantasy includes a cooperative child (adorably clad in a craft apron that has her name stenciled on it) and a maid to clean up whatever mess may occur. I do try, in a half assed sort of way. We color (with crayons stored in a ziploc bag, although all those pretty mason jars full of markers sorted by colors call to me), on a good day she'll get a scavenger hunt nature walk, and occasionally there are chocolate chip cookies or brownies baked. Mostly I fall far, far short of the pretty pictures I pin.
In the interest of full disclosure, I have amazing, easy kids. A 4 month old, Cordelia, who slept through the night pretty much from the get go, and who barely cries except when she is hungry or wet. A 3.5 year old, Finn, who is an articulate, funny, reasonably good little girl. I really have it easy compared to some moms, but there are bad days (weeks even), and we should not be afraid to talk about the bad ones.
Yesterday, I put myself in time out. Cordelia was annoying all day, not hysterical, but whiney unless she was being held. Finn is getting a cold, which, for her, means she is an emotional wreck. It was a long, virtually napless day, made longer by the fact that my husband was at work (which although I want to hate him for being gone, I can't reasonable object to this), then came home for a hour or so (during which he took Finn into our room to watch a movie, then fell asleep, leaving me with both kids still), and then went off to play darts (because he's in a dart league, which is in fact a real thing, I checked). Somewhere around 7pm, after yet another round of "Mama, I woke Cordelia up and now she's crying! Make her stop crying! Mama, she's crying!! MAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAA", I almost lost my shit. In my head, I screamed loud and long, because I was just so tired of being needed, but kept it in my head because I honestly couldn't stand anymore crying, even if it was me. Since my grip on sanity was very slippery, I decided I needed a time out. I walked over to the time out steps and sat down (replacing Cordelia's nukie on the way, which is all she really wanted anyway). Finn immediately followed me there and stared at me like I had gone crazy.
"Mama, what are you doing?"
"I'm in time out"
"Why?" "Did you break something?"
"Nope, I just need to regroup"
"Oh, well I better not talk to you because we don't talk to people in time out. I'll check back to see if you are ready to come out in a little bit."
Why is it so hard to say " Sometimes I really don't like my kids"? We all know it doesn't mean you don't love them. Or that you will neglect them in any way. Kids are relentless. If you spend time with them day in and day out (or night in and night out if you work days), there will come a time when you are sick of their shit. Throw in any type of behavioral, psychological, health, or learning issues and it just gets harder. Motherhood sucks sometimes (and the definition of "sometimes" is very fluid). We have to all agree that we will do whatever we have to to make it through this motherhood thing with our sanity in tact and our kids alive. So, to that mom that is buying their kid a candy bar at the checkout just so they will shut the hell up, I say, go ahead! Feel free to make a choice that others may judge. Ultimately, you know that you do the "right" thing as opposed to the easy thing as much as you can. So ignore the looks and know your doing a good job. Society teaches us that it is normal to judge others. I think we should give other moms a break (except the one lady who let her baby crawl around on the bathroom floor in a Walmart. Because seriously? That is nasty). This motherhood thing is hard and not always sunshine and rainbows.
For anyone who doesn't have kids yet, don't despair. Yes, it's at times. actually awful. It's tiring, stressful, and there will be days you don't want to do it anymore. But...
After about 5 minutes, Finn came back. She looked me dead in the eyes and in a tone of voice that I must use to talk calmly to her, she says "Are you calm? Are you ready to play nicely? You are? Okay, I love you, now lets go find a fun game to play."
And that, my friends was the return of the sunshine and rainbows."
 |
| Marian's beautiful children |
As my readers I want you to understand that you are not alone..Being a mom is hard. Like most things in life it has is ups and downs but I am a firm believer that you reap two times as much joy as hardship you endure. So, for every bad you have you will have two good day! Share your stories with your friends I bet you will find that they all can understand where you are coming from and have similar stories...and if they tell you different feel free to roll your eyes because they are not being honest..
Thank you so very much Marian for sharing your story with me..it made me smile and I am sure it will do the same for many other women. Also, your babies are beautiful!
Monday, October 8, 2012
Post Baby Beauty..no I am not kidding!
Before you erupt in a fit of laughter as you sit in front of your computer in sweats that haven't been changed in two days with hair that hasn't been washed in three, smelling of the new hit scent Eau de toilette
of baby vomit and boob sweat hear me out. You can do a few small things in your post baby life to make yourself feel a bit more spruced up and by the way I will never tell a mom to get rid of the sweats. I mean that is our official attire :).
Clothing:
What I suggest is this...dress like a college student. I know your thinking this woman is crazy but think about it. While you were in college you rocked your sweats and felt pretty. You got cute sweats from Victoria's Secret or whatever your favorite brand is and it wasn't a problem. You rolled yourself out of bed from an all night study session and some how looked presentable. Also, don't forget about those black leggins which happen to look amazing with most of my maternity shirts. What? You are not rocking your amazing maternity shirts??? Well, why not? Now, they are much longer due to the fact that they are not going around you protruding belly, and work really well to cover the rear end area in my black leggings....don't judge me!
The big tip is to find workout gear and sweats (that will probably never see the inside of a gym) that flatter your particular body shape and don't be afraid of rocking your post baby body. Sure we are not back to our prepregancy shape but who care's! Being a woman doesn't mean being a size zero..You had a baby and that is the most womanly thing I can even think of. Besides, gone are the days of schlepping around in Hanes sweat pants so find something that fits you like your favorite jeans but in cotton. For example fit and flare or skinny( again, like leggins, can you tell I LOVE my black leggins) Let's face it most of us at 4mths postpartum like myself still cannot fit in to a single pair of jeans that we owned prior to getting pregnant and who wants to hang around in jeans at home anyways?
Hair:
OMG! I could cry buckets of tears about hair right now. If your hair is starting to fall out by the hands full you are not alone. I started losing my hair about 4 or 5 weeks ago and it has recently (read two days ago) has tapered off but I now have several very thin spot in my hair line..Okay, who am I kidding. They are bald spots! Postpartum hair loss is a result of your hormones beginning to regulate. While you were pregnant the hormone called progesterone was elevated in your body. Progesterone is the chemical of pregnancy and growth..think pro=good gesterone= gestation. This chemical will cause the amazing thick hair that you have and long strong nails during pregnancy because it promotes growth. In other words, there is nothing you can do about it. I wish I had better news or even a solution but the truth is that at about the time your baby hits their first birthday you hair will be back to normal but in the mean time what are you going to do?
There are more things that you shouldn't do then things you should. Do not pull your hair up tightly. Pulling on the root of the hair will loosen the hair root from the follicle and you don't need any more lose hair then you already have. If you need to pull your hair up then use something like Goody's Spin Pins or hair pins. Try to avoid tight hair ties. Also, Try using soft cotton or cloth head bands to cover up your temporarily receding hair line. Wash every other day at a maxium. The reason is simple, you want your hair to fall out naturally. You don't want to add any additional strain on your hair. Try to find a hair style that will require as little styling as possible for me it was this..day 1 wash and blow dry and style Day 2 french braid or sloppy bun with spin pins.
The last thing is time. Like I said this is temporary. Like all things in life this too shall pass..look at your beautiful and baby and smile! You will see that all the post baby blues and issues were well worth it.
of baby vomit and boob sweat hear me out. You can do a few small things in your post baby life to make yourself feel a bit more spruced up and by the way I will never tell a mom to get rid of the sweats. I mean that is our official attire :).
Clothing:
What I suggest is this...dress like a college student. I know your thinking this woman is crazy but think about it. While you were in college you rocked your sweats and felt pretty. You got cute sweats from Victoria's Secret or whatever your favorite brand is and it wasn't a problem. You rolled yourself out of bed from an all night study session and some how looked presentable. Also, don't forget about those black leggins which happen to look amazing with most of my maternity shirts. What? You are not rocking your amazing maternity shirts??? Well, why not? Now, they are much longer due to the fact that they are not going around you protruding belly, and work really well to cover the rear end area in my black leggings....don't judge me!
The big tip is to find workout gear and sweats (that will probably never see the inside of a gym) that flatter your particular body shape and don't be afraid of rocking your post baby body. Sure we are not back to our prepregancy shape but who care's! Being a woman doesn't mean being a size zero..You had a baby and that is the most womanly thing I can even think of. Besides, gone are the days of schlepping around in Hanes sweat pants so find something that fits you like your favorite jeans but in cotton. For example fit and flare or skinny( again, like leggins, can you tell I LOVE my black leggins) Let's face it most of us at 4mths postpartum like myself still cannot fit in to a single pair of jeans that we owned prior to getting pregnant and who wants to hang around in jeans at home anyways?
Hair:
OMG! I could cry buckets of tears about hair right now. If your hair is starting to fall out by the hands full you are not alone. I started losing my hair about 4 or 5 weeks ago and it has recently (read two days ago) has tapered off but I now have several very thin spot in my hair line..Okay, who am I kidding. They are bald spots! Postpartum hair loss is a result of your hormones beginning to regulate. While you were pregnant the hormone called progesterone was elevated in your body. Progesterone is the chemical of pregnancy and growth..think pro=good gesterone= gestation. This chemical will cause the amazing thick hair that you have and long strong nails during pregnancy because it promotes growth. In other words, there is nothing you can do about it. I wish I had better news or even a solution but the truth is that at about the time your baby hits their first birthday you hair will be back to normal but in the mean time what are you going to do?
There are more things that you shouldn't do then things you should. Do not pull your hair up tightly. Pulling on the root of the hair will loosen the hair root from the follicle and you don't need any more lose hair then you already have. If you need to pull your hair up then use something like Goody's Spin Pins or hair pins. Try to avoid tight hair ties. Also, Try using soft cotton or cloth head bands to cover up your temporarily receding hair line. Wash every other day at a maxium. The reason is simple, you want your hair to fall out naturally. You don't want to add any additional strain on your hair. Try to find a hair style that will require as little styling as possible for me it was this..day 1 wash and blow dry and style Day 2 french braid or sloppy bun with spin pins.
The last thing is time. Like I said this is temporary. Like all things in life this too shall pass..look at your beautiful and baby and smile! You will see that all the post baby blues and issues were well worth it.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
It's Fall! Bring on the Pumpkin...and Pumpkin Spice Lattes
Sweet Lord it is fall! There are so many things about fall that I just love. Cool air, crisp leaves, sweaters, Ugg boots and.....pumpkins! Babies in pumpkins, pumpkin picking, pumpkin pie and PUMPKIN SPICE LATTES! Every year I take Trey and now Aubrey to a pumpkin patch and we take pictures and pick out a pumpkin and I seriously can't wait for that. I will add that I fully intend on buying a huge pumpkin hollowing it out and sticking my child in it and taking adorable pictures. I can't wait to share them with you all! I have already purchased two..yes two, pumpkin pies. I usually would make my own but I was feeling extra lazy.
Now, on to my favorite part of life..coffee! I am a super coffeeholic. I have Keurig Special Edition Coffee Brewer that I get more use out of then my oven or refrigerator. I have never been a huge Starbucks fan but who can afford 5$ for a latte (my favorite drink of choice) two times a day and I happen to think their coffee is bitter. So, I started to make my own. I purchased a milk frother and was good to go! So, I will share with you my tips to an awesome latte and my favorite homemade pumpkin spice latte recipe.
Regular latte
Brew a very strong 1 cup of coffee..On the Keurig I use the cup up from the espresso size.
Put 1 cup of milk in the micorwave and nuke it for a minute. I give the milk a run though with my milk frothier and pour it into my coffee....Voile!
Now on to the Pumpkin Spice!!!!
Pumpkin Spice Latte
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon unsweetened canned pumpkin puree or pumpkin flavored syrup
1 teaspoon packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice *If you don't have pumpkin pie spice in your collection of spices, make your own! Mix equal parts of cinnamon, ginger, allspice and nutmeg- and measure from there.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup hot brewed, strong coffee
2 tablespoons half & half cream
1 teaspoon granulated white sugar, or more to taste
whipped cream, optional
ground nutmeg
Now, on to my favorite part of life..coffee! I am a super coffeeholic. I have Keurig Special Edition Coffee Brewer that I get more use out of then my oven or refrigerator. I have never been a huge Starbucks fan but who can afford 5$ for a latte (my favorite drink of choice) two times a day and I happen to think their coffee is bitter. So, I started to make my own. I purchased a milk frother and was good to go! So, I will share with you my tips to an awesome latte and my favorite homemade pumpkin spice latte recipe.
Regular latte
Brew a very strong 1 cup of coffee..On the Keurig I use the cup up from the espresso size.
Put 1 cup of milk in the micorwave and nuke it for a minute. I give the milk a run though with my milk frothier and pour it into my coffee....Voile!
Now on to the Pumpkin Spice!!!!
Pumpkin Spice Latte
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon unsweetened canned pumpkin puree or pumpkin flavored syrup
1 teaspoon packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice *If you don't have pumpkin pie spice in your collection of spices, make your own! Mix equal parts of cinnamon, ginger, allspice and nutmeg- and measure from there.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup hot brewed, strong coffee
2 tablespoons half & half cream
1 teaspoon granulated white sugar, or more to taste
whipped cream, optional
ground nutmeg
Directions:
 |
| All the yummy ingredients |
 |
| Mix together |
1. In a glass measuring cup or
microwave-safe bowl, whisk together milk, pumpkin, brown sugar, spice
and vanilla. It smells amazing BTW!
Whisk in Milk
2. Pour the pumpkin milk into a tall mug or glass and microwave for 1 minute and run your milk frothier through the mix until foamy. Add hot coffee. Pour in the cream. Add a teaspoon of sugar(or more if you like your coffee really sweet like I do). Stir, and taste.
3. Optional, but oh so good... add whipped cream on top and a sprinkle of nutmeg. Serve immediately!
I multiply this recipe by 4 and put it in a airtight container in my fridge. I use 1 cup at a time. I also use lactose free milk and I don't like the whipped cream..but this is why it is so awesome to make your own. You can adjust the recipe to your taste. ENJOY!
Tip: If the mixture is too thick for your liking or to thin add or cut back the amount of milk you use or you can use pumpkin flavored syrup instead. I prefer the real pumpkin because I feel like it is healthier. Also, my son LOVES this milk. I will heat it up for him and he thinks he is a big boy drinking coffee just like mommy.
Whisk in Milk
2. Pour the pumpkin milk into a tall mug or glass and microwave for 1 minute and run your milk frothier through the mix until foamy. Add hot coffee. Pour in the cream. Add a teaspoon of sugar(or more if you like your coffee really sweet like I do). Stir, and taste.
3. Optional, but oh so good... add whipped cream on top and a sprinkle of nutmeg. Serve immediately!
I multiply this recipe by 4 and put it in a airtight container in my fridge. I use 1 cup at a time. I also use lactose free milk and I don't like the whipped cream..but this is why it is so awesome to make your own. You can adjust the recipe to your taste. ENJOY!
Tip: If the mixture is too thick for your liking or to thin add or cut back the amount of milk you use or you can use pumpkin flavored syrup instead. I prefer the real pumpkin because I feel like it is healthier. Also, my son LOVES this milk. I will heat it up for him and he thinks he is a big boy drinking coffee just like mommy.
 |
| Left over pumpkin and my yummy pumpkin milk...sorry for the nasty fridge I swear it is on my todo list :) |
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Traveling and Family Vacations : We are here!
We started our adventure at 9am on Saturday morning and by 3pm we were in our room at Saratoga Springs Resort in Disney! My son was beyond excited and so was I. We chose our room for a few very specific reasons. 1) it had a kitchen 2) it had a washer and dryer 3) we had two places to sleep separated by a door so that Aubrey's night feeding wouldn't disturb Trey or my husband. One of us had to have a full night sleep and energy to run on.
We decided early on that we would not be visiting a park every single day. We needed down time and so did the kids. We organized our trip months in advance along with our reservations for meals(which is a must for a Disney trip. Reservations for character meals book up months in advance). We sat down with a piece of paper and listed which park we wanted to be at on a particular day. Next we scheduled our character breakfast, lunch or dinners. We did not always have a scheduled meal and would write that down too. Needless to say with a husband that is an engineer and my OCD we were very planned. I believe this is super important when traveling with children with the note that plans change and everything must be tentative. For us, having a plan allows us to relax more and enjoy the trip. We were not worried about what we were going to do for meals and where we were going to be when.
Our kick off event for the trip was a character dinner called Mickey's Back Yard BBQ. We told Trey about it the second we were walking out the door of the hotel room. He was so excited! I was kind of worried about Aubrey getting over stimulated and freaking out but she was fine. Trey on the other hand was extremely over whelmed. The music was very loud and there was a ton of people moving in all different directions. At first, he kind of shut down and stayed close to me then his brain needed to increase the intensity of a already very intense situation and he wound him self up. He had a good time but at some point he kept asking to go to the bathroom and when I took him the second or third time I asked him if he was okay. He flat out told me it was too loud and he did not want to re enter the BBQ. So, we left. We had already eaten and he had seen Mickey so it was fine with us. It was already around 9pm when we got back to the room so we settled in and went to bed.
The rest of the trip was equally as over whelming for Trey and I took notice of situations where the music was too loud or the situation was to intense. We watched parades from a distance and would tell him to put his hands over his ears. This helped a ton and he really enjoyed himself.
We are very lucky to have a child who doesn't ask for much so we never spent any money on expensive gift items(You already read the post where I pre bought items and packed them). The one thing Trey asked for was a fan that squirts water but I refused to get it. Well, to make a long story short we were waiting for a custodian to bring us a screwdriver to put batteries in the stroller fan for Aubrey for the 2nd time that day (note to self bring a screwdriver on vacation!) and the souvenir lady felt bad that it was taking so long and gave Trey the fan!
Lets talk about NIP. You all know I exclusively breastfeed Aubrey and I have to give a big thumbs up to Disney for this! They have air conditioned nursing stations in each park. They are so nice! I met some wonderful women in the room and it was a nice quite place to let Aubrey relax and cool down and to give me 15 or 20 minutes to relax myself!
I also nursed all over the place and not one single dirty look or rude comment! I became very comfortable with NIP on this trip and I never used a cover. It was far to hot. I did get a suggestion to get a A&A blanket in the nursing center. I had never seen them before and now I really want one. I did use my Undercover Mama so we kept it discreet.
All in All it was an amazingly exhausting trip filled with memories that I will never forget. My son still talk about it a month later so I pray he still remembers it as an older child and adult. We already are planning our next trip to Disney. We want to go for Halloween, Christmas and once in the summer to enjoy the water parks :)
We decided early on that we would not be visiting a park every single day. We needed down time and so did the kids. We organized our trip months in advance along with our reservations for meals(which is a must for a Disney trip. Reservations for character meals book up months in advance). We sat down with a piece of paper and listed which park we wanted to be at on a particular day. Next we scheduled our character breakfast, lunch or dinners. We did not always have a scheduled meal and would write that down too. Needless to say with a husband that is an engineer and my OCD we were very planned. I believe this is super important when traveling with children with the note that plans change and everything must be tentative. For us, having a plan allows us to relax more and enjoy the trip. We were not worried about what we were going to do for meals and where we were going to be when.
Our kick off event for the trip was a character dinner called Mickey's Back Yard BBQ. We told Trey about it the second we were walking out the door of the hotel room. He was so excited! I was kind of worried about Aubrey getting over stimulated and freaking out but she was fine. Trey on the other hand was extremely over whelmed. The music was very loud and there was a ton of people moving in all different directions. At first, he kind of shut down and stayed close to me then his brain needed to increase the intensity of a already very intense situation and he wound him self up. He had a good time but at some point he kept asking to go to the bathroom and when I took him the second or third time I asked him if he was okay. He flat out told me it was too loud and he did not want to re enter the BBQ. So, we left. We had already eaten and he had seen Mickey so it was fine with us. It was already around 9pm when we got back to the room so we settled in and went to bed.
 |
| First Character meet-up at Micky's Back Yard BBQ |
 |
| Watching from a distance with the best seat in the house |
 |
| The fan! |
Lets talk about NIP. You all know I exclusively breastfeed Aubrey and I have to give a big thumbs up to Disney for this! They have air conditioned nursing stations in each park. They are so nice! I met some wonderful women in the room and it was a nice quite place to let Aubrey relax and cool down and to give me 15 or 20 minutes to relax myself!
 |
| The nursing lounge in Magic Kingdom |
All in All it was an amazingly exhausting trip filled with memories that I will never forget. My son still talk about it a month later so I pray he still remembers it as an older child and adult. We already are planning our next trip to Disney. We want to go for Halloween, Christmas and once in the summer to enjoy the water parks :)
 | ||||
| My favorite family picture |
Friday, September 21, 2012
Traveling and Family Vacations with Kids: Step two..Getting there!
I knew early on that we couldn't mention a single thing to our son about our up coming trip. This is tip #1 Keep it under wraps. I could have swore that we didn't say a single thing but some how he knew what was up. Maybe it was the teachers at daycare or maybe we did slip up but he would occasionally say "I am going to ride on an airplane and see Disney". We would just laugh and say "Where did you hear that?" Or something like that.
Well, morning of the trip we got up and ate breakfast and then called the cab company. Once the cab was in the drive way we then told him that we were taking a ride. That was it! Not a single mention of Disney or an airplane. Believe it or not he was excited about something as simple as a cab ride. Once we got close to the airport we finally told him we were riding an airplane. I really wish I had the camera at hand because he was beyond excited. I knew that he was going to be very excited and there are so many things that call out to a three year old to touch and experience. (This is tip# 2 )My way of dealing with this naturally inquisitive behavior of a three year old is to involve him as much as possible in what were doing. First Trey was allowed to help drag one of the bags to the ticket counter. He was happy to yell out to the world "I am SO STRONG!" Once we got to the counter he was able to help push buttons on the ticket kiosk. His eyes were lit up with happy excitement. Then we had our first timeout. First let me say that I am not remotely afraid of what other people think about how I choose to raise or discipline my child (That is tip #3). It is your child and if a timeout right in the middle of a busy airport is necessary then go for it. Then it was off to security which was pretty easy due to the STROLLER LANE! Gotta love things like this. Trey loved taking his shoes off and helping load things on the x-ray belt and walking through the metal detector. Not that the security officers made us but there was no way he,Aubrey or myself were going through the x-ray machine.
Finally, we were though security and then the fun part. We announced to Trey that we were going to ride a train! He squealed and asked me where Thomas the train was. I had to lie and say he was sleeping so that we avoided a 30 minute conversation as to why he wasn't there. He loved riding on the train to the concourse and finally we got to the plane and he literally spent the next 20 minutes looking at all the planes and being a very good boy. I was very proud.
Next was the part I was the most nervous about....The plane ride.
We filed on to the plane and two things kept crossing my mind..1) I hope Trey is not one of those kids and 2) Aubrey is totally getting hungry. Well, I am happy to report that Trey was NOT one of those kids and was pretty well behaved. He did find the airplane bathroom fascinating and kept flushing the toilet but our boredom busters worked amazingly well. I nursed Aubrey often on the ride and she slept most of the way. I happen to feel very comfortable nursing in public and have no shame about it. I do try my hardest to be modest. I wore my undercover mama and that really helped.
Just to reacap..These are my bullit point tips for traveling with kids
1) Keep it under wraps : For your own sanity try not to tell them what is about to happen or every 2.3 seconds they will ask about it. Let them know what you are going to do moments before it happens.
2) Children are naturally curious and want to touch and interact with their environment so let them but only on your terms. Allow them to help when they can.
3)Don't worry about the disapproving stares of total strangers: If you need to do a timeout or a stern talking to then do it! Your children need to know that no matter where you are your rules still apply.
4) Enjoy the ride! Getting there is and should be half the fun. We are such a go-go-go society no one notices the fun in the little things such as a tram ride in the airport. To your kid this is an adventure so look though their eyes and enjoy the experience with them.
Part 3 coming soon The Trip!
Well, morning of the trip we got up and ate breakfast and then called the cab company. Once the cab was in the drive way we then told him that we were taking a ride. That was it! Not a single mention of Disney or an airplane. Believe it or not he was excited about something as simple as a cab ride. Once we got close to the airport we finally told him we were riding an airplane. I really wish I had the camera at hand because he was beyond excited. I knew that he was going to be very excited and there are so many things that call out to a three year old to touch and experience. (This is tip# 2 )My way of dealing with this naturally inquisitive behavior of a three year old is to involve him as much as possible in what were doing. First Trey was allowed to help drag one of the bags to the ticket counter. He was happy to yell out to the world "I am SO STRONG!" Once we got to the counter he was able to help push buttons on the ticket kiosk. His eyes were lit up with happy excitement. Then we had our first timeout. First let me say that I am not remotely afraid of what other people think about how I choose to raise or discipline my child (That is tip #3). It is your child and if a timeout right in the middle of a busy airport is necessary then go for it. Then it was off to security which was pretty easy due to the STROLLER LANE! Gotta love things like this. Trey loved taking his shoes off and helping load things on the x-ray belt and walking through the metal detector. Not that the security officers made us but there was no way he,Aubrey or myself were going through the x-ray machine.
Finally, we were though security and then the fun part. We announced to Trey that we were going to ride a train! He squealed and asked me where Thomas the train was. I had to lie and say he was sleeping so that we avoided a 30 minute conversation as to why he wasn't there. He loved riding on the train to the concourse and finally we got to the plane and he literally spent the next 20 minutes looking at all the planes and being a very good boy. I was very proud.
Next was the part I was the most nervous about....The plane ride.
We filed on to the plane and two things kept crossing my mind..1) I hope Trey is not one of those kids and 2) Aubrey is totally getting hungry. Well, I am happy to report that Trey was NOT one of those kids and was pretty well behaved. He did find the airplane bathroom fascinating and kept flushing the toilet but our boredom busters worked amazingly well. I nursed Aubrey often on the ride and she slept most of the way. I happen to feel very comfortable nursing in public and have no shame about it. I do try my hardest to be modest. I wore my undercover mama and that really helped.
Just to reacap..These are my bullit point tips for traveling with kids
1) Keep it under wraps : For your own sanity try not to tell them what is about to happen or every 2.3 seconds they will ask about it. Let them know what you are going to do moments before it happens.
2) Children are naturally curious and want to touch and interact with their environment so let them but only on your terms. Allow them to help when they can.
3)Don't worry about the disapproving stares of total strangers: If you need to do a timeout or a stern talking to then do it! Your children need to know that no matter where you are your rules still apply.
4) Enjoy the ride! Getting there is and should be half the fun. We are such a go-go-go society no one notices the fun in the little things such as a tram ride in the airport. To your kid this is an adventure so look though their eyes and enjoy the experience with them.
Part 3 coming soon The Trip!
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Traveling and Family Vacations with Kids: Step One Packing
My husband and I love to travel. We were together less then 6 months when we took our first trip together. We went to Jamaica. It was the first time I traveled out of the Country and I loved it. I had been happily bitten by the travel bug. We even had a destination wedding in Ocho Rio, Jamaica. We have regularly taken a vacation roughly every six months since then. I truly believe that in a relationship or family you need to travel and vacation together. It doesn't matter if it is a long weekend a few hours from home or across the globe it is great to spend time just the two of you or as a family. You can create wonderful memories and reconnect as a couple or family.
This year we decided while I was still pregnant with our daughter that we would take a family vacation to Disney. I have to admit I was a tiny bit nervous to travel with a 3 year old and a 3 months old. The whole thing kind of sat uneasy with me..How would they do on the plane? How do I keep two kids occupied? How do I breast feed on the plane? I decided to take it one step at a time and step one for me was packing. I needed to make sure that we brought everything that we might need for two reasons. #1 the cheap person I am I hate having to spend money on necessitates on vacation and they always seem to cost 10x's more then they would at home. 2) My OCD : I really freak about not being prepared and I tend to over react to situations like not having what I need..I like to be organized and ready.
I started by using a corner of my bedroom to pre-pack about a 10 days before we left. I would place items that we would need as I thought of them in the "vacation" spot. Some people might use a list but for me list don't work well. I need to see the items in front of me. Most of these items are things I knew I would over look as we pack essentials. This pile included toys that I didn't want to buy at Disney. We bought items at Disney.com on a deep clearance discount before we left. I also purchased glow in the dark necklaces and bracelets. This pile also had our fans, sunscreen, laundry detergent and a stroller cover for the airplane.
In the process of preparing I decided to add a pile in the kitchen of items to occupy my 3 year old on the plane and 45 minute ride to Disney. I was dreading having "that kid" on the airplane. I didn't want him to be to terribly disruptive to other passengers. I also started training him early on about using our inside voice and soft touch, not kicking the seat ect...he has a sensory delay issue which makes this extra difficult. He is not autistic but has similar issues. He has difficulty processing incoming tactile or auditory information unless it is at a level 10. This makes him extra loud and he wants to touch everything! So, I packed items to help him. Crayons: to color, a camera: he loves to take pictures and this feeds his need for phyical stimulation by touching the camera and auditory by the sound of the camera snapping the pic, Velcro : this was a life savor! the feeling of the rough and smooth sides of the Velcro coupled with the ripping was entertainment for 20+ minutes!
I set a deadline for packing. My deadline was 11pm the night before we left. I organized all the clothes on the bed by kid and parent..everyone had their own pile organized by outfit. I also had to bring blankets, lovey's, laundry detergent ect...I brought almost everything to our bed to check, double check and recheck before packing. Once I was satisfied that I had everything we needed it went in to the suit cases and a big surprise to me was that everything for my husband, kids and myself fit in 1 large suitcase, 1 medium and 1 small.
So, the hard part was complete and we the next morning we were on our way! My next post will be about the tip and how much fun we had!
This year we decided while I was still pregnant with our daughter that we would take a family vacation to Disney. I have to admit I was a tiny bit nervous to travel with a 3 year old and a 3 months old. The whole thing kind of sat uneasy with me..How would they do on the plane? How do I keep two kids occupied? How do I breast feed on the plane? I decided to take it one step at a time and step one for me was packing. I needed to make sure that we brought everything that we might need for two reasons. #1 the cheap person I am I hate having to spend money on necessitates on vacation and they always seem to cost 10x's more then they would at home. 2) My OCD : I really freak about not being prepared and I tend to over react to situations like not having what I need..I like to be organized and ready.
I started by using a corner of my bedroom to pre-pack about a 10 days before we left. I would place items that we would need as I thought of them in the "vacation" spot. Some people might use a list but for me list don't work well. I need to see the items in front of me. Most of these items are things I knew I would over look as we pack essentials. This pile included toys that I didn't want to buy at Disney. We bought items at Disney.com on a deep clearance discount before we left. I also purchased glow in the dark necklaces and bracelets. This pile also had our fans, sunscreen, laundry detergent and a stroller cover for the airplane.
In the process of preparing I decided to add a pile in the kitchen of items to occupy my 3 year old on the plane and 45 minute ride to Disney. I was dreading having "that kid" on the airplane. I didn't want him to be to terribly disruptive to other passengers. I also started training him early on about using our inside voice and soft touch, not kicking the seat ect...he has a sensory delay issue which makes this extra difficult. He is not autistic but has similar issues. He has difficulty processing incoming tactile or auditory information unless it is at a level 10. This makes him extra loud and he wants to touch everything! So, I packed items to help him. Crayons: to color, a camera: he loves to take pictures and this feeds his need for phyical stimulation by touching the camera and auditory by the sound of the camera snapping the pic, Velcro : this was a life savor! the feeling of the rough and smooth sides of the Velcro coupled with the ripping was entertainment for 20+ minutes!
So, the hard part was complete and we the next morning we were on our way! My next post will be about the tip and how much fun we had!
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
How to Generate Income and Make Money For Your Family : Part 2
Besides coupons and cutting cost by making our own house hold cleaners and laundry supplies I have taken to the internet and my cell phone to make some extra cash.
Internet
I knew there had to be a way to earn a small amount of legit money from the internet. First, I Googled " how to make money from home" I read an blog post about survey sights that listed the pros and cons. Pros: You can make money just giving your opinion in your spare time. Which is perfect for a SAHM with very little time on my hands. Con's: It is not a ton of money but every dollar counts. Then I Googled reputable survey sights. I found some very reputable internet survey sites and signed up. My favorites are E Poll, American Consumer Opinion and My Points. Much like blogging this is in no way a get rich quick type of endeavor but I earn about 100.00 to 150.00 a month in gift cards. You can use PayPal but I prefer to not use the paypal deposits because they charge you to redeem your cash. Typically, I request Amazon online credit and I can then purchase items on my extensive Amazon wishlist. The E Poll site requires you to complete surveys to earn points that you can redeem for gift cards ect. Super-points and My Points site also have surveys you can complete but with they also add an email feature. They send you emails that you just read and click on and you can earn points for simply visiting a particular website. You are not required to purchases anything or give your email address to these site to earn points. You can also use both of these websites when you do purchases items online and you can receive points for every dollar you are already intending to spend. For instance, I purchased items from Macy's website and when I used the site I was able to receive 10 pts for every dollar I spent. I was already going to buy the items. I look at it like a shopper card. I receive points for what I buy then I can get gift cards.
Phone
The way I am using my cell phone to make money is by far my favorite. You have to have a smart phone FYI...I down loaded an app to my phone called Viggle. This site awards points for television that you watch. It works like Shazam or other tagging applications. I am already home with the TV playing so this works really well for me. You just hit a button and tag into a TV show. You then earn the points. Once you accumulate a certain number of points you can redeem them for Amazon credits, Starbucks gift cards ect...So far, I have earned 4 5$ Starbucks cards and 2 25$ Amazon credits! They often offer bonus points for watching a particular show and my favorite is the Play Along feature when the ask questions that go along with a show where you can also earn more bonus points. There are rules like you can't tag more then 12 hours of TV in a day or accumulate more then 6000 points in a 24hr period but it is still worth it to me to earn points for something that I am already doing.
Internet
I knew there had to be a way to earn a small amount of legit money from the internet. First, I Googled " how to make money from home" I read an blog post about survey sights that listed the pros and cons. Pros: You can make money just giving your opinion in your spare time. Which is perfect for a SAHM with very little time on my hands. Con's: It is not a ton of money but every dollar counts. Then I Googled reputable survey sights. I found some very reputable internet survey sites and signed up. My favorites are E Poll, American Consumer Opinion and My Points. Much like blogging this is in no way a get rich quick type of endeavor but I earn about 100.00 to 150.00 a month in gift cards. You can use PayPal but I prefer to not use the paypal deposits because they charge you to redeem your cash. Typically, I request Amazon online credit and I can then purchase items on my extensive Amazon wishlist. The E Poll site requires you to complete surveys to earn points that you can redeem for gift cards ect. Super-points and My Points site also have surveys you can complete but with they also add an email feature. They send you emails that you just read and click on and you can earn points for simply visiting a particular website. You are not required to purchases anything or give your email address to these site to earn points. You can also use both of these websites when you do purchases items online and you can receive points for every dollar you are already intending to spend. For instance, I purchased items from Macy's website and when I used the site I was able to receive 10 pts for every dollar I spent. I was already going to buy the items. I look at it like a shopper card. I receive points for what I buy then I can get gift cards.
Phone
The way I am using my cell phone to make money is by far my favorite. You have to have a smart phone FYI...I down loaded an app to my phone called Viggle. This site awards points for television that you watch. It works like Shazam or other tagging applications. I am already home with the TV playing so this works really well for me. You just hit a button and tag into a TV show. You then earn the points. Once you accumulate a certain number of points you can redeem them for Amazon credits, Starbucks gift cards ect...So far, I have earned 4 5$ Starbucks cards and 2 25$ Amazon credits! They often offer bonus points for watching a particular show and my favorite is the Play Along feature when the ask questions that go along with a show where you can also earn more bonus points. There are rules like you can't tag more then 12 hours of TV in a day or accumulate more then 6000 points in a 24hr period but it is still worth it to me to earn points for something that I am already doing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)