Lucky You Contest

Check it out on Lindsey Leavitt's blog. :)

Krag Kiddo

Yes, it's been a while. But, I've been taking care of my little guy and he's a full time deal. And, a fun one at that. Toss in keeping the house clean, cooking, and taking care of my husband... well, you get the picture. :)

Yesterday, I met up with two other moms and babies(18 mo and 2 yrs) to climb. That's right. We went climbing at a local krag. In fact, 2 of us would climb while the other mama watched the kids! How's that for getting in a work out and a play date?

It was pretty cute. I packed in my pack'n'play and put the Peanut in it with some toys. The older babies stared in at him while he stared out at them. At one point, he and a little girl both had their faces just barely over the edge and were staring at each other eye to eye. He also sat in dirt for the first time in his little life and played with it. He is now an official Krag Kiddo!

And yes, the dirt thing bugged me since I'm a bit of a germophobe. It was another mom that put him in the dirt while I was climbing... He was having fun and okay, so I loosened up a tiny bit. It felt like a big stretch, though.

He also stood by himself midair for a couple of seconds twice yesterday! Walking is just around the corner. Give him a couple of months. :)

For your baby's or toddler's health

Please see the following link. It shares articles and bottles/sippy cup products that are BPA free. BPA is a chemical found in most plastic dishware, bottles, and sippy cups. It is a harmful chemical that leeches into what your child or you is eating or drinking especially when heated or in foods/drinks with a high acidity.

This is a great website for find safe toys etc for your little one.

Not Your Mama's Cloth Diapers

Well, it has been quite a while since I posted on a regular basis. My goal is to post 2-3 times a week. The everyday stuff is too much for me. On a daily basis, my commitments to my family are to take excellent care of my son, to keep our house clean and ready for visitors the majority of the time, to work on writing my book, and to keep up with the weekly critique for my writing critique group. So, even though it is fun to blog, that has been shuffled down to the bottom of my list of priorities.

On to the topic at hand!

Cloth Diapers!!!

Yesterday I took the leap into the world of cloth diapers. It's amazing how many options you have and the many different price points as well. Bottom line, whether you purchase the cheapest cloth diapers or the more expensive kind, you will save money. Especially if you are starting with your first child. If you are on your last child and they still have a year and a half of diaper, the cloth diapers will still save you money!

What kind of cloth diapers did I choose.

Prefolds?

Fitteds?

Contours?

All-in-Twos?

All-in-Ones?

Pocket?

One Size Pocket?

Did you know there were that many types of cloth diapers? I didn't.

So, give up?

I chose the Pocket Diapers.

Just to hedge my bets, I washed half of them yesterday. We used them last night and today. So far I think they are a winner. So much so that I went ahead and washed the rest of them.

For those of you skeptics who are thinking... what about the extra electricity used on the laundry?

It is still cheaper... but I plan to let them dry in the sun. :)

Benefits of cloth diapers

They are cheaper!

They are more environmentally friendly!

Powdered Laundry Detergent

I made my own!

Reasons to make your own:

1. It's cheaper.

2. It's better for the environment.

3. It's cheaper!

4. It's quick and easy.

Here's the recipe. It works great and our clothes are nice and clean. Try it for yourself. I believe I will be making our own dishwasher detergent next.

Powdered Laundry Detergent
3 cups Borax
2 cups Baking Soda
2 cups Washing Soda
2 cups Bar soap (finely grated)

I use 3 Tablespoons of powder per full load.
2T = 1/8 cup
If you have a regular sized load, then you may want to use just 2 T of detergent.

Make sure you use Ivory soap or Fels Naptha bar soap. I used Ivory soap.

Climbing Outside with the Peanut

So about that memo. There has been a temporary moratorium on blogging as of late. I have been focusing my energy during nap time on writing and cleaning. I'm working on writing a middle grade novel and the goal is to have a good rough copy by August 1st at the latest. So, my efforts will be headed in that direction for the next few months. But, I will still blog a few times a week.

This past weekend Mr. S and I took the Peanut out rock climbing. Before anyone reading this freaks out... no the Peanut was not in any danger. I hiked him in using a Baby Bjorn and my sweet husband hiked in a rather large backpack and Pack n Play. We had been looking forward to and dreading this moment for 6 months. We oh so badly wanted to be able to climb together outside again, but we were oh so scared of how the Peanut would handle being in a Pack n Play outdoors amongst trees, limestone cliffs, and climbers.

The Big Question - How did he do?

He was wonderful as always. He was charming people right and left. A few wanted to take him home with them.

Thank you Lord and thank you Peanut. It was an awesome weekend!

Baby Birds

One of my favorite things about feeding my son in the middle of the night is the fact that he reminds me of such a little baby bird. He'll be lightly crying/complaining in his sleep. I'll fix him a bottle and pick him up - still crying, eyes closed shut. As soon as he is cradled in my arms, his little mouth opens like a baby bird and my heart melts.