Diaper Auction

I have decided to do a diaper auction again on my facebook page.  This is going to be a USED or NEW cloth diaper auction that anyone can participate in.  If you are interested in being a part of it, send me pictures and descriptions. Also price starting bid and shipping. Please note to price your items lower so that they will get bids!  This will be open for about 1-2 weeks, I have not decided yet, but I made out pretty darn good off of just having a short one for a day the other day ago. Not only that, I didn't have to "bump" my diapers and wait days for them to sell and then on top of it, go to the post office 20 times in a week!  I am excited about this and hope it works out great!  


Here is my email if you would like to join: nickitheevalgal@yahoo.cm

Pourty Potty Review and Giveaway

So, I have to start out with this is one of my favorite things in the whole world!  I got a Pourty Potty delivered to my house, and when I opened it, it was like Christmas!!!  So, now that I started off that way, aren't you super interested as to know why?

Well, first of all, I had to get it in blue.  Why might you ask?  Well, my son is OBSESSED....no, I mean OBSESSED, with Thomas the Train right now....so everything is blue....or he doesn't use it lol.  So, we got this Pourty Potty and when I unwrapped it and set it on the floor...what did Luke do right away???  He goes (remember he is not a great talker): "OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, MINE!!!!!!!  PEE PEE!!!!!!!!!"  So, of course, I asked him if he had to go right now.  He told me uhhuh!  So, I put him on the potty and away he went..and it has been non stop for him since (by the way...we got this about 3 weeks ago...and now he almost all the way potty trained!)  

So, now that you know how much my son loves this potty (and yes, it is now the only one he will use), let me tell you why I love our Pourty Potty.  Well, first of all, it is super low to the ground.  I love that because my son doesn't try to pee standing up over it (trust me, it is an issue with the taller ones and it gets EVERYWHERE).  Also, all you have to do with the Pourty Potty is just pour everything out the back!!!  It does not get everywhere, you do not have to take it apart, nothing.  And everything just slides out of the potty!!!!  It is seriously amazing!!!  Also, it is such a good price!!!  You can pick one up on Amazon for only  $14.95!!!!

All together, I think this potty is a wonderful potty to get!!!  I HIGHLY recommend it for all of my readers!!!!

Would you like your chance to try to win one?  Well, here is your chance!!!

Prom Girl Review and Giveaway

Today I am going to do a review of the online shop Prom Girl and a jewelry set that they sent me to do a review and giveaway with!  First I want to talk about the shop itself.

This shop is designed to be a one stop shop for all things prom!  You can also use this shop for homecoming dresses and even an formal gown to go out with the hubs!  What I like most about this site is that there is a wonderful write up that helps you chose your prom gown or evening gown!  I always have such a hard time picking out dresses, so I felt this was amazing!

Prom Girl sent me a beautiful jewelry set to review for you guys from their site!  I absolutely LOVED this set!  So stunning and great for a night out for the hubby!  It was great to get something in the mail box for myself for a change!  When I opened up the package, I was so excited by how beautiful it was.  Even hubby noticed how stunning the set was.  The necklace is just absolutely perfect.  There was not a thing wrong with it at all!  It was not heavy or anything.  The earrings were a bit heavy for my taste, however they work perfectly just for special occasions, which is what this set is designed for.

As you can probably tell from the picture, the large part on the necklace and the square pieces on the earrings are not real crystals.  However, the rest of it is.  And honestly, when you are wearing it out, I don't think it is noticeable at all!

You can buy this jewelry set on Prom Girl for $89.  You can also enter to win your own below!!!!

This review was written by Nicki

Wednesday: The Third Day of RDW

Wednesday: Real Simple Real Diaper SavingsAdvocacy Recommendations●     Contact a local community action agency that provides family support services and offer to teach a simple cloth diaper class for low income families on a budget.
●     Lead a class on how to make your own cloth diapers.
Education Focus●     Cloth Diapering on a budget (inexpensive and simple!)
EXTRA●     Identify a simple diaper to bring to the GCDC, to be donated to a cloth diaper charity (such as GivingDiapers, Giving Hope or similar cloth diaper charity, or [2] a local social service organization that would be willing to provide them to clients)

SO, today I am going to discuss how to cloth diaper on a budget. 

Well...that is easy to help you with seeing that I myself cloth diaper on a budget!  So, here are a few things you can do to help decrease the cost:

1. Buy used!   Check out diaperswappers.com and so forth to find used diapers to buy.  If you can sew, you can find many diapers that need a little bit of work for SUPER cheap!
2. Make your own diapers!  Super easy and you don't really need that much sewing skills!  Not only that, you can make diapers out of old t-shirts and other things!  Just google search how to make cloth diapers and you will find many ideas that make is simple and easy to make cloth diapers for almost nothing!
3. Prefolds and covers might be your best friend!  This is a SUPER cheap way to cloth diaper!  But don't worry, there is still no pins needed with these anymore, so you won't have to pin!!!  Just grab a snappi!
4. Go WAHM!!!!  Many Work at home moms offer diapers that are cheaper but just as good as the name brand stuff!  Why pay more for the same thing!?!?  Check out etsy.com or hyenacart.com to find some wonderful WAHMs!!!

Tuesday: The Second Day of the RDW

Tuesday is Real Simple Real Diaper Waste Reduction Day.  Here is what the RDA says about this day:

Tuesday: Real Simple Real Diaper Waste Reduction

Advocacy Recommendations

●     Ask an environmental group, municipal waste division, or government representative to support cloth diapers.

Education Focus

●     Environmental benefits of cloth diapers http://whatawaste.info/but-i-heard/ orhttp://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php

●     Elimination Communication

So, today I am going to talk about Environmental benefits of cloth diapers.  Did you know that disposable diapers are estimated to take 250-500 YEARS to break down just one!?!?  By the way, this is just an estimate, not an actual number seeing that disposable diapers have only been around for about 40 years.  So that means the diapers thrown away 40 years ago are still sitting there...EW, GROSS!!!!  I am glad I am not adding my kids "matters" to that mess!!!

So, if you do just a little bit of math, we can find out how many disposable diapers an average family would throw away.  Kids are usually changed every 2-3 hours.  There are 24 hours in a day, however the babies usually sleep about 8 hours where they are not changed at all.  So, subtract 8 from 24 and you get 16.  Divide that by 2 and you get 8.  So that is approximately 8 diapers a day (not counting random changes because your baby decided to go RIGHT after you changed him/her...so this is kind of a low ball for early kids).  Anyways, there are 365 days in a year.  So if you multiply 8 by 365 you get 2,920.  So that is approximately how many diapers you would use in a year.  The average age of being potty trained is about 2 1/2.  SO, that means that you would use 7,300 diapers on one child.

WAIT, WHAT.....approximately 7,300 diapers per child!  OMG...that is nuts!!!  And all that, sitting...in a landfill...not biodegrading....EW!

So, this about that if you decide to pull for a disposable diaper...I know that will always be in the back of my mind!

Monday: The first day of the RDW!

Yay!  It is now the Real Diaper Week (RDW)!!!  I am sure many of you have heard about this amazing week that cloth diaper users all around America love when we try to spread advocacy as far as possible!

Monday is "Real Simple Real Diaper Outreach" day.  If you would like to know more about the day, here is the information.  This is just simply copied and pasted from The Great Cloth Diaper webpage.

Monday: Real Simple Real Diaper Outreach

Advocacy Recommendations

●     Wear one of the following advocacy pins:  “Real Simple.  Real Diapers.” or “Ask me about Cloth Diapers!” http://www.cafepress.com/GreatClothDiaperChange or http://www.cafepress.com/rdassociation

●     Host a Cloth Diaper 101 class with a local mom’s group, at a hospital, or birth center.

●     Write to a local TV station or newspaper asking them to feature cloth diapers and/or the Great Cloth Diaper Change.

●     Invite a friend to the Great Cloth Diaper Change, and let them borrow a cloth diaper (or three!) to use.

Education Focus

●     Cloth Diaper Types

●     [1] Basic Diaper Care 

 I already currently have a wonderful post about Cloth Diaper Types.  This includes videos explaining the diapers (I have to admit, they are not the best but they will definitely give you an idea of each type of cloth diaper available) and also a few brand names that carry each type of cloth diaper.

As for basic diaper care...that is pretty darn easy!  The first step is to find a cloth diaper friendly detergent that works for you.  I have a post about that also here.  Then, when you wash your diapers, this is the routine I like to follow:

1. Cold pre-rinse
2. Hot wash with detergent (just follow the detergent's directions for cloth diaper use)
3. Cold rinse
4. Hang dry

Pretty easy!  I mean, it is not as easy as putting them in the trash...but who would really want to do that all the time??  Hehe.

As for storing the dirty diapers until wash day, personally, I prefer the dry pail method of throwing the diaper in a diaper pail with a liner (unless it's got yuckies on it...then it get's sprayed first).  The wet pail method just is not for me and from what I heard can cause extra wear and tear on your diapers...especially the elastic.

Also, remember to cycle your diapers!!  Put the new fresh clean ones in the back and the other diapers in the front.  I know, easier said than done because everyone has a few favorites...however, this gives each diaper it's normal wear and tear instead of a certain diaper getting overused.

Other than that, I am happy to answer any questions on today's topics, just let me know any questions you may have!!!

Smarti Pants Review and Giveaway

Have you ever heard of Smarti Pants?  I have heard of them, but never got down to actually buying one.  I received one for writing for their blog.  In turn, I was also able to be able to add a giveaway to it also!  Well, here is the amazing review:

I couldn't believe how vibrant the color was on the diaper I received!  That was my first impression!  SmartiPants does a wonderful job with the colors on their diapers.  They also have an amazing selection of colors to choose from!  Not only that...they are just so reasonably priced to where can you say no???

I love that this diaper has double openings!  This makes it so that the insert works it's own way out in the wash and you don't have to pull out that wet insert!  I love love love this.  Not only is it easy, but it is a huge time saver!

This diaper is a one size diaper that gives a great fit.  Some one sized diapers don't have the same great fit that sized diapers have, but there is no going wrong with this one sized diaper.   It fits both my boys!  And it is SO easy to adjust the sizes because the insert doesn't need to be changed sizes either...so it is just snap and go!  It is definitely the diaper I grab to put in the diaper bag because I am not sure who will need diapers and who will not when we go out.

All around, this diaper is great!  Unless you want to add more inserts to it then the ones provided, I would not use this as an overnight diaper though because it just would not hold up with only one microfiber insert.  I don't think any diaper would...unless you are lucky and have a very light pee-er on your hands!

Well, would you like a chance to win this diaper???  Well here ya go!

Campus Book Rentals Review

Hey guys, I just had to tell you about this awesome book rental place that I found!  They rent college books for SO cheap.  This place is called Campus Book Rentals.

To show you how incredibly cheap they are, I looked up a text book that I needed to get when I went to college before Daniel was born.  They currently don't have any new text books available at my old bookstore, but they do have a used copy.......for $125.50.  Oh my, this is why I do not miss school!  LOL.  Anyways, just to rent the icky digital copy through the bookstore is $82.99.  Well, to rent it for the whole semester at Campus Book Rentals (the hardcover of the book) is $69.07!  This also covers shipping to me AND shipping back to them!!!!  Wow, what a deal!!!  AND you are aloud to highlight in the book also! I have never heard of a rental program with textbooks that allows you to do this before.  I wish I had found this place when I was in college.

Campus Book Rentals has a HUGE stock of books available.  They also ship within 7-14 business days!  BUT if you need faster shipping, that is available also!!!  They also have three different options for renting your books.  You can rent them for the summer (55 days), a quarter (85 days), or a semester (130 days).  So, this is also a great place to go even if you just want to rent a text book for self educating also!  Just rent it for the time it would take you to read through it on your own and then you can return it! I know there have been a few times that I have bought textbooks just for self knowledge and I didn't feel like paying for the whole course.  So, this way you can self educate just like you were in college anyways!  Want to brush up your skills?  They have that covered too!

ALSO, from my searching through their webpage, I have found plenty of books that would also help with the homeschooling mom!  So, if you are a homeschooling mom, you might want to check out this rental company too!!!

But, it does still get better.  Campus Book Rentals has also donates to Operation Smile with ever textbook that is purchased!  How awesome is that!?!?!  In case you don't know about Operation Smile, here is their about us page on their website:

WHO WE ARE: CHILDREN’S CHARITY

Operation Smile is an international children's medical charity that heals children's smiles, forever changing their lives.

As a children’s charity, we measure ourselves by the joy we see on all of the faces we help. At Operation Smile, we're more than a charity. More than an NGO. We're a mobilized force of medical professionals and caring hearts who provide safe, effective reconstructive surgery for children born with facial deformities such as cleft lip and cleft palate.

Every three minutes a child is born with a cleft — often unable to eat, speak, socialize or smile. In some places these children are shunned and rejected. And in too many cases, their parents can't afford to give them the surgeries they need to live a normal life.

That's where we come in as an international charity providing much needed surgical services. Since 1982, Operation Smile — through the help of dedicated medical volunteers — has provided more than 2 million patient evaluations and over 200,000 free surgeries for children and young adults born with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities.

As one of the most prominent children’s charities in the world and with a presence in over 60 countries, we are able to heal children’s smiles and bring hope for a better future.

Thanks to the generosity and spirit of volunteerism shown by our supporters, we heal thousands of children per year. With your help, how many lives can we change tomorrow?

And as for FAQs...they got that covered...with this amazing (do I dare say hilarious also!?!?) video!




Be sure to go check it out for yourself!  You might be amazed with what you can find at EXTREMELY low rates!!!

New craft!

I got this idea from a DIY blog.  I didn't do the best at it...but I tried lol.  I am going to re-try again sometime soon...but I think it looks great at the same time!  Anyways, all it is paint samples from Wal-Mart cut into triangles and gluing them onto a piece of paper.  Then I put a layer of glue over top to make it glossy looking.  Anyways, super easy, try it yourself!!!

Escapee

Have you ever had an escapee in the middle of the night?  Well, here is what I woke up to at midnight last night:

I guess today is a clean up day....and trust me, the living room was MUCH worse....he got into my coupon stash and that was all over the living room and all the diapers were pulled out and thrown around the room too.....uggggggggg

Booty Buns Review and Giveaway

I have the BEST giveaway for everybody today!  Booty Buns Cloth Diapers sent me a diaper to review and they’re letting us give one away too! 

First I have to tell you about this company.  Shannon is the mommy who makes the diapers and she has set a big goal.  For every Booty Buns diaper bought, she is donating one to a family in need.   They have two very special causes to which they are donating these diapers.  The first is Operation Showers (http://osoamil.org/) and the second is to families who have babies with disabilities.  After I found out all of this information I knew we needed one.

 When I received the package I knew right away I was going to like the diaper because look how cute the package was:

When I opened the package up I was again reminded just how much love Shannon puts into these diapers.  Not only did I receive a diaper, but with each diaper comes a flannel liner (ours was monkeys!) and a cloth wipe.  Perfect!

After the diaper was washed and prepped I got a little overwhelmed because of all of the snaps.  However, after figuring out the settings, getting the diaper on my son and seeing how incredibly well it fit him all over (including his skinny butt!), I realized that Shannon knew what she was doing when she put all of the snaps on there!

I put all of my faith in Shannon’s diaper and decided to risk it and try this diaper for naptime for its first use.  I was pleasantly surprised when I woke my super soaker son up a few hours later and everything was dry!  For this diaper to last us through naptime with just the two pads that were sent is amazing!

The Booty Buns Cloth Diaper receives two BIG thumbs up for not leaking and having such a great overall fit.  We’ve found it really hard to get a tight fit on our son because he is on the skinnier side, but we were able to get a really tight fit with this diaper.  This is definitely a diaper I’d recommend to any mom.

Cloth diaper sales!

Sew Crafty Baby:

Coupon code Easter will work through Sunday for 10% off all orders, no minimum. 

Sew Crafty Baby also has a pretty big clearance section right now! :-)

Diaper Junction:

May items on clearance including GroVias!

Kelly's Closet:

Free one sized diaper with the purchase of $45 or more: April2012

They also have a spring clearance section right now!

Zulily:

Pocket diapers for just $10 right now!

Bum's N Beyond:

FRIENDFAM for 20% your purchase of 49 or more! plus orders of 75 or more get FREE shipping!! TODAY ONLY!

Diapers.com:

20% cash back with your first order of diapers: DIAPERS20T

Hopefully more to come as I find them! :-D

Stainless Steel Food Container Review and Giveaway

So I have to admit that until I used cloth diapers I wasn’t really a fan of anything else reusable.  Sure I used plastic storage containers sometimes, I just didn’t do it all that much.  After using cloth diapers for a few months I decided to do some digging and see what else we used a lot of that could very easily be switched for an eco-friendly alternative.

Since I pack my lunch and my husband’s lunch almost every day the most obvious choice was to use reusable containers or bags for our lunches.  This is where the people at ReUse it come in.  They were nice enough to send me one of their Ecolunchbox oval stainless steel food containers.  At first I wasn’t sure about the container because it was stainless steel and I was used to using glass, but I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised at how well it performed.

First we used it to take snacks for lunch and it worked perfectly.  It comes with two pieces, one which is the perfect size for carrots or celery and the other which is the perfect size for some ranch dressing.  These people are smart!  The containers also work great if you want to take a sandwich and then put some yogurt or homemade applesauce in the smaller container.  That’s almost an entire lunch taken care of eco-friendly style!

Not only is it a great product so that I don’t have to constantly waste plastic baggies, but I love that this company really cares about the product that it’s making.  The container is made out of food-grade stainless steel and the plastic lid is BPA free!  For a new mommy that’s pretty darn important. 

ReUse It has been such a nice company to provide a container for review AND one to giveaway to a lucky reader!  If you are like me and tired of seeing countless plastic baggies thrown away, then I highly recommend a reusable container!

This review was written by Katy

Sunbaby Review and Giveaway

For this review I was sent a one size Sunbaby 4.0 diaper in the heart pattern.  I have to admit that I was very impressed with this diaper for several reasons.  `The main one being that I was able to get an incredible fit for my son.  My son is on the skinny side so usually it’s a little hard to get a snug fit on his legs.  Not only was I able to get a snug fit with my Sunbaby, but I was able to get it the very first time I put it on!  I was also able to get a snug fit around his waist so there were no leaks with this diaper :)

Another reason I was impressed with this diaper was the value for the price.  These diapers are really inexpensive and yet they hold up incredibly well!  We’ve worn this diaper numerous times, both in the house and out for errands and we haven’t had any leaks.  For a diaper that you can get for less than $8 with inserts or around $6 without inserts, I’d say that’s pretty amazing.

The final reason I was so impressed with this diaper had to do with the company.  Sun Pei is the mommy behind this company, and everything is manufactured in Shanghai, China, however, she makes sure that these diapers are all made under fair labor conditions.  To ensure that the conditions and wages of her employees stay reasonable and that overtime is not required, she does not sell her diapers to retailers in China.  When I found that out I knew I was dealing with a very respectable woman. 

Sun Pei has not only sent us a diaper for review, but she has very graciously offered up one for one of our readers!

This review was written by Katy

CJ's BUTTer Review and Giveaway

How many of you have had a baby with diaper rash and tried every cream imaginable to get rid of it?  I know I have.  However, I’ve finally found a solution for my little guy’s tush.  CJ’s BUTTer (http://www.cjsuniqueboutique.com) makes all natural creams that can be used for everything from diaper rash to eczema and even in curly hair as a leave in conditioner!  For this review they sent me 3 sample sized jars to try out on his sensitive skin and WOW!  Talk about a miracle cream!

My poor little guy has very acidic bowel movements and when you combine that with his sensitive skin, well, let’s just say it makes for one very red tush!  I have heard so much about this BUTTer so I was very excited to try it.  When I opened up my package I saw that they had sent me a sample sized jar of Monkey Farts, Madagascar, and Sensuality.  With a name like Monkey Farts I had to open that one first.  (Thank goodness it smells so much better than what it sounds like!  It smells like fresh, fruity bubblegum!)  The real test was how well it was going to work.  When I went to change my son the next time his tush was red and irritated so I lathered some of the CJ’s BUTTer on and crossed my fingers.  This is what he looked like before the CJ’s BUTTer went on:

This is how he looked like after having some CJ’s BUTTer provide relief to his tush:

Talk about one happy baby and mommy!  I have to tell you that it is such an awesome feeling knowing that there’s no irritation or redness on that sweet little tush.  However, do you know what’s even more awesome?  The fabulous people over at CJ’s Unique Boutique have given me a 4oz tube to give to one of you!

This review and giveaway was written by Katy