Winner of the Doopsy "SD" Giveaway

Congratulations Katie! I will be emailing you in just a moment. You will have 48 hours to respond to my email, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Thank you all for entering, and don't forget to check out my review of Bippy Diapers and the Happy Heinys giveaway.

Bippy Diapers (Happy Heinys Giveaway)

A few months ago, I was dipe searching on Craigslist, and came across an ad for Bippy Diapers. The owner would be hosting a get-together so local mamas could come see, touch, and feel various cloth diapers in person. I immediately emailed her to RSVP. I was beyond excited--I now had the option to purchase my diapers locally!


So, the following weekend, I left the boys with Daddy and went to meet up with Lora from Bippy. Once I got there and we introduced ourselves, she began pulling out different cloth diapers and explaining the differences in the brands as well as what she likes/dislikes about them. Our conversation about diapers soon became dappled by conversations about our lives. Besides realizing the fact that Devin's diapers were way more bulky than necessary (gotta love K*W*iis lol), I learned something else... "Hey, I like this chick!" So, at the end of that day, not only had I found a local retailer, but I also found a friend (<3 ya Lora!).

A little about the Babe behind Bippy:

"I am a 29 year old mother of two originally from St. Louis, Mo and transplanted to Sarasota, FL in 2006. After my husband and I moved to Florida, we decided to try to get pregnant. Low and behold we now have a beautiful daughter Olivia. After many trials and tribulations of raising a newborn I became frustrated with the prices of diapers and baby things. I then saw an advertisement for gdiapers and wondered what they were all about. I ordered a few, tried them and fell in love with the initial cloth diaper experience but was afraid to go "all the way" with cloth.

After my daughter turned a year, my husband and I found out we were pregnant with number 2. My first thought was 2 in diapers, omg my poor wallet. I then took the plunge and started cloth diapering full time so I could save money when the second one came.

When Lucas came in March of 2010, I really started to enjoy the cloth experience and staying home with my children. With no local vendors, I saw an opportunity to spread my love of cloth and try to stay at home with my wonderful two children. Thus Bippy Diapers was born. While I am achieving my first goal, I am still working toward the second. I throughly enjoy cloth diapering my babies and providing for them a greener world. I hope that I can Save the World one Bum at a time, starting with my two little baby bums!! "

I now buy all my diapers from her! She is very knowledgeable and easy to work with. If there's something your looking for, and her store doesn't carry it, shoot her an email--maybe she can order it for you!

Some products you can find at Bippy Diapers:

• BumGenius
• Fuzzibunz
• Happy Heinys
• Doopsy
• Wahmies
• Rockin' Green
• Sprayers
• Wetbags
• And she even carries my wipes!

She will soon be carrying:

• Thirsties
• SoftBums
• CJ's BUTTer

She often runs weekly specials and always offers a 10% discount to her Facebookies. Also, shipping is only $5 for orders under $50 and FREE for orders over $50!

BUY:

Bippy diapers is offering a special coupon to my lovely readers:

• Spend $50 and you not only get to take advantage of free shipping, but if use coupon code Lovies, you will receive a free Fuzzibunz Perfect Fit with your order. At checkout, please indicate whether you want a boy, girl, or gender neutral color and which size (either S or M).

WIN:

Today, Bippy Diapers is offering my readers the chance to win a Limited Edition Happy Heinys Aplix-style closure in cream Ooga Booga! <3 <3 this dipe!

We're going to do things a little differently this time. Let's give an entry form a test. Feel free to leave a comment to remind yourself that you entered.

I will try to update the number of entries daily.

Number of entries as of 11/04 @ 10:40 pm: 131

Good luck everyone!

This giveaway will be open until Saturday, November 6th at midnight. I will use random.org to choose the winner the following day.

Here's the list of links you may need:

• Bippy Diapers Store
• Bippy Diapers on Facebook
• Lauren's Little Lovies on Facebook

Winner of the Inspired by Finn Amber Necklace Giveaway is...

The new winner is Donna M. You guys are not going to believe this, but that's my mom! You got lucky Momma! Guess I'll give her a ring lol.

I will be drawing a new winner after I get my youngest down for his morning nap. Shanna never responded back to me. edited 10/30 @ 10am

Congratulations Shanna! I will be emailing you shortly!

You have 48 hours from the time I email you to respond.

A Merry Fluffy Christmas

What:

The BIGGEST Cloth Diapering event this Christmas!!!

When:

 December 1st through 5th

Who:

More than a dozen different blogging mamas!
Each blog will have 5 different prize packages, one each day, that will be at least $25 per day!

Why:

Because we want to give all you CD'ing families some great fluff for Christmas!


 Are you excited yet??? Keep coming back here for more info about this awesome event and to earn Extra Entries by following the amazing sponsors!!

Participating Blogs:

**Please do not add your blog to the linky. This is a list of blogs whose involvement has already been approved. Thanks.** :)

Wordless Wednesday

Mitchell was just 3 months old when Josh left for his last deployment.

And he didn't get back till Mitchell was 15 months.

Now, here we are with Devin at 4 months old, and he's been gone for over 3 weeks. At least this time, it's only a short time. He'll be back in just 3 weeks!

We love & miss you Daddy!

No Toys for You!

There are 2 topics under this title!

Since Josh has been gone, Mitchell's attitude has gotten increasingly worse over the last few weeks. He back-talks all the time, won't listen, and yesterday he (gasp!) hit me in the butt! Something had to give. I am not a spanker and time-outs have gotten to where they just don't work. So, yesterday, we sat down and made a list of 20 toys that he would give up, one-by-one, as he was ugly to me. Numbers 5, 10, 15, and 20 were big stuff. We agreed to start today.

The first thing we did when we got up was go over the list again, just so he was aware of what was going to happen if he got snippy with me. He tested me once very early on and I held up my end of the deal. Toy #1 went way up into the top of the hallway closet. He cried of course, but he also said he was sorry and was compliant when I told him he could get it back tonight right before bed. A little while later, he back-talked again. Bye bye #2. He was really good for the rest of the day.

Right around dinner time, I guess he was hungry and testy, so he got loud with me again. As I was going to fetch #3, he grabbed my pants and started pulling back on me and yelling. Onto #4. He was SCREAMING at this point and still pulling on my pants, so one of his favorite toys (#5) got taken too. He realized at this point that I meant business, and he has been a joy the rest of the night. He's been saying please without my having to ask, and he even took his plate to the kitchen without having to ask him. AND when I told him thank you, he said, "anytime, Mom, anytime." Yeah, that'll win ya some points, kid.

So, tonight before he goes to bed, he gets all 5 toys back, and he gets to start fresh tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, the other half of the topic involves toys as well. But in a completely different way.

****************************************************************************

You see, about 2 1/2 weeks ago, Mitchell decided to put a small toy into his mouth which he then gagged on. Of course I got onto him about and didn't think twice after that. Well, the following day, he was at the doc and she happened to notice a good sized blue blood blister in the back of his throat. Being the good doc she is, she asked if he had been putting things into his mouth that didn't belong there. I was like, "Yeah, he did yesterday. Why?" Then she showed me. I could not believe what I saw!

Good Doc P asked us to come back in one week if it didn't seem to be going away. Well, a week went by and it definitely wasn't getting smaller. In fact, it may have gotten a little bigger. So back to the doc we went. Doc P seemed pretty concerned and immediately put in for a referral to an ENT. I am expecting them to sedate him and lance it. I want them to do it tomorrow so we can get this over with, but at the same time, I am just not prepared. I do not know how Mitchell will react emotionally to being stuck with a needle to be sedated. And I don't know how he will react physically to the anesthesia. Frankly, I am scared to death about it. He's so little. I just worry.

Someone please tell me he's going to be ok and that I am over-reacting.

Meet Me Monday

1. Do you sleep with a night light on?
No, but the TV stays on all night.

2. What do you drink with dinner?
I usually drink sweet tea with dinner.

3. Do you play the lottery? If so, how often?
No, but the husby does sometimes.

4. How often do you go to the grocery store?
I make the *big* trip once every 2 weeks. In addition, I make several (maybe 3-4) trips for just a few items we end up needing.

5. Would you rather travel back in time 500 years or travel forward 500 years?
I would travel backwards. It was a simpler time. It would take some serious adjusting on my end, but I think I would enjoy it. :)

 

Mom Blog Monday Blog Hop

Hey Mommy-Bloggers! Come join me in this blog hop!

If you decide you'd like to follow me, leave me a comment with a link to your blog, and I will happily follow you back! Spread that love Mommies!

Doopsy "SD" Diaper Review & Giveaway ***CLOSED***

Last month, facebook was abuzz about Doopsy one size pocket diapers. They were in the process of doing a HUGE giveaway in celebration of reaching 1000 facebook fans and getting some airtime on their local news channel. Now, like you, I love a giveaway, and with a 1/10 chance of winning, I was in! A few weeks later, I found that I was one of the lucky winners of the new Doopsy "SD"! I could not wait to try it out!


I received it in the mail this past Thursday and ripped into the packaging. I was immediately pleased with the design and even more pleased when I felt how incredibly soft the microfleece inner lining is. With the diaper came 3 different inserts: An extra absorbancy pad made of 2 layers of bamboo/hemp terry, a 4 layer microfiber insert, and the insert of all inserts--the expandable insert (I call it a "sleeve").

The expandable insert is so unique in that when it is folded into itself, it creates 4 super absorbant layers of bamboo double loop terry, as well as a PUL underside. This layer of PUL means that you have TWO waterproof layers to guard against leaks! This "sleeve" also creates its own "pocket" in which you can stuff with the microfiber insert and/or the extra absorbancy pad. When used all together, this baby is BULLETPROOF! And it's surprisingly still quite trim!

Here's Devin wearing his Doopsy "SD" with just the expandable insert:

And here's my little model wearing the Doopsy "SD" with all 3 inserts (the expandable insert, the extra absorbancy pad, and the microfiber insert) AKA "super stuffed!"

All of these features looked to be very promising for a night-time solution.

So I prepped it, and as badly as I wanted to try it right away, I held off so I could give it the ultimate test--night-time! Yes! I wanted to risk (another!) sheet washing just see how well this baby would hold up to 13+ hours of use. So, I waited till bedtime and on it went.

Well, Devin woke up right at the 13 hour mark. I went in and checked him, halfway expecting the tell-tale dark spot on my sheets.

Know what I found?

NOTHING!

Just a squirmy, happy baby ready for his morning feed. As I began undressing him, I started feeling around on his jammies for any dampness--dry as a bone! Let me tell you, this sucker weighed a TON when I got it off of him. We only have one other diaper that consistently holds up to night-time, so the Doopsy "SD" now keeps me from having to launder my sheets virtually every other day! I am so thrilled that we now have this dipe! Now I just need some more!

Doopsy diapers come in 5 bright colors:

Sunny Yellow

Happy Red

Eco Green

Smiley Blue

Giggly Orange

The one I have is the "SD". It's the cream of the crop and retails for just $17.95!

Then, you have the the "D". It comes with one expandable bamboo & PUL insert ("sleeve") and one 4 layer microfiber insert for just $16.95!

And last is the "R". It comes with two 4 layer microfiber inserts and retails for just $15.95!

Also available for purchase are the expandable inserts. The "D" and "SD" come with white PUL backing, but if you purchase seperately, you can choose from a multitude of colors, prints, and sizes! Plus, each one you purchase comes with a 2 layer bamboo/hemp terry extra absorbancy pad!

Buy:

You can learn more about Doopsy products here. And you can purchase direct from BabyEcoMart or Bippy Diapers.

As a bonus, my friends at Bippy Diapers are offering a special discount to my readers. Use coupon code Doopsy to receive 10% off any order, AND if you spend $60 or more, you'll get the 10% off as well as a free wetbag!

Win:

Want to win a Doopsy "SD" of your very own? Well, the lovely folks at Doopsy are giving one of you an "SD" in your choice of colors!

Mandantory Entry is simple:

Leave ONE comment here with each of the following:

• Your name
• Your email address
• Follow me through GFC and tell me you did
• Go to Doopsy's website and tell me something you learned there



Bonus Entries:

Please leave one comment per entry.

• Go like Doopsy on facebook and tell them I sent you. (1 entry)
• Go like BabyEcoMart on facebook and tell them I sent you (1 entry)
• Go like Bippy Diapers on facebook and tell them I sent you (1 entry)
• Go request to be friends with Joana Weber and thank her for the giveaway (1 entry)
• Go like me on facebook (1 entry)
• Post about this giveaway on your blog and leave me the link (1 entry)
• Share this giveaway on facebook, making sure to tag Doopsy and leave the link to my blog. (2 entries)

Don't forget to leave your name and email address in each entry!

Good luck everyone!

This giveaway will be open until Saturday, October 30th at midnight. I will use random.org to choose the winner the following day.

***I took it upon myself to write this review, as it is a product that I believe in. Doopsy was kind enough to sponsor a giveaway to go along with the review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are not influenced by monetary or other means of compensation***

Wordless Wednesday

Almost missed it!

Inspired By Finn Review & Giveaway **CLOSED**

Did you know that there is an all natural way to help relieve your child's teething pain, eliminate your headaches, and help you sleep better? Read on...

I recently had the pleasure of working with an awesome company with a fantastic product: Inspired by Finn Baltic Amber Necklaces.

I admit, I was a bit sceptical at first, but I kept hearing rave reviews about this mysterious jewelry. Inspired by Finn was kind enough to send me my own necklace to try out and review here.

When I received my 20 inch 2-different round dark  in the mail, I was excited when I opened it and saw how beautiful it is. And because I simply could not wait to try it, I put it on immediately. After I screwed the clasps together, I began reading the information they sent along with the necklace. The pamphlet explains the many uses of baltic amber and how it works.

How can baltic amber help us?

*Pain Relief -
Baltic amber contains analgesic properties and helps take the edge off of many types of discomfort associated with dental issues, headaches, joint pain, etc.

*Strengthens the body's immune system -
In many different and subtle ways, succinic acid helps boost the body's own natural healing ability and immune system.
*Restoring Energy –

The human body naturally produces succinic acid. The salt of succinic acid (succinate) is one of the most active substances in the processes of cellular respiration and intercellular energy creation. Succinic acid restores oxygen and energy supply to depleted cells and helps the body return to a normal, functioning state.

Succinate is a raw material and a catalyst in the Krebs Cycle which is one of our main sources of energy. During the Krebs Cycle carbohydrates, fats, and proteins are metabolized for energy.

*Maintaining Wellness -
When the human body reacts to stress, the body’s cells begin to use oxygen more quickly. Oxygen plays a central role in the intercellular creation of energy, and a lack of oxygen can result in feeling lethargic.

Oxygen is alkaline-forming in the blood and maintaining a slightly alkaline blood ph helps keep us healthy. Whenever the body functions in a state of low oxygen, it is much more susceptible to illness.

*To help break a cycle of (chronic) inflammation -

Where chronic inflammation is present, disease lurks.

When the body’s cells are chronically inflamed the human body’s immune system response is to increase production of free radicals. Chronic overproduction of free radicals results in inflammatory-related disease. Chronic inflammation is a common denominator of many seemingly unrelated diseases.

That's a lot of work for such a pretty piece of jewelry!

Ever since having Devin (now 4 months), I have been suffering from headaches that I believe are brought on by whacky hormones. I had been getting them 3-4 times a week and they would pound for hours.  About a week after I first put on, I realized my headaches had still been coming, but they were much less severe and had a shorter duration. During the next several weeks, they tapered off and I have only been getting a mild one about once a week. As an added bonus, I even seem to be sleeping better. I feel more rested in the morning even after a long night of caring for a little one that won't sleep. As an added bonus, this sucker is durable! Devin yanks, pulls, and twists it while he's nursing. I can't believe it is still intact. And if it ever does break, I know I won't have a bunch of amber beads rolling around because there are knots between each bead!

I am now a believer in the powers of baltic amber!

In fact, I love my neckalce so much, that Devin now has his own!

This is the 2-different round light. It's just like Mommy's, but I got him the lighter colored amber because it has better healing abilities. He has been showing signs of teething, so we'll how this does over time.

How would you like to test the powers of a baltic amber neclace from Inspired by Finn? Go check them out at http://www.inspiredbyfinn.com/.

BUY!

They are now offering a discount to my readers!

* Go "like" them on facebook and you'll receive 20% off your next order!

And even better...

* Go "like them on facebook, then share their page with your firends and you'll receive a whopping 25% off your order!

After you have completed the above criteria, go to http://www.inspiredbyfinn.com/ and enter the appropriate code into the box at checkout.

To save 20%: FB20
To save 25%: FB25

Can't beat that!

Or can you?

Win!

Inspired by Finn is giving one of my lucky readers their choice of any in stock item of 16" or smaller!

It's easy to enter!

Mandantory entry:

Leave ONE comment here with each of the following:

1. your name
2. your email address
3. go visit their site and tell me which piece you would choose if you were to win
4. follow my blog on Google Friend Connect and tell me you did

Easy peasy!

Wait! There are also ways to get more entries!

Bonus Entries:

Please leave one comment per entry:

• Go like my (under construction) page on facebook (1 bonus entry)
• Go like Inspired by Finn on facebook and tell them I sent you. (1 bonus entry)
• Post about this giveaway on your blog and be sure to leave me the link. (2 bonus entries)
• Share this giveaway on facebook making sure to tag my facebook page, IbF's facebook page, and a link to this giveaway. (3 bonus entries)
• Go vote for Alaqua Animal Refuge at The Animal Rescue Site. Then come back here and tell me what animal you were given on confirmation.(1 bonus entry per day)

Don't forget to leave your name and email address in each entry!

Good luck everyone!

This giveaway will be open until Wednesday, October 27th at midnight. I will use random.org to choose the winner the following day.

***The product in this review was provided to me free of cost for the purpose of conducting this review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are not influenced by monetary or other means of compensation***

My Sweet Babies

Dearest Baby K & Baby N,

I just want you to know that I lit a candle for each of you on Friday. It was Pregnancy & Infant Loss Remembrance Day. Please know that every day is "remembrance day" for me, as I will never forget either of you. I know you were with me for only a short time, but you left such an impact on me--both of you. You will always be a part of me, and I will always be a part of you. I love you and miss you so much, my sweet babies. I think about you everyday.

Love,
Mommy

For Chari

I hadn't posted it on my blog, but here are some pics. :)

Mami's & Papi's and CJ's

I cannot believe I forgot to blog about this!

About 2 weeks ago, I was poking around on FB and saw that M&P's was up to something. I snooped around and ended up winning the first prize of the night. I got to choose my prize and selected a FuzziBunz OS and a bottle of CJ's Carcass Cleaner. I got my package in the mail maybe 4 days later. Super fast!

Anywho, I put Devin in the new dipe and had him pose with the Carcass Cleaner so I could send both M&P's and CJ's a pic thanking them for the awesome giveaway. CJ loved the pic and decided to put the pic up on her website! You can see my little celebrity here.

Also, while you're out and about, go check out Mami's & Papi's. They carry everything under the sun, from cloth diapers and accessories, to baby carriers and aprons. They even carry a lot of WAHM products which I think is awesome! And I love that they do a discount for military, firemen, and police officers. Good, friendly people and very down to earth. Seriously, go check them out!

PS: More about CJ's Carcass Cleaner coming up soon!

Wordless Wednesday

Let's start doing some Wordless Wednesdays.

In the hospital, gearing up to have a c-section and meet Mitchell!



And here we are, moments away from my second c-section and meeting Devin!

Don't mind me. I barely slept the night before Mitchell was born because it was like Christmas Eve since it was a planned CS (breech baby!). And before Devin was born, I had been up all night after my water broke at 2 in the morning lol. So yes, I look like poop. Happy, excited, and elated poop. But poop nonetheless. :D

3 Chances to Win a Ragababe Diaper!

The new kid on the block, Ragababe,  has the most adorable diapers ever, and I am dying to try one!

Coupon Mommy of 3, The Rabbitt Hutch, and Life Plus Baby (The Diaper Diaries) are all doing giveaways!

What are you waiting for? GO! ;)

The Dirties on Cloth Diapering

How about a coffee table style book all about the environmental and health risks associated with using disposable diapers?

Here's a little snippet from Jamie at kickstarter:

"I want to use photography to create a visual hard-cover coffee-table style book, which will let people know about cloth diapering vs. disposable diapers. I want to show, using pictures, both the health risks and environmental risks moms take by choosing disposables. I want to make the recent information about disposable diapers a more vivid picture in people's minds. I also want to show a bit on the modernization/history of the cloth diaper through photography. If funded, the book will be sold on both Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com and will be available for stores from the publisher."

Ladies, please go visit her at kickstarter and pledge a little. Even $1 helps! As a bonus, she will be doing giveaways to the random backers.

Worthy cause, I say! Let's get this done so we have more ammo to perform some conversions!

Feeling Like a Rotten Mommy (Hurry Up November!)

Josh has been gone since Thursday. Man, do I miss him! I truly took him for granted. These last few nights of getting the boys down by myself have been pure hell. They're both trouble-sleepers, and Devin screams for nearly 2 hours before he goes to sleep. Luckily, Mitchell is getting more and more independent and I can count on him to do some things himself. He's able to get his own snacks. And can (finally) get his underwear back on all by himself.

See, the sad thing is: I should be okay. I should be able to handle this. There are many single moms out there who also work and keep everything together. I just feel like I'm coming apart. My house is a wreck. Before Josh left, I had been trying to get things going to eventually sell what I make, but at this point, when would I have the time to sew? The 2 hours I get after both boys down are spent catching up on emails, cleaning, bathing, or just sleeping.

Guess I could insert Rosanne's wonderful quote here:

"As a housewife, I feel that if the kids are still alive when my husband gets home from work, then hey, I've done my job."

Well said, Rosanne.