It’s Okay Thursday!

HOORAY for the anniversary of It’s Okay Thursday!  Neely, Amber – congrats girls!

On to it.

It’s okay:

That I spent some of the day jamming to How Many Licks by Lil’ Kim.  With Benjamin.

That I had a pumpkin coffee this week just to get a taste of fall, a little early.

To be sipping a Bud Light Lime-A-Rita every. single. night. when Derek gets home.

To STILL be laughing about the fact that the name, Lime-A-Rita, makes me think of diarrhea.

To be worried that posting the above sentence will give me a +K on diarrhea.  Because Klout is weird like that.

To want to throat punch your partner when you realize he ate all the pretzels in the house.

To think, marriage = what’s mine is yours except food.  Don’t be touching my snacks.

To feel good you got that off your chest.

 

That’s all for now, my friends!

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Inner Conflict

Okay, maybe that’s a little dramatic… inner conflict… but I’ve been feeling very conflicted lately.

Around this time in the summer, I start to crave fall.  I get all Goldmember about it.  Don’t know what I mean?  Watch this, and replace the word, “gold,” with, “fall.”

Yep.

The crisp air, the scents, the flavors, chunky sweaters, pretty leaves, Uggs, hayrides, apple picking, pumpkins, pumpkin spice lattes, cider…  Love it ALL.  I’m getting all hot and bothered just thinking about it.

Not like that.  You know what I mean.

And the fall cravings are starting to creep in again.  Except this year, they come coupled with feelings and intense flashbacks like explained in this post.

On top of my intense reminiscing/longing to go back to this time last year, I’m also stunned that the fact that this guy…

has turned into this guy:

and that guy will be turning 1 in the fall.

What the heck, how on earth did this ever happen.

I AM DREADING THIS.

And when I say dreading, I mean, kicking and screaming, dragging my feet, having agita, drown my sorrows in food, bawling my eyes out, how will I survive this, DREADING.

Tears, people, tears.

Last week, I was tooling the aisles at a craft store, brainstorming ideas for his nautical-themed first birthday party…….. 

……and I was simultaneously crying while looking at the baby stickers in the scrapbooking section.

Yup, “CRAZY LADY IN AISLE 8!"

SOOO, while half of me is longing for this:

The other half of me is sad for this:

Can’t. Take. It.  Too bittersweet for words!

Le sigh.

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Button Swap Question?

This is an unusual request, friends, but the only thing I could think of to solve this dilemma!

Recently, one of you lovely ladies emailed me about doing a button swap.

I thought I saved the email so I could write back, but I LOST THE EMAIL.

So now, one of you likely thinks I’m a giant jerk because I haven’t responded, and I can assure you, I am not a giant jerk (at least not in this case… tee hee).

And so, my friends, if it was YOU who emailed me asking about a button swap and I haven’t responded, do a girl a favor and resend, because I’d love to do a swap!

If it wasn’t you, and you want to do a swap, email me anyway!

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A Weekend Update. With Seamen.

Finally, my weekend update!  Thanks to Dana, Sami, & Leeann for hosting!

After an afternoon family party, the four of us made an impromptu trip to the beach house on Saturday.  Derek spent Sunday golfing with my dad, and I set out with my mom to start buying things for Benjamin’s nautical-themed first birthday party.

And now it looks like a bunch of nautical seamen vomited all over our house.

Ha ha.  You know we can’t talk nautical without a seamen joke.

For you newbies, I started brainstorming his birthday party last May when he was not even 6 months old.  What. A. Loon.  Right?

I went shopping last week to start gathering craft supplies, since I want to make everything.  But when you find crazy amounts of ready-made nautical stuff on clearance?  You buy it! There’s still a ton more I need to make, so I’ll get my crafty on shortly.

I was actually shouting in the store, “OH MY GOD MOM I CAN’T BELIEVE ALL THIS STUFF THEY HAVE THIS IS PERFECT I CAN’T STOP I AM SO EXCITED I CAN’T CONTAIN MYSELF!”

People in the store thought I was legit crazy.  But I couldn’t help myself.  They had the cutest products, and many items were on clearance.  Um… winning!  Anyway…

I struggled with shopping for this party, BECAUSE:

1. I get so dang emotional thinking about my baby turning one (post on that later this week).
2. I have no idea where this party will be held.  If our house sells and we have to move before Ben’s birthday, we’ll have to hold the party at a family member’s house or rent a place (sad face).  If we don’t sell before his birthday, then we’ll have it at our house (happy face!). 

Because of that uncertainty, I have no idea how large/small of a venue I need to decorate, and I don’t know how many people we can invite.  We did the best we could with the unknowns, and found all this A-FREAKING-DORABLE stuff.

Pillows to decorate the couch, 2 table runners with 4 matching placemats, and 4 additional placemats.  I’m planning on turning the placemats into pillows after the party.

 

Bottles that hold little tealight candles.

 

Red, white & blue glass vase/bottle things, 3 planter bowls, and a 3-piece boat bowl set.

 

And a closeup of the boat bowls because they’re too darn cute:

 

A meeellion picture frames – the 3D ones in the middle (ahem… all 11 of them) will be party favors (now I’m kicking myself for not buying more), and the others will be put around the house, filled with pictures of Ben’s first year.

 

I bought Ben’s party outfit a few months ago.  It has little overall/jonjons underneath.  I still want to get a matching hat and perhaps a little red tie.  Check this cutie out:

  

I also found some nautical paper dessert/appetizer plates with matching napkins, a pair of starfish earrings, and a pair of anchor earrings (I need to be naut-y too!).

The best part about this entire haul is that I’m planning on doing Benjamin’s “big boy room” in a nautical theme – so all this stuff can be used to decorate his room later on!

All this excitement makes me a little less sad about The Big First Birthday.  And that, my friends, was the peak of my weekend! 

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Sunday Social – Week 7

It’s that tiiiiiiime agaiiiinnnn!  Thanks to our hosts, Neely & Ashley – I highly enjoyed this trip down memory lane.  Apparently talking about handbags brings back a variety of warm fuzzies for me.

Warning: this is a long post.  Stick with me, voyeurs!

 

Favorite handbag you've ever owned

I am going to disappoint you, for two reasons, on the very first question.  I know, I know.

One, I don’t have a picture of my favorite purse – it’s packed away god knows where, so there will be no good photo.

Two, it’s not even an exciting designer bag.  It’s a now-ratty old white hobo bag from the GAP that I’ve had since I graduated college.  In 2005.

This isn’t the bag, but it’s from the same line – mine looks like a GIANT canvas-y version of this - about 1.5 times wider, 2 times deeper, and with 2 straps.

Peeps, let me tell you, I LOVE MY EFFING BAG.  The thrill of my life every year is when springtime comes, and I can bust out my trusty old GAP bag.  Derek can’t figure out why I prefer this bag over any designer bag I own.  And now that I carry a diaper bag/purse, I probably won’t be using my lovely GAP bag for a very, very long time.  Womp womp.

I spent 20 minutes trying to track down a picture of it online, but couldn’t find the real deal.  All I have is this old picture, that you can kiiind of see the bag in, underneath my jacket:

 

Dream handbag you lust over

I’m dying for an epiphanie camera bag.  They look like handbags, but they’re for DSLRs.

And yes, I’m totally one of those a-holes who thinks they’re a photographer just because they have a DSLR, thankyouverymuch.

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Daily essentials in your purse or work bag

Chapstick/lip gloss, debit card, license, cell phone, hand sanitizer & gum.

I have always had ginormous handbags, and I carry A TON of crap (see next question below), but I CAN go out with those 5 things above and nothing else.  I just hate doing it.

What's in your purse(with pictures)

Prepare to be sorry you asked.

This, friends, is my bag.  It’s a Coach diaper bag.  Love.  Seriously peeps, it was about as expensive at the outlet as a non-designer bag, so I recommend considering one!  I’ve been wanting/needing a bag this large my whole life.

And yes, the stripe and inside are pink, and I have a son.  I get enraged (for real) when people suggest I should have a blue diaper bag because I have a boy.  THE BAG SHOULD MATCH THE MOM, NOT THE BABY, AND THIS MOM LOVES PINK!

Phew.  Glad I could get that off my chest.

Anyhoo, this bag is always stuffed to the brim.  The below picture is not staged in any way – this is literally what it looked like when I grabbed it for this shoot.

 

I feel like I’m a celebrity in a “What’s in my bag” magazine spotlight.  Except I’m a HOARDER.

 

Let us start with some essentials.  A wallet that’s so full of receipts (not money, wahh) that it cannot be closed (this is AFTER I cleaned it out), 17 million packs of gum, a handful of gum wrappers, Tylenol from when I was pregnant and couldn’t take my trusty Advil, a few bottles of hand sanitizer (you can never be too careful, ya know?), and my cell phone.  The one with the background picture of Ben & Derek in the hospital after Ben was born.  I cannot bring myself to change that background.  I don’t think I will ever do it.  Sniff.

 

This next collage is the most boring-looking, but it has by far some of the most sentimental items.

Non-Sentimental: Allergic kids food introduction schedule, for easy reference while grocery shopping, Victoria’s Secret coupon/catalog, Babies R’ Us coupon/catalog (both, probably expired), iPod headphones that I never use, extra Costco card, and a bonus pen.

Sentimental: Hospital bracelets from 2 weeks before Ben was born, when I thought I had preeclampsia (but didn’t) [side note – if you ever want the red carpet treatment at an ER, tell them you’re pregnant. SEEN IMMEDIATELY.].

That folded (for seeeecrecy!) rectangular paper pile in the bottom right? That’s our list of baby boy names that I brought to the hospital when in Iabor. Two identical lists, one with Derek’s notes on the proposed names, and one with my notes. A few weeks before Ben was born, we each separately chose our favorites, wrote notes, and then shared our lists to come down with the final selection. We had it narrowed down to 3 names, but I brought everything just in case (read: in case in the throes of labor, I could convince Derek that he could tolerate a name that I loved but he hated.  Didn’t happen.).

And yes, I carry that around in my purse. SAY IT WITH ME NOW… AWWWWWW!

 

Next up: extra outfits for Benjamin.  Normally, I just keep a one-piece, like the navy one on the right, but we had a family party yesterday, so I wanted an extra outfit that was a little nicer than usual, hence the stunner on the left.

 

Then, we have other items for Benjamin.  A prefold diaper (used solely for messes – spit up, boogers, and the like), Grandma El’s diaper rash remedy, hydrocortisone cream, and A&D ointment packets.  We are prepared for a diaper rash of epic proportions.

I would be remiss if we traveled without an extra bib, Cheerios for shopping bribery (EAT THIS AND BEHAVE!), a pacifier pouch with an old gumdrop paci that is now too small, a Life Factory teething ring, and a MAM pacifier for emergency use only.

 

Here we have a Coach umbrella cover (actual umbrella whereabouts: unknown), Benjamin’s blue car sunglasses case, my engagement ring box (?), a jewelry bag, random receipts (I am saving you from the hundreds that I really have in my bag.  Hi, my name is Heather and I’m a receipt hoarder…), and a little notepad.  There’s also a thing that plugs my iPod into my car, knockoff Excedrin migraine, and my migraine prescription.

Finally, there’s an extra pack of gum (in case the other 5 packs get lost…?), three pens that somehow get lost every time I need a pen, random 20s (Why not in the wallet? I like surprises…), a set of tweezers, and a bunch of chapsticks/lip glosses.

 

Wait?  I’m missing something, you say?

OH THAT’S RIGHT, DIAPERS.  I carry all this junk around in that giant diaper bag, and no diapers, most of the time.  They’re usually in a SEPARATE bag in my car.

Ha!

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Friday Funnies

I have never done a “Pinterest post” before, but I couldn’t resist after finding some hilarious pics recently.  This post could also be called, “I love someecards.”  But that wouldn’t be as cute and catchy.

And yes, I totally stole the name, “Friday Funnies” from my girls Kathie Lee & Hoda.  You know SAHMs love us some KLG&Hoda.  For reals.

Ohhh yessss…

 

My life.

 

Or 29…

This one… OMG… brings me to tears every. single. time…

 

Yep…

 

And then eat a fresh batch of cake batter…

 

Guilty…

 

Tee hee…

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Win This Summer’s Hottest Accessory… A Bubble Necklace!

 

Good morning, friends!

We’ve all seen it on the internets this summer.  That amazeballs gorgeous bubble bib necklace that everyone is scrambling to get.

And I am giving you one for free, HERE, on the lovely Neely’s blog!

Check this beauty out:

Amaze, right?

And imagine my surprise, when I spent 3 hours brainstorming the PERFECT giveaway – one that EVERYONE would want to enter – finally coming up with this GENIUS idea and buying the necklace…

And then having it show up on GroupDealz a few days later.  I may or may not have let out a, rhymes with, “Oh truck falls! What the schmuck?!” when I found that out.

Le sigh.

But, at least mine is FREE for you!  So go enter and enjoy some Neely while you’re at it!

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Cloth Diapering 101 – 5 Types of Cloth Diapers

Alright my friends, time for another Cloth Diapering 101!  If you missed the first installment, 4 reasons to choose cloth diapers, check it out here.

This round is all about the types of cloth diapers available, and a bit on our favorites.  And my #1 cloth diaper recommendation.  All the terms used in cloth diapering can be the most confusing thing in the world, so hopefully this will help answer some of your questions. 

We use pocket diapers, and all-in-two (AI2) diapers.  What are those, you ask?  Read on, friends!

 

Terms and Types of Cloth Diapers

Prefolds – These are your mama’s cloth diapers – typically a plain rectangular piece of cloth that’s thicker down the middle (for absorbency), that you wrap around the baby and fasten with some kind of apparatus, like pins or a Snappi (see below – Snappi in action). 

Prefolds are the most economical option – super inexpensive, but not as easy to use as some of the other choices out there.  Prefolds require some type of waterproof cover to go over the actual diaper. 

Via

Fitteds – Fitteds kind of remind me of a cross between a prefold and an all-in-one/pocket diaper.  They’re like a prefold because they are all cloth and as such, require a waterproof cover on top, but they’re like an all-in-one/pocket because they have snaps or Velcro (a.k.a. aplix/hook & loop) for easier diapering.

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Pockets – Pocket diapers are a waterproof cover with a layer of some kind of fabric (usually fleece or similar), which forms a… you guessed it – POCKET!  You stuff cloth inserts in between the cover and the fabric layer.  I LOVE pocket diapers because if you have a heavy wetter (*raises hand*) you can stuff ‘til your heart's content and give that baby a big fluffy butt.  They are also very similar to disposable diapers.  When they’re dirty, just toss in the pail and move on.

Check out this diagram from our friends at Happy Heinys (our fave pocket diaper!):

All-In-One – These are kind of like a pocket diaper, but instead of stuffing the inserts in a pocket, the inserts are sewn in the diaper, so no stuffing is necessary.  Of course, this saves on time and ick factor, because you don’t need to re-stuff your diapers after you wash them, and you don’t need to pull dirty inserts out of the diaper when you’re changing the baby. 

All-in-ones (or AIOs as they’re called in CD-world) are the most similar to disposables – AKA easiest to use.  They are often a pinch more expensive than pockets, take longer to dry, and it’s a little harder to add absorbency due to the lack of pocket.  Of course, you can always layer an insert in the diaper, but it doesn’t stay in place as well as with a pocket.

Check out this AIO from BumGenius.  See the liner sewn in?

All-In-Two – Our other favorite kind of cloth diapers are all-in-twos (AI2).  AI2s are a waterproof liner with an insert that snaps into it – no pocket.  The best benefit to AI2s is that as long as the poo doesn’t get onto the cover, you can actually snap out the wet/dirty liner, wipe down the cover, and REUSE it. AKA – saves MONEY and TIME!  Win win.

Another benefit is that AI2s are generally more trim than other kinds of cloth diapers.  Meaning, your baby’s normal size pants will probably fit over the diaper, and he/she won’t have such a giant butt.

Check out this handy diagram from our friends at Best Bottoms (our fave AI2!):

Sizes & Fasteners

Cloth diapers come in sizes, or one-size-fits all.  Of course, the most economical choice is one-size-fits all, since you can CD your baby from birth through potty training with the same set of diapers, but some people prefer the more tailored fit of a sized diaper.  We use one-size-fits-all diapers to save on expense.

In this lovely little Instagram photo, you can see how the one-size diaper works – there’s snaps on the side, and the diaper also snaps up in the front to adjust the rise.  Snapping up the front makes the diaper fit more snugly (helps prevent leaks) and makes it more trim (less poof & smaller butt).

If you’re using one-size diapers, there will likely come a point where you will freak out and think, “There’s NO WAY this will fit my baby when he/she is older – these diapers will be way too small!”  This happened to me when we were about a month or two into CDing.  Never fear, they WILL fit.  Your baby’s shape will change many times, and the diapers WILL last.  The week after I had my freakout, Ben’s shape changed again – the way I snapped the diapers was much different, and I wasn’t worried anymore.

There are 2 ways to fasten cloth diapers – snaps (like in the above instagram photo) and Velcro/aplix/hook&loop (3 terms that all mean the same thing).  We only use snaps and I highly, highly recommend snaps.  They take a few seconds more time to fasten, but the snaps never wear out.  The Velcro tends to wear out after use, and then you’re stuck with diapers that don’t close shut well – meaning, you have to toss the diaper or bust out your sewing skills and replace the Velcro.

 

My #1 Cloth Diapering Recommendation

TRY MANY KINDS!  I have not found one cloth diaper that all moms agree is the best kind in the world.  Preference varies by mom and by baby.  The shape of your baby makes a huge impact on what diapers will work best for him/her, and that may change over your baby’s diaper life as well. 

Our favorites are Happy Heinys and Best Bottoms, but depending on the day/week/month, one brand or the other will fit Benjamin better.

My favorite cloth diaper online retailer, Nicki’s Diapers, has a 15-day wash & wear program as well, so you can test out various kinds and brands to see what you like the best.  For real, you can buy diapers, try them out, and if you don’t like them, you can send them back (within the 15-day time frame)!  Pretty amazing, huh?

 

That’s all for now, friends!  Stay tuned for the next installment – our fave brands, and answering the age-old question… how many diapers do I need?

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