Summer #BlogChallenge Day 28 Laundry Tips and Tricks

I am not sure I have any laundry tips and tricks that are worth sharing, but here is what I do have.  

TIDE!!!!  I'm not sure I could live without it.  Whenever my daughter stains something, I throw tide on it and let it sit until laundry day.  As long as I don't forget, I can get the stains out.  There are times I forget and throw it in the washer and dryer.  Those times, I have ruined two white shirts :(  I wash everything in cold water. 

I love doing laundry!  It gets washed, dried and folded pretty quickly.  It may never get put away before it gets worn again.

Even for my cloth diapers, I'm not so sure I have any tips or tricks, but I will share our wash routine.  We do a full wash cycle in cold water with no soap.  Then we do a full wash cycle in hot water with soap.  Then a warm rinse cycle followed by a cold rinse cycle.  Once a week or so, I try to do an extra full wash cycle on cold at the end to be sure all of the soap is getting rinsed out.  

Recently, we received a set of dryer balls to review, and I'm excited to see what we think of those.  If it cuts down on drying time, that would be wonderful!  

What are your favorite laundry tips and tricks?

Fluffy Fourth of July Cloth Diaper Giveaway

Welcome to the Fluffy Fourth of July sponsored by Gnome’s Naturals and hosted by Life With Levi!

Whether you’re just starting out using cloth diapers or already a fluffy pro, this giveaway prize offers something for everyone.

One lucky winner will receive the ULTIMATE cloth diaper stash starter pack, valued at over $415!!!

This amazing prize prize pack includes:

• THREE ones & twos All In One Diapers
• ONE AppleCheeks Bamboo Little Bundle
• ONE AppleCheeks Microterry Little Bundle
• TWO Tots Bots Easy Fit or Tini Fit Diapers
• TWO Rumparooz G2 Pocket Diapers or Little Joey Newborn All In Ones
• ONE Bummis Beautiful BASIC Kit
• SIX Organic Cotton Prefold Diapers
• ONE Bummis Super Snap Wrap
• ONE Bummis Super Lite Wrap
• TWO Snappis
• ONE AppleCheeks Storage Sac Pail Liner
• ONE M Monkey Foot Designs Wet Bag for when you're on the go.
• ONE KalmSkin Travel Size Cloth Diaper Safe Rash Stick
• ONE Bag of Rockin' Green Laundry Detergent
• ONE Clean Cheeks Wipes Concentrate
• ONE 6 Pack of AppleCheeks Cloth Wipes
• ONE Mini Shower Diaper Sprayer
• ONE Pack of AppleCheeks Flushable Diaper Liners

That's all the diapers AND accessories you need for 18 diaper changes!!

Gnome's Naturals is a cloth diaper and natural parenting store owned & operated by Lori Whitlock. As a mom of a toddler, Lori is always searching for great natural products for herself and her family. When she finds products that she loves, she sticks with them. Lori created Gnome's Naturals to share those products with you. As a cloth diaper blogger, Lori has tried almost every cloth diaper on the market and strives to carry only the best of the best.

In addition to some well known brands that Lori loves, Gnome's Naturals also carries work at home mom (WAHM) made items in the store. Make sure you check out the WAHM Spotlight section for products that are handmade by moms in North America. Lori is a huge proponent of moms supporting moms and she hopes that by retailing some mom-made items, she can help support them financially as well.

If you’re new to cloth diapering, Gnome’s Naturals offers several different cloth diaper trial packages. Beyond cloth diapers, Gnome’s Naturals also carries a great selection of baby carriers, baltic amber teething necklaces, breastfeeding products, and more. 

Ready To Win?

Just enter using the easy Rafflecopter form below.
All entries are optional – be sure to come back often to complete the daily entries, since the more entries you have, the more chances you have to win!

Giveaway open to residents of the US & Canada. Contest ends Friday, July 6th.

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Summer #BlogChallenge Day 27 What's the best gift I've ever received

There are a few gifts I have received that aren't so much gifts...but moments.  

The first one is actually a gift.  I got a beautiful ring from my mom and dad for my 15th birthday.  It has a heart shaped amethyst and two heart shaped diamonds.  I love this ring and it is one of my most beloved belongings.  This was the last thing I received from them before they died.  The stones had fallen out a few years back, and my aunt and uncle that raised us got the stones replaced and had the ring fixed so now it is extra special to me.

The second was a moment.  I was teaching two year olds and there was this little girl named Elena.  One day, when her mom was dropping me off, she told me that when they were saying their prayers the night before, Elena said...."And God bless Miss Shannon."  I felt so very special and important and knew I was doing something good in her life for her to include me in her prayers.  It brought tears to my eyes!  

The third moment that I can think of happened when I had first gotten pregnant with Maggie.  I didn't know I was pregnant at the time.  John had been laid off and we were pretty broke.  I was watching my nephew and we were at the store and he kept asking for gum.  I told him no, that I didn't have the money to spend on gum at the time.  He kept asking all week - I ALWAYS buy him gum!  Anyways, when I went to his house after his basketball game that weekend, he disappeared into his bedroom and came back up and handed me all of his cash that he had been saving.  I started bawling.  Now, shortly afterwards, we learned I was pregnant and could chalk this up to the hormones, but t hen we didn't know.  It was such a special sweet thing for an 8 year old boy to do out of the kindness of his heart!  I love that boy so very much!  I gave him his money back - or tried - and he got upset....so I talked to his mom and we worked out an arrangement for me to get him all of that money back while still accepting his gift.  After a few days, I asked if I could give it back and he said yes, if I was sure that I would be okay.  I could have probably bought him the gum, but I was trying not to spend money on anything we didn't need.  Now, I make sure we always have fum!  

The fourth moment that stands out is from my little cousin who was maybe 5 or 6 at the time.  He's now 14.  It was around Thanksgiving and they made turkeys at school and had to put something they were thankful for on all of the feathers.  His things were family, house, food, toys, and Shannon :)  I got my own feather!  He was so excited to show me.  

These are the moments and gifts that will forever stand out in my mind.  

What have you received as a gift that will forever be your favorite or stand out in your mind?

Summer #BlogChallenge Day 26 What he does that makes my heart melt

What does John do that makes my heart melt?  This one is pretty easy, but first I will tell you some other things about him.  

John is a total romantic.  I am not!  He does some very sweet things, and usually I roll my eyes when he's not looking.  He is really sweet!  *Usually* when he gets back in town - although he hasn't done this recently - he brings me flowers.  I do look forward to getting flowers from him.  Sometimes, he brings flowers for me and some flowers for Maggie.

But.....the thing he does that makes my heart melt is:

Love our daughter so much!  When he walks in the door and immediately gets squeals of delight and spends the next few hours laughing and playing with her.  Is it just me or does this make a man look incredibly sexy in a mamas eyes?

These were taken when he walked in the door a few weeks ago.  She didn't want to stop kissing and snuggling her daddy :)

Does your guy do something that melts your heart?

Sponsor Spotlight *Sno Pea*

Introducing one of our fabulous sponsors for the Summer Fluff Event and the Newborn Giveaway Event!

Samantha has been a pleasure to work with!  I can't wait to receive the products to review.  Thank you so much for the opportunity to share Sno Pea's cuteness with my readers!

Samantha's mission at Sno Pea is to supply parents with affordable cloth diapering options.  Many cloth diapers are expensive, and deter parents from going this route.  By offering affordable diapering options, parents can make a better choice for our environment with products that Samantha makes herself.

She has a wide variety of fabrics, and some of the diapers are upcycled, meaning they are made from clothing that isn't being worn anymore.  This way, a pair of pants or a shirt that are still in great shape, but aren't being worn can be turned into something useful! 

Nothing makes her happier than being able to share the gifts that she makes at home out of love with her wonderful customers and parents.  She takes custom orders as well.  Samantha likes to donate to charities and causes that are important to her.  

If you check out her shop, I am sure you will find something you like and get to work with a wonderful person in the process!  

You can also find Sno Pea on Facebook 

Want a chance to win this adorable matching cloth diaper, insert, bib and burp cloth?  Enter the giveaway here!

 

Be sure to check back in July for my review and another chance to win! 

Today is our due date! Is this our last pregnancy update?

Wow!  The day is finally here....our due date.  I'm thinking it doesn't mean a whole lot.  Maggie was 4 days past her due date.  I really thought we would have this baby early because it's felt like baby was just going to fall out for over a month now.  Oh well.  When baby is ready, baby is ready.  

I have been having contractions for 2 weeks now, but not super strong contractions.  On Saturday, I was sure it was time.  I had contractions practically nonstop for about 6 hours, but not super strong ones.  They were accompanied by low back pain every time, so we are getting somewhere.  I hear that's very common with baby #2.  I was miserable for those hours.  I could hardly move my back was hurting so much.  Okay, it wasn't the worst pain ever...nowhere near the awfulness of back labor, but it still hurt!  

Last night I was having contractions again quite a bit and these were accompanied by strong pelvic pressure but not even to warrant a trip to the hospital.  I called Labor and Delivery hoping they would have me come in and check my cervix so I would know where we were at, but no luck there.  Weird, right?  But....John was planning to keep working until I called him to come home.  I really didn't want him to leave last night because I'm sure it will be in the next few days when baby makes an appearance, but I was okay if he chose to go.  He decided to stay though and I am so glad!!!!  I was having a hard time toward Maggie's bedtime to move I would be in so much pain.  I really hope that baby shows up soon or I will feel dumb for having him stay when he is planning to take the week off after baby arrives.  We have saved up some money for this, but it would be nice if we didn't have to use all of it!  Oh well, whatever makes things easiest for me right now I am all for!   

The worst part for me is the numbness in my arms.  Both of them....all the time.  If I lift my hands above my waste for even a few minutes I can't feel my fingertips.  I had this happen with Maggie, but not until after I delivered her.   It lasted for months!  Right now, I can't feel my left fingers they are all numb.  This is interfering with my sleep and everything else!  

I'm super excited for baby though!  This morning, John put his hand on my belly to say good morning to baby and Maggie yelled at him and pushed his hand away so she could put her hand on my belly.  She loves baby so much.  I am really excited to meet this baby, but I may be even more excited for Maggie and baby to meet!  

*Funny comments people made recently*  Lady at Walmart yesterday......Holy Crap!!!! Is there only one in there!  

When people say things like that and then ask when I'm due, I kind of want to tell them not for another month just to have some fun with it :)

So...if suddenly I'm not posting...that means baby has arrived!  I can't wait!  

Last chance to make your guesses!  Boy or girl?  What day will baby choose for a birth date?

Summer #BlogChallenge Day 25 Ideal Day of "Me Time"

My ideal day of Me Time.....

 

I can honestly say that I'm not sure what I would do for a whole day.  I have a super duper awesome friend who keeps offering to take Maggie for the whole day.  I keep saying, no, thank you though, soon I will want that; but really, I just don't know what I would do with an entire day.  I feel so guilty leaving my peanut.  

 

I do know that a Me Day would include reading a book in the sun.  Maybe even an entire book - it's been awhile since I read an entire book in a day.  I would have lunch with a friend.  My day would end with me sitting in the hot tub, reading a book, with a glass (or bottle) of wine.....or beer...or margaritas....but usually the hot tub includes a glass of wine.  To be fair, I actually do this most nights when I am home.  We have a hot tub room in our house (and it really is super awesome) and after Maggie goes to bed, I sit in the hot tub with a glass of wine and read a chapter in my book no matter how tired I am.  I even got to the point where if Maggie had woken up, she could sit and cry for just a short bit until I finished my chapter.  She never napped good so this was the only little bit of time I had for myself all day.  I have missed using this while I am pregnant but will be filling it and using it again in the next few months!

 

 

 

Now that I started blogging, I would definitely have to fit that into a day of me time too.  I may even get some of the posts done that I really want to write but haven't had time to write yet.  

 

What would an ideal day of me time be like for you?

Summer #BlogChallenge Day 24 Favorite Eco Friendly Thing To Do

Our favorite eco friendly thing to do.  Hmmmm.  That probably depends on who you ask, me or John.  I would say that my very favorite eco-friendly thing to do is use cloth diapers.  I'm obsessed, but I know a lot of you can relate.  John likes that we use them too, but he's not obsessed.  

His favorite eco-friendly thing to do is use cloth napkins and towels instead of paper towels.  He always says how good it makes him feel that we are doing something for the earth!

$600 + Cloth Diaper Giveaway #UltimateFluff

Welcome to The Ultimate Fluff Stash Giveaway hosted by Daily Mothering and sponsored by Kebbie's Diaper Bag! We are giving away a huge cloth diaper prize pack valued at over $600 to one lucky winner!

You could win all of the following:

30 Bubbz 3.0 Quadcore Anti-Leak Pocket Diapers Bubbz Ultimate Wet/Dry Bag Bubbz Super Cinch Pail Liner

For a total retail value of $634.40!

Winner chooses colors and prints!

Haven't heard of Bubbz 3.0 Cloth Diapers? These new one-size cloth diapers from Kebbie's Diaper Bag feature a waterproof TPU outer, super soft microfleece inner, color coded waist snaps, four rows of rise snaps, dual pockets, extra gentle leg gussets, and a Quadcore Anti-Leak Protection System complete with twin gussets, a back pocket gusset, and a front waterproof flap. Each diaper comes with 2 Deluxe Organic Bamboo Cotton Inserts for superior absorption. The inserts snap onto the diaper, and they can either be stuffed inside the dual pocket opening for a stay-dry feel or laid on top of the diaper against your baby's skin for a soft natural fiber layer. Read the Bubbz 3.0 diaper review at Daily Mothering for more details and pictures!

Want to win?

Use the Rafflecopter below to enter the giveaway. This giveaway ends on June 30th at 11:59pm and is open to contestants in the US only, ages 18+. The more entries you submit, the better chances you have of winning! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sponsor Spotlight - Lunchskins *Review*

If you are a mama like me, you hate being wasteful.  Especially when it means more trips to the store and throwing money down the drain.  Lunchskins can help with that.  

6.5 x 6.5 inches with fold over flap and hook and loop (velcro) closure

6.5 x 3.5 inches with fold over flap and hook and loop (velcro) closure

Kirsten and Cris are the co-founders of Lunchskins Reusable Sandwich Bags.  Jennie is the creative director who designs these adorable bags!  Sitting around a kitchen table back in 2008 - they heard this: 

Every day, more than 20 million sandwich bags from school lunches go into landfills just in the US!  

Their families were looking for easy, convenient ways to be green and avoid this kind of waste, so they put their passion and energy together and 3greenmoms was born.  Their mission is to design a colorful, fresh alternative to the plastic baggie.  

They started by finding a food safe, dishwasher friendly, moderately attractive reusable bag.  They came up with designs, and then found a family owned manufacturer in Pennsylvania.  

Whether you care about the environment, saving money, eating healthy or looking stylish, LunchSkins are the answer!  Lunchskins are dishwasher safe, bpa, lead and phthalate free, handsewn in the US (yeah) and 100 % guaranteed.

Lunchskins are made from a thick cotton fabric coated with a food-safe polyurethane liner that is manufactured in Europe and has been used for years in bakers and restaurants.  Lunchskins are grease-proof and moisture proof.

Lunchskins also believes in giving where you live.  They donate 1 % of online sales profits to the C & O Canal Trust, an organization formed to protect and restore the historic Canal near the nation's capital, a trash-free National Park.  

How awesome is that? 

Our Experience with Lunchskins

This is what I received.  A sandwich bag and 2 Snack Bags along with a bunch of coupons!  How adorable are the prints on these?

We loved our lunchskins.  Usually, my daughter who is 20 months old, has her snack in a snack cup - but I tried giving her one of these snack bags and she loves it.  If the dog gets too close to her, she closes it.  The velcro on these is super strong, so she can't always open it again on her own and needs help, but I love that.  I like these because I can put fruit in the snack bags if I want to, but they also work great for crackers.  The snack bag is absolutely perfect for your little toddler but also for anybody else. 

She really wanted me to take this picture.  She kept saying, "mama cheese"

The sandwich bag is perfect for somebody like me.  I eat sandwiches everyday, so having something really handy to put it in until I get in the car and eat it is nice.  I would just carry it out there and hope I didn't drop it because I didn't want to waste a bag.  With the Lunchskins, I didn't have to worry about wasting a bag.  Plus, I could stuff my sandwich full of meat and cheese and whatever else, and it would fit into the bag without any problem.  The bag wasn't super small and hard to put a sandwich bag in like a plastic baggie tends to be.  

Folded up you can still see that there is some room in the bag but it seals up nicely.

See, I could use bigger bread if I so choose.

Three things I absolutely LOVE about these snack and sandwich bags.  

1.  They are super easy to wash up.  I just fold them inside out (it is recommended that you fold them inside out for washing) and throw them in the dishwasher.  If I want to use it right away, I just wipe it out and off we go.  They also dry off quickly whether in the dishwasher, or air drying.  Lunchskins are designed to withstand high heats like you would find in an industrial kitchen.

2.  The name label.  This is an awesome feature, especially if you have kids in school or you take them to work with you.    Use a permanent marker and keep tabs on your Lunchskins.

Name Label

 3.  The adorable prints!  Who doesn't love that?  Check out the new styles here.

  Want some of your own?  

Visit their website and get your own.  Sandwich bags are $8.95 and Snack bags are $7.85

Like them on Facebook

Follow on Twitter

*I was provided these products free of charge for the purpose of this review.  The thoughts and opinions are 100 % my own*

Want a chance to win one?  Giveaway coming soon.  Sign up for email updates so you don't miss out!

Summer #BlogChallenge Day 23 Favorite Blog Post Written Before This Challenge

If I had to choose a post I have previously written, since the one I really want to include I just haven't gotten around to writing yet, would have to be Our Family Mission Statement.  

We wrote this for our baptism class for the baby that hasn't arrived quite yet.  John and I put a lot of thought into (most of) it.  

You can Read It Here!

Summer #BlogChallenge Day 22 What I want to be when I grow up

This is an easy one for me.  For as long as I can remember.....I wanted to be a lawyer.

There was never a day growing up where this isn't what I wanted.  I went to college and started working toward my degree.  

I transferred from the Community College to Hamline University....very awesome school!  I received my degree in Forensic Sciences and Criminal Justice with Minors in Legal Studies and Psychology.  I graduated and took the LSAT.  Then I realized that I had no interest whatsoever in actually being an attorney.  Decided I wanted to be a Forensic Psychologist (can we say Criminal Minds?).  When all was said and done, I spent 7 or so years teaching and now I sell real estate.  

What did you want to be growing up?  Did that change or is that still what you want?

It's Giveaway Time! #SummerCloth Prize Pack Valued at $40-$51

Welcome to the Summer Cloth Diaper Giveaway Hop, hosted by Mommy's Favorite Things. Almost 50 blogs have linked up to bring you many exciting cloth diaper giveaways. Enter my giveaway below and then hop to the other blogs listed at the bottom of this post to enter their fluffy giveaways as well ! Each blog has a cloth diaper prize valued at $25 or more and many blogs have prizes worth over $100. 

Here is the awesome prize pack you can win right here valued at $40-$51 thanks to our fabulous sponsors! 

 Winner's Choice of anything in the shop valued at $7-$15
Read my review here 

 
Diaper PalzWinner will receive Large Hanging Wet Bag in Butter valued at $15
Read my review here

  Sno-PeaWinner will receive matching diaper, insert, bib and burp cloth valued at $21 Read more about Samantha and Sno-Pea in the Sponsor Spotlight post here  

 
Ready to win?  Enter the rafflecopter form below and then head over to the other blogs to win more prizes.  This giveaway open to the US and Canada only.   *I was provided these items free of charge for the purpose of these reviews.  All thoughts and opinions are 100 % my own*  
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Summer #BlogChallenge Day 21 Words to Live By

Today's post is about the most recent words of wisdom that have stuck with me.  This is something I heard or read many years ago, but it has always stuck with me.  This is something I think I am constantly reminding John about when it comes to our daughter.  

For me, this falls along the lines of "Don't sweat the small stuff."  Once I learned to think of both of these phrases each day, life wasn't so stressful anymore.

What are the some words of wisdom you live by?   Do they make life easier?

Summer #BlogChallenge Day 20 She's the spitting image of her mommy

Today's challenge is to post a picture of me as a kid. What do you think?  Does Maggie look just a little bit like me?