*Happy Dance*

ADAM IS HERE! ADAM IS HERE! ADAM IS HERE!

*dances a jig*

We will now resume our regularly scheduled broadcast.

I gave up staying awake for Lent.

You think I'm joking, but I'm not. I debated whether or not to write this, because I'm all for keeping hush-hush about fasting, but curiosity to see if anyone else shares my problem won out.


I hate to sleep.


Ever since I left for college, I have bemoaned and fought against the fact that humans have to spend an entire third of their lives sleeping, when there is so much to see and do! Why oh why would God give us a life and then require us spend a huge part of it with our eyes shut? This was what I thought, and so for the past five years or so, I have slept as little as I possibly could-- staying up until my eyelids were drooping, and then going to bed and instantly crashing. Rinse and repeat. I can count on my hands the number of times I've gone to bed before midnight these past few years. If you've ever gotten a 2 a.m. comment on your blog from me, yep, that was me just staying awake.

So when Lent rolled around this year, I racked my brains for something to give up. Obviously, giving up sugar was out of the question. :-P Cigarettes? Never smoked. Blogging? I don't feel like that's something I struggle with. My defiance against God's natural law? Uh oh, I'm in trouble.

So my Lenten sacrifice this year is going to bed before midnight. It's an unconventional sacrifice, but it has led to some unexpected things already...

Stay tuned for Part 2!

Seven Quick Takes

A couple weeks ago, I wrote a post that was bit of a downer. Okay, I'll just come right out and say it was whiny. :-P. So to mix things up, I'm going to write about a few things that I'm thankful for!

~*~

1. We have a date for Adam's return! He is planning on leaving Virginia on Monday, and ending up here in Oklahoma by Tuesday-- making it exactly five weeks that he's been gone. (Dramatic pause for your gasp) I have infinitely more appreciation for military moms after this month! Adam's kind of worried that Baby D won't remember him, but I keep saying that even if he doesn't, Adam will be his BFF in like five minutes anyway. That kid is a daddy's boy!

We do what we can with substitute father figures.

2. And he's bringing help! Adam will most likely be bringing his sister to help us move. This is very good news, because I just realized yesterday that I have a week to get everything done (our lease is up on the 31st). Eep!

~*~

3. The beginning of a new life for us. I've noticed that when people stay in one place for too long, they tend to get entrenched in stupid habits or acquiesce to substandard elements in their lives. About a day after Adam landed in D.C., he told me, "Oh Maria, this is where we need to be!" Since we got the ball rolling for the move, many things have happened to infuse some freshness back into my life-- and I'm not even out of Oklahoma yet! I'm very much looking forward to the better things to come- a washing machine in the apartment (!!!), a car that is not a death trap, proximity to relatives... just those things that I gave up on in Oklahoma.

~*~

4. The end of an era for Baby D. In a few days, we will have had seven successful months of exclusive breastfeeding! I meant to delay starting him on solids until we got to Virginia, but Baby D was recently very sneaky. The other day, when I let him taste the banana I was eating, he instantly bit off a big chunk, gummed it up, and swallowed it right there! Looks like someone is raring to go on those solids! ;-) So, to go along with this growing up thing, I've decided to start calling him by his real name on the blog. I realized the other day that he's not going to be a baby forever, and it might get kind of weird when he's twelve and I'm still calling him Baby D! :-P

Evidently, our ghetto playpen is delicious!

5. Diaper providence. I had been squeezing... Oscar into too-small diapers for a month, until two exciting things happened. First, we got a much larger tax refund than we were expecting. Adam allotted me an exorbitant sum to spend on cloth diapers, but being the die-hard penny-pincher, I just bought the bare minimum needed (and they were one-size diapers-- after going through two sets of diapers in six months, I've learned my lesson). Now for the second exciting thing! I have been entering online diaper giveaways for at least eight months without winning a single thing. However, this past month- hold onto your seat!- I won not one... but four diapers!!! Something tells me that a Higher Power was tweaking random.org. :-P

~*~

6. My friend Marie. Marie, whom I've known since freshman year at college, has always been a great friend, but since Adam left, she's been a downright lifesaver! Car rides, meals, Oscar relief, company for some of those lonely days-- she has been a tremendous blessing. Of all the things I'll miss in Oklahoma, she will top the list!

Here's an OLD picture (2004) from a college "Roommate Date" event,
where a person asks someone out on behalf of their roommate.
Marie eventually married some other guy at the event who was
NOT her date, and my date turned out to be extremely creepy.
Just in case you were wondering.

Spring break 2005-- on the train at Disney World
with some of my my favorite ladies!
Marie is on the far left.

~*~

7. Purging. Packing is taking me forever because I'm asking, "Do we really need this?" for every item. It is wonderful to see all the clutter melt away! It is not-so-wonderful to realize that I've been hanging onto some of this stuff for three years, so it has been a good wake-up call about taking inventory of what I allow to take precious square footage in my house. I've thrown out or craigslisted most of the furniture-- including a bookshelf to a Scentsy saleswoman. Why oh why did I not think of asking her to pay in Scentsy products? ;-)


There is a lot of exciting stuff going on around here! To read other's 7QT, head on over to Conversion Diary.

Sugarless 2011: What About Snacks?

I am approaching the end of the first three months of Sugarless 2011! In many ways, it's been easy-- after three months, candy is actually starting to look gross. And in some ways, it's been hard; I die a little inside every time I drive past Krispy Kreme. But above all, it's been successful! And I can't say the same about my other resolution, but we won't talk about that.

*wipes away a tear*

Cool Mum asked me a while back what I do for snacks. Truth be told, aside from pregnancy- when I consumed everything in sight like a crazed hippo- I've never been much of a snacker. It's probably for this reason alone that in spite of not working out much, I've stayed pretty much the same shape since high school. If I have snacks in the house, then I'll usually eat it, so I don't keep much snacky stuff around. But when I do, here is some of the resolution-approved stuff I eat...

-Nuts
-Bananas with peanut butter
-Popcorn
-Hummus on crackers
-Cheese sticks
-Oatmeal
-Chips with salsa/sour cream
-Sliced avocado
-Plain yogurt (sounds yucky, but after you eat delicious homemade crockpot yogurt, there's no going back)

And sometimes I'll eat the bad stuff, too, like Cheez-its or Pringles. I'm just limiting the sugar, not going eco-vegan-health-crazy. Cool Mum has a recipe for faux ice cream that I've been meaning to make, and I'm always on the lookout for new things to try. So tell me... what are your favorite sugarless snacks?

This post is linked with Work For Me Wednesday.

We Have a Winner!

Oh my gosh, the best part of this week was opening up the comments and seeing the ridiculous Mad Libs you made! I seriously wish I had diapers to give to all of you. :-( But there's hope, because I am definitely going to have to do another Mad Libs giveaway again. But enough of the chit-chat! According to random.org, the recipient of the two fitted cloth diapers is...

#12!

• 
  Terri BabinCollapse

  Lady Gaga showed me how to Jump a diaper! It`s made out of Boys and Dogs, so my baby will have to wear a(n) Bikini over it-- it`s not Round like a(n) Fluffy diaper or an All-In-13! If I win, I will jump in the House, clap my Hands, and shout, "Stop farting!!" These diapers will look so Bumpy on my baby Dad!

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 5 days ago

Congratulations, Terri! You will receive an email shortly!

Time To Go Shopping!

Our tax refund finally came in. HALLELUJAH, and not a minute too soon. These have been the three leanest months of my life! Since Baby D finally started earning his keep around here by getting us a nice tax deduction, I thought it would only be fair to buy him some new diapers. :-D I'm really excited because this is the first time I can stop asking, "What can I get for the absolute cheapest?" and ask instead, "What do I want?" I'm going to stick with my homemade fitteds at home, but we need some additional babysitter-friendly and super-portable diapers, as well.

So here's what I'm putting in my virtual cart!

Yes, I'm getting the cow one!
So cute!

Another Best Bottom cover and various inserts. This will be my out-and about diaper system. Since the covers are reusable as long as they don't get soiled, and the hemp inserts are super thin (like, disposable thin), these are great for the diaper bag.


One bumGenius 4.0. I don't think I will ever feel like I have had the complete cloth diaper experience until I get a bumGenius! This diaper came recommended to me by Maria at Fitteds, Pockets, and Snappis, Oh My! Maria is simply a diaper goddess, and she was SO helpful when I emailed her with questions. Baby D is large and chubby, and he has a high rise to boot, so I've had issues with him looking like a little plumber, if you know what I mean. ;-) According to Maria, this diaper has a nice, high, rise, as does the next one...


A Thirsties Duo Diaper! Size 2 is supposed to fit up to 40 pounds, so Baby D might be able to wear it for, oh, a couple weeks. :-P In my experience, Thirsties runs a bit small, so I doubt he'll make it 40 pounds in this. I loved the Duo Wraps he used as a newborn-- with the additional leg gussets, I had ZERO blowouts or leaks (actually, we've only had a couple poop leaks EVER, and that's been recently because the gDiapers are too small for him now), so I have high hopes for this diaper.

Here it is in Blueberry.
Am I the only one who thinks
 that naming diapers after food
items is kind of gross?

One Tots Bots Easy Fit AIO. I'm really intrigued by the design on this all-in-one- an attached soaker that you stuff inside the diaper- and I've always wanted to experience the renowned softness of a bamboo diaper. Plus, Tots Bots gets rave reviews everywhere-- it was even declared "Best Overall Diaper" at Babble.com. Of course, the print I want is the ONE print not offered at the website I'm buying from. Oh well, all the more excuse to get another later, right?

Two Knickernappies Super-Do Inserts. Baby D is sleeping longer at night, and that means a sopping wet diaper in the morning. I've been double-stuffing, but it makes his diapers fit funny and more prone to letting moisture escape. Maria suggested I try one of these inserts-- with two layers of microfiber and six layers of hemp terry, this thing is more absorbent than double-stuffing with less bulk. I hope it works!


I'm buying from the company that gave away my Best Bottom diaper (everythingbirth.com) for a few reasons: their customer service was awesome with my questions and special requests; every purchase earns you loyalty points towards free merchandise; and they also sell birth pools and midwifery supplies, and I like supporting that sort of thing. :-D I actually have an affiliate account now, so if you ever decide to buy from them, click first on that little button on my left sidebar, and you'll be supporting me, too. :-)

Sorry if I bored you to tears with this post! I promise this is the last diaper post for a while. I'm just really excited to finally get some of the diapers I want, and thought I'd share it with you. :-P Has anyone tried any of these products yet? What did you think? Is there anything else you've really got your eye on?

Hi, my name is Maria, and I'm a blog giveaway addict. (Pt. 2)

You can read Part 1 here.

So I've discussed how to enter giveaways; today, I'd like to talk about where.

And no, it's not under a rock.

There are several approaches to finding giveaways: blog link-ups, giveaway blogs, review blogs, search engines, and social media.


1. Blog link-ups
There are many blogs that host a weekly link-up, in which bloggers everywhere can post a link to their giveaways.

Pro: You have a zillion giveaways right there at your fingertips. You can pick and choose what you'd like to enter!
Con: You have to search through the long lists for the things you'd like to enter. It can get tiring!

Here are some of the blogs with link-ups I like to look at, and the days they're posted:

Tuesday: Mrs. Nespy's World
Wednesday: Busy Mommy Media
Friday: Fitteds, Pockets, and Snappis, Oh My! (this one is mainly for cloth diapers and baby carriers, but other bloggers will link up other stuff, too), The Cloth Diaper Report




2. Giveaway Blogs
There are blogs out there that exist solely to be your eyes-and-ears for giveaways going on.

Pro: If you're interested winning in a niche item, like cloth diapers or knitting materials, this is a good one-stop way to see what's going on around the internetz.
Con: Since this type of blog usually makes multiple postings in a single day, it will clutter up your blog reader horribly if you subscribe (a better option is to subscribe via email, which will deliver all the day's posts in one lump email).

A couple niche giveaway blogs I check:
Etsy Giveaways
Cloth Diaper Giveaways

3. Review Blogs
These are blogs in which the author reviews and gives away items herself, usually with the help of sponsors.

Pro: this is a great way to discover new products from up-and-coming companies. Also a good way to find products for your niche.
Con: Along with giveaways for products you want, there will be lots of giveaways for items you don't want. Also, these blogs often require that you follow them in order to enter a giveaway.

A couple review blogs I frequent:
A Mom's Take
Cloth Diaper Addiction




4. Search Engines
Sometimes, if there is a specific item I am looking for, I will turn to my good friend Google it to see if it's being given away anywhere. This was how I won my Best Bottom diaper, which I had been coveting for quite some time. I googled Best Bottom giveaway February 2011 to see what blogs were giving it away that month, entered the ones I could, and hoped for the best.

Pro: helps you find giveaways for a specific item.
Con: You have to read the taglines carefully,  because Google will sometimes put up links to old giveaways.

Must... enter... more... GIVEAWAYS!

5. Social Media
Rachel (who is coincidentally running a mineral makeup giveaway right now!) brought up a good point on my previous post: social media can be used to find giveaways, too! If you "Like" a certain company on facebook, chances are that they will post any giveaways of their products. Also, many companies will have special facebook-only giveaways when they reach a certain number of followers. I personally don't follow too many because it clutters up my facebook feed (can you tell I'm really big on streamlining feeds? :-P), but it's valuable for those certain products I absolutely want to win.

Twitter is also a good place to find giveaways. Use hashtags (#clothdiaper, #giveaway), and search for companies (@Ergobaby, @bumgenius). Often, tweets will have a link right to the giveaway page. In this way, twitter is even better than Google-- tweets are arranged chronologically, so you can see at a glance what is going on right now in the blog giveaway realm.


So now you know all my secrets for entering giveaways. Let me know if you found this little series helpful!