Monday, October 13, 2014

Ah, Toys!

For quite some time now I have felt overwhelmed with the mass amount of toys that we have in this house.  I designated our bonus room as the toy room.  Even so we still have a plethora of toys in our living room as well as other rooms around the house.  I have finally organized the toy room a little bit better.  It is more to my liking and I feel less overwhelmed by the toys.  In addition, everything has its place which makes it easier for clean up.



The closet in the toy room.  This is my craft storage area.  

Standing at the door looking in.  I hope to eventually put a futon where the doll house is.  This will add seating as well as some where for guests to sleep when we have visitors.  

The double doors are to the closet.  The small door on the left is an unfinished storage area.  Door on the right goes to the hall. 

Cabinet space.  Some times I love it, because they hide everything behind the doors, but they really limit how I can set up the room.  On the right I have all of the kids' stuffed animals.  Underneath the shelf is their "reading nook"  I bought a curtain on clearance, Cut it in half, made a pocket for the curtain rod on what was the bottom of the curtain.  The kids LOVE this area.  

Inside the cabinets.  Everything in here are all toddler approved toys.  Although my toddler likes to clear the toys out and hide in the cabinets.  ;)

The top cabinets are for my storage.  On the right is where I keep all of my books as well as important documents/files.  The middle cabinets contain scrapbooking supplies, photos, dvds, games, and video games.  


I am not at all good at organizing, however I am content with how the room looks.  I will continue to watch pinterest for more ideas on organizing.  I also made labels to put on the fabric bins but can't figure out the best way to attach them so they will not fall off.  It is a work in progress, but I am happy with it so far.

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Excuses of an addict

We all know that addicts make an excuse for their behavior right?  If you do not know this, maybe you have not come to accept your addiction.  I am well aware that I have an addiction to cloth diapers. But it was pointed out again over the phone with a friend the other day.  My friend is currently pregnant with her first child.  I have been trying to sway her toward cloth but nothing I have said has sunk in yet.

I was talking to her about a particular diaper when I got the response, "Girl, you do not need any more diapers!"  I kind of chuckled and responded "but look how cute this print is!" I kept going, to which she called me an addict and laughed at all the excuses I was coming up with.



Excuses of a cloth diaper addict:

  1. I need a variety of colors to match her dresses
  2. I have to have a few of each color so she has a matching diaper all day long
  3. But look how cute this print is
  4. Bum Genius just released a new LE, I have to buy them all! 
  5. I am saving money by not using disposables
  6. I have to save the environment
  7. I have an irrational fear of running out of clean diapers
  8. I need to have at least one diaper for every holiday
  9. There was an awesome price for these diapers in a B/S/T group on Facebook (realistically I am in 17 groups and follow 84 different cloth diaper related pages, and the urge is constant)
  10. Kelly's Closet just posted an awesome coupon code and I just could not pass it up.  

How to tell you are a true addict, you have caught yourself saying things and can think of many more.  



What other excuses do you use to defend your stash?   

Friday, September 19, 2014

Family photos

Last month I dragged my family to get pictures taken.  All year long I have heard from extended family that they needed updated family pictures, so I bit the bullet and got them done.  Let me tell you, they were well worth every penny.  My son was a little bit shy about getting them done and avoided the camera as much as he could, but overall we still got some excellent pictures.












Giveaway Products

I know from some of the comments that many of you were interested in the giveaways.  While I do not have any more items to giveaway, I do have coupons and links where you can find the products that were listed in the giveaways!


Spray Pal:



Breast Pads

 Udder cover and nursing reminder bracelet


Diapers from Kelly's Closet




Bamboobies



Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Happy Birthday!!!

Today is my birthday!  This year I want to share my celebration with all of you!  

Since the beginning of the month I have had several giveaways, today is no different.  If you did not win any of the previous giveaway, you are in luck!  You will have a few hours today to enter to win some awesome prizes!
Four Awesome prizes left, something for every momma!










Good Luck!

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Buncha Farmer's Stain stick



I got to try this little magic stick a few months ago.  Buncha Farmers Stain Remover.  Normally I am willing to try everything that is recommended to me.  I first heard of this stain stick about a year ago.  I was not at all interested.  I rinse my diapers right after messes and typically do not have any stains on them.  Several months ago one of my friends and I were talking and she recommended the stain stick to me.  I was skeptical and ignored it.  Then again in June she recommended this stain remover to me.  She also told me where I could get some.  While skeptical, I figured I had to at least try it.  If it didn't work I would not be out much money and could just give my supply to my friend since she loved it so much.  

After I got these in the mail I must admit, they sat on the shelf for at least a week.  Then I got a grass stain on my khaki pants.  When I first noticed the mark was while we were getting family pictures taken, outside, at a park.  I told myself I would rinse it as soon as I got home so it would not stain.  Well, later that night I had put the children to bed and remembered I forgot to treat the stain.  I was worried I would forever have this grass stain on my pants.  Visions of my pants from my childhood all stained up continued to flash through my head.  And then, I remembered I had the Buncha Farmers Stain Stick.   

I stared at the box reading and re-reading the directions.  I wanted to be absolutely sure of what I was doing.  I put a small splash of water on the grass stain then rubbed the stick over the spot.  To my surprise, the stain quickly vanished!   I could not believe it.  

I soon found myself searching my house for different things to try this out on.  I "Googled" uses and watched several Youtube videos.  One video I came across said to mix the stick with hot water and use it as a carpet cleaner.  I own a carpet scrubber, but I have to be honest.  I have not turned it on in about a year.  My carpet has accumulated stains from the past year and also had stains from 6 years ago when we first got out dogs and they tracked a bunch of mud on the carpet.  The mud around here has that red clay tint to it, staining everything.  

So, I grated half a stick and mixed it with hot water, stirred it until it dissolved, then added it to my carpet scrubber.  It took a few hours to scrub my carpet, but the results were absolutely amazing!  

                                      
(seriously, I did not realize how yucky my carpet looked before) 


Amazing right?  

Want to see it in action?  I made a video, just for you!  

(Note, I am not at all a videographer and do not know how to edit these, so there are two parts to the video, the before and the after.) 


After:

After washing
I keep a spray bottle filled with the stain remover to treat any stains before washing.  I keep a stick and an old toothbrush by the sink.  After I am doing spraying diapers I simply spray some of the stain remover on to the diaper, rub the diaper together, rinse, and toss into the diaper pail.  It only takes about a minute and ensures stain free diapers.  Any stains that do not come out right away will fade with every wash.  

The instructions state to wet the stick and rub on the stain.  I find it easier to wet the stained area and rub the stick on it. Either way, it works.  Also, a little goes a LONG way.  It only takes a quick rub from the stick and then a little scrub to get a nice lather on the diaper (or other material).  After lathering rinse and enjoy your stain-free item.  Toss in the wash and check to see if the stain is gone.  If it is not (which may happen) treat the stain again and let sit for a couple hours before rinsing.  

This stuff is seriously amazing!  It is also made of natural ingredients with no harsh chemicals.  It contains eucalyptus oil too, which I absolutely love the smell of.  

BUT, Don't take my word for it, try it out for yourself!   Kelly's Closet sells these wonderful stain removers.    


Enter to win your own stain sticks!  



Saturday, September 13, 2014

Miss Lily's Washing Powder

Miss Lily's Washing Powder



A little over a month ago my friend Kristen entered a giveaway for Miss Lily's Washing Powder.  It popped up on my Facebook and I felt the need to try it out myself.  Guess who the lucky winner was?  That is right, me!  I was so excited.  About a week later the owner, Jill, posted she was looking for bloggers to write reviews for her products and get her product out to more people.  I thought this was the perfect opportunity for me.  After all, I did just win some of her product, so I had the supplies needed to write a review.

After receiving the product I could not wait to get the laundry started.  Laundry is one chore that is not really a chore for me.  I find it some what therapeutic. We dirty clothes, they go into the wash, and come out clean.  Folding clothes and hanging them all in their place gives that sense of order.  Having a child in cloth diapers adds to the laundry.  I wash diapers every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.  It has been a month using the washing powder and I still have half a bag left.

For a normal wash I add three tablespoons of washing powder (you would use less if you have an HE washer).  Miss Lily's recommends using 1-4 depending on load size and the machine itself.  I sprinkle the powder in the machine, add the clothes and turn it on.  With diapers I add the detergent, add the diapers and set the machine for "whitest whites" (after reading my manual and some trial and error this setting works best for us.)  turn the temp to hot/cold, add an extra rinse, and turn it on.

Miss Lily's washing powder works great for getting out stains and for people who have hard water. When I wash Charlotte's diapers they always come out clean and smelling fresh.  The washing powder does have the fragrance of your choice, but I can't smell any type of scent on my clothes after they are dry.  They simply smell clean.


Up until I received the Miss Lily's Washing Powder I was using Rockin' Green.  Both of the detergents are great for hard water.  They both come in scented and unscented formulas (and Miss Lily's has a wide variety of scents).  I have noticed that Rockin Green often has chunks of detergent that I need to break up so I can accurately measure.  The washing powder seems smoother and does not have any chunks in them at all.  
The packaging of the product could be better as right now it is just in a gallon size Ziploc bag inside a little sac (which is cute and Charlotte started putting toys in and carries around like a little purse.) I also took a marker and wrote on the bags the scent because I can't really tell them apart.  Those are my only complaints, and neither affect the actual product performance. 

Since starting cloth diapering I have tried making my own detergent twice, I have used Tide, Rockin' Green, Grovia detergent, and Bum Genius detergent.  Of all of these I had liked the Rockin Green the best.  Now, I am thinking about switching.  I have one bag of Rockin' Green left.  After that is used I will be using Miss Lily's washing powder.

Want to try Miss Lily's Washing Powder?  Now is your chance!  Enter below.  The winner will receive 2 bags of Miss Lily's Washing Powder directly from Miss Lily's and will also be able to choose their favorite scent.  Winner will be announced on 09/17/2014.



The Ingredients include Sodium Carbonate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Percarbonate, Sodium Borate Decahydrate, Essential Oils (essential oil version only), Fragrance Oils (scented version only).