ADAM IS HERE! ADAM IS HERE! ADAM IS HERE!
*dances a jig*
We will now resume our regularly scheduled broadcast.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
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.
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!
Friday, March 25, 2011
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!
~*~
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| We do what we can with substitute father figures. |
~*~
~*~
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| 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
~*~
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| 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. |
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| Spring break 2005-- on the train at Disney World with some of my my favorite ladies! Marie is on the far left. |
~*~
There is a lot of exciting stuff going on around here! To read other's 7QT, head on over to Conversion Diary.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
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.
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.
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| *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.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
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!
Congratulations, Terri! You will receive an email shortly!
#12!
Congratulations, Terri! You will receive an email shortly!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
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!
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.
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?
So here's what I'm putting in my virtual cart!
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| 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?
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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| 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!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Hi, my name is Maria, and I'm a blog giveaway addict. (Pt. 1)
Since the subject of giveaways is still fresh in my brain, I thought I'd take the opportunity to talk more in-depth about them. A little backstory: I enter a lot of blog giveaways. Not surprisingly, I win a lot of stuff, as well. Here are some of the cool things I have won in the past few years:
-A Best Bottom diaper (just came in the mail today! I'm SOOOO excited to try it out!)
-$100 gift card to The Vintage Pearl
-$25 for Groupon (I am just WAITING for a massage deal to show up! :-D)
-A pair of stylish Crocs.
-Two Little Scholastic board books-- Baby's D's favorite!
-A wet bag, a reusable Swiffer wand filler, and 4 handmade bars of soap, among other things!
There are some amazing prizes to be had out there! So, as a veteran giver-awayer-enterer, I thought I'd share some tips on how to maximize your giveaway endeavors and minimize wasted time.
There are some amazing prizes to be had out there! So, as a veteran giver-awayer-enterer, I thought I'd share some tips on how to maximize your giveaway endeavors and minimize wasted time.
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-Enter only for items you really want. This probably goes without saying, but sometimes, it's easy to get so caught up in playing the bloggy lottery that suddenly you find yourself entering contests for mechanical pencils and wart remover. Ask yourself, "Do I really need/want this? Can I just buy this fairly inexpensively at the store? Will I actually use it?"
-What would YOU do to win a Klondike bar? Most giveaways give you a plethora of ways to gain extra entries: follow the blog, like something on facebook, follow on twitter, subscribe by email, etc. Sometimes these are mandatory entries. You'd be surprised by how seldom I do them! And that is because I have a problem with selling my loyalty to win junk. I can see how offering free stuff should entitle a blogger to demand a following in return, but the little voice within me asks, Don't you want to know that people are following you because they genuinely like your blog, and not because they just want to win crap? So I don't follow blogs unless I love their content. I don't "Like" things on facebook unless I've actually tried the product and truly do like it. Actually, I usually follow after I win something, as a thank-you. But otherwise, if a giveaway requires that I follow in some way, I just walk away.
My one exception is Twitter. Maybe I'm just dumb, but I don't understand Twitter, so I never use it. But would I for the chance to double my chances of winning? Heck, yes! So I opened an account for the sole purpose of following sponsors and regurgitating tweets. And that is literally all I do with Twitter. And somehow, even with my limited and horribly abusive use of Twitter, I have nearly as many followers there as I have for this blog. Hmmm, maybe I ought to rethink that whole well-crafted and thought-out blog post thing. ;-)
All this to say, think about what you're willing to do for a couple extra entries. If you have no problem with spamming your friends' facebook feeds or having a cluttered blog reader, then be my guest! I hope it wins you something!
All this to say, think about what you're willing to do for a couple extra entries. If you have no problem with spamming your friends' facebook feeds or having a cluttered blog reader, then be my guest! I hope it wins you something!
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| This came up in Google Images for "giveaway". Who wouldn't want to win candy? |
-Enter only giveaways that will email you if you win. Since I rarely follow these particular blogs, it doesn't make sense to enter a giveaway that will announce the winner on the blog itself. I don't keep track of the giveaways I enter, so one of the first things I look for is whether or not they will email the winner.
-Leave an email. Make it ridiculously easy for the giveaway host to contact you. Even if the comment section has a slot to enter an email, I always additionally leave my email in the comment itself. Spammers like to pull email addresses from giveaway comments, so I enter my email in this format: myemailaddress at gmail dot com. And then don't forget to check your email! Most sponsors give 24 or 48 hours for the winner to respond, so be on the lookout-- even in your spam folder. I actually almost missed a prize recently because I wasn't checking my spam folder.
So now you know how to do giveaways the smart way; I talk about where to enter them in Part 2!
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| I love Picnik.com. |
So now you know how to do giveaways the smart way; I talk about where to enter them in Part 2!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
My Fitted Diaper Giveaway! *CLOSED*
I recently published a tutorial for sewing your very own fitted diapers. Boy, was that tutorial a long time in coming! Broken cameras, dead computers, teething babies, and packing a house definitely interfered with that whale of a post!
So, to celebrate, I thought I'd give away the cute little diaper I made in the tutorial.
But, wait! There's more!
In the earlier days of my diaper-making, I sewed several before I hit upon the idea of making Snappi grips. One of them has been sitting around, patiently waiting for some little girl to wear it.
Since this one doesn't have Snappi grips, you will need to fasten it with pins. Oh, you could wrestle a Snappi on it-- but I've already torn one good shirt on a Snappi that came loose from a diaper without grips, so winner beware.
One winner will receive these two fitted diapers! Made from flannel with a terrycoth soaker sewn into the lining, these are great for EC or for going coverless. The top is left open, so you can stuff it inside itself to accommodate smaller babies, or even add an insert if you need to.
To the moms of boys, I am so sorry to make this a girl's diaper giveaway. As a mom of a boy myself, I hate how horribly unfair it is that all the cute stuff is for girls! Maybe sometime, I will get some boy diapers on here. But know that I feel your pain. :-P
So how can you win these lovelies?
Play the little Mad Libs game I created (also found in the tabs at the top of the blog), and copy and paste your results into a comment on this page. And that will be your entry. Sorry the Mad Libs format is so ghetto, but you definitely get what you pay for (in this case, I paid nothing :-P).
Giveaway ends Saturday, March 19, 2011 at 11:59 P.M. CST. Winner will be drawn via random.org and posted on this blog as well as emailed. Please leave a valid email address so I can contact you if you win! (of course, you can always subscribe to me, as well-- I won't complain! :-D)
So, to celebrate, I thought I'd give away the cute little diaper I made in the tutorial.
But, wait! There's more!
In the earlier days of my diaper-making, I sewed several before I hit upon the idea of making Snappi grips. One of them has been sitting around, patiently waiting for some little girl to wear it.
Since this one doesn't have Snappi grips, you will need to fasten it with pins. Oh, you could wrestle a Snappi on it-- but I've already torn one good shirt on a Snappi that came loose from a diaper without grips, so winner beware.
One winner will receive these two fitted diapers! Made from flannel with a terrycoth soaker sewn into the lining, these are great for EC or for going coverless. The top is left open, so you can stuff it inside itself to accommodate smaller babies, or even add an insert if you need to.
To the moms of boys, I am so sorry to make this a girl's diaper giveaway. As a mom of a boy myself, I hate how horribly unfair it is that all the cute stuff is for girls! Maybe sometime, I will get some boy diapers on here. But know that I feel your pain. :-P
So how can you win these lovelies?
Play the little Mad Libs game I created (also found in the tabs at the top of the blog), and copy and paste your results into a comment on this page. And that will be your entry. Sorry the Mad Libs format is so ghetto, but you definitely get what you pay for (in this case, I paid nothing :-P).
Giveaway ends Saturday, March 19, 2011 at 11:59 P.M. CST. Winner will be drawn via random.org and posted on this blog as well as emailed. Please leave a valid email address so I can contact you if you win! (of course, you can always subscribe to me, as well-- I won't complain! :-D)
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
I Made Baby D Cry It Out Tonight
And it wasn't pretty. And it's definitely not something I'm going to make a habit of, but two weeks into this single parenting gig, I am SO.TIRED. Tired of constantly nursing, tired of eating my meals cold, tired of hearing Baby D scream at me all day, but mostly just plain TIRED. I haven't slept well in three nights because Baby D has been waking up constantly, all night long, and refusing to settle, even after I feed him. And the days! My normally placid baby has been yelling at me from sunrise to sunset for over a week. He's not napping well, either. I've actually started wearing him for at least a solid hour every day, during which time he blessedly never makes a peep, but he is a giant baby, so even my muscles are tired. And the second I set him down, BOOM! He starts the shrieking again.
So tonight, I thought, all right, he can scream at me either here or in his bed. And it was really sad. :-( I picked him up and rocked him until he dozed off a couple times, but as soon as I laid him down, he was awake and wailing again. But tonight, I was too tired to care.
I have no idea how single moms keep it together! At least I'll be reuniting with Adam sometime before the month is out-- granted, I still do almost all the childcare anyways, but Adam takes care of ME. Several friends have offered to babysit Baby D, but there's the issue of feeding. I have a cruddy little hand pump, and it takes forever to pump a significant amount. So I can't complain too much, because I could drop Baby D off if I was desperate enough, but pumping is the last thing I want to do after nursing Mr. Crabby all night long.
Okay, time to wrap up this moan-and-groan post! Thanks for letting me have my whine with my cheese... Just keepin' it real here. Not every day, or every week, for that matter, is great at the Downright Domicile. :-P
So tonight, I thought, all right, he can scream at me either here or in his bed. And it was really sad. :-( I picked him up and rocked him until he dozed off a couple times, but as soon as I laid him down, he was awake and wailing again. But tonight, I was too tired to care.
I have no idea how single moms keep it together! At least I'll be reuniting with Adam sometime before the month is out-- granted, I still do almost all the childcare anyways, but Adam takes care of ME. Several friends have offered to babysit Baby D, but there's the issue of feeding. I have a cruddy little hand pump, and it takes forever to pump a significant amount. So I can't complain too much, because I could drop Baby D off if I was desperate enough, but pumping is the last thing I want to do after nursing Mr. Crabby all night long.
Okay, time to wrap up this moan-and-groan post! Thanks for letting me have my whine with my cheese... Just keepin' it real here. Not every day, or every week, for that matter, is great at the Downright Domicile. :-P
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Fitted Multi-size Diaper with Pocket-- a Tutorial
It's finally here!!!
This is a tutorial for a multi-size fitted diaper with the top left open, so you can stuff it inside itself to adjust the rise for smaller babies.
A few notes:
What you need:
-Flannel (at least 3/4 of a yard in length). If you want different prints for the inside and outside, you will need at least 3/4 yard of each.
-An old bath towel (the more plush and absorbent, the better!)
-Elastic (I like to use 1/4"-thick for the legs, and 1/2" for the back waist, but 1/4" all around will work just fine)
-Paper grocery bag for making the pattern
-Safety pin (not pictured, whoops!)
-Optional: a washcloth to use as a Snappi grip (I use the cheapy Wal-Mart ones). Unfortunately, flannel isn't that great at holding a Snappi, so unless you plan on using pins, you'll want to add this.
STEP 1: MAKE THE PATTERN
You can trace a diaper you already have, or find a pattern on the web. I used this pattern from this tutorial for a starting point, and tweaked it. I added 1/2 inch to the top for wider tabs (3" instead of 2.5"), and at the other end, I made the diaper stop tapering 3" from the top, for easier stuffing.
If you use the pattern I used, it's helpful to make the piece from a paper grocery bag. For a symmetrical piece, I recommend folding the paper in half, and measuring/tracing/cutting half of the pattern on the fold.
STEP 2: CUT YOUR PIECES OUT
From the outer flannel print:
-One diaper piece from pattern
From the inner flannel print:
-One diaper piece from pattern
After you cut a diaper piece, you should have a small piece of fabric left over like this:
Save it, because you will need to use it later.
From the terry cloth:
-One 13" x 4" piece (I like to round the corners a bit, but you can just leave it square if you'd like)
From the washcloth, if you want Snappi grips:
One 5" x 2.5" piece
Two 3" x 2.5" pieces
I like to cut the corners on these to make folding easier.
STEP 2.5: MAKE THE SNAPPI FRONT
If you are going to attach some terry cloth for Snappi grips, now's the time to attach the front piece! I'm still figuring out the best size and placement, but here's what I have so far. Take your 5" x 2.5" piece, fold each side under 1/2 inch (If you want to make it easier, you can sew those edges down before pinning to the diaper front), and fasten to your outer diaper piece-- about 4 inches down from the front top, down the center.
With a straight stitch, sew 1/4 inch from the edge. Then, using a zigzag stitch, sew right on the edge.
STEP 3: ATTACH THE SOAKER
Pin the your 14" x 4" towel piece to the wrong side of your diaper inner piece. I like to position it about 4 inches from the front top so I can stuff the finished diaper further into itself. Using a straight stitch, sew 1/4 inch from the edge, with the presser foot as your guide.
Remember that scrap of fabric you saved? Pull that out and lay it over the soaker, covering it as best as you can. (Ideally, you want to use the scrap from whichever flannel print is lightest, but for the sake of instruction, I am using the ladybug print, wrong side up, so you can see better). Using your sense of touch as a guide, pin the flannel to the terry cloth, making an outline of the soaker.
Turn the diaper inner over, so that the right side faces you. Using a zigzig stitch, and using the presser foot as a guide, sew along the outside of the straight stitch you just made.
Being careful not to cut the diaper inner, trim the excess fabric off the soaker.
STEP 4: MAKE LEG CASINGS
Some diaper tutorials instruct you to sew the elastic directly to the diaper. I've tried this before, and it compromises the elastic's stretchiness big-time! It also makes replacing the elastic next to impossible. So, we will be sewing leg casings instead.
Place both diaper pieces right sides together, and sew 1/2 inch seam along the back and sides, leaving the front top and tab sides open. Turn right-side-out, and press.
Starting about an inch from the diaper tab curve, sew a 5/8" seam, ending about 4 inches from the front top (where the diaper pattern straightens out). Sew another 5/8" seam along the top back, beginning and ending about 3" from the ends of the tabs.
STEP 5: INSERT ELASTIC
Attach the safety pin to one end of the elastic.
Using the safety pin as a grip, thread the elastic up through the leg casing until it's clear of the end of the casing seam.
Sew across the elastic near the pin. Because I am slightly OCD, I like to make two separate seams about 1/8" apart, sewing and reversing a few times on each. That elastic ain't goin' anywhere!
Holding your new seam, pull the elastic until it's taut, but keep your diaper body straight and unpuckered. If I had another set of hands, I'd show you what I mean. :-( Pinch the elastic at the front top, and pin into place.
Make another seam (or seams) at that end of the leg casing. Clip off the excess elastic. Hooray, you're done with one leg!
Repeat for the other leg and back.
STEP 6: FINISH
Turn the diaper inside-out again and close up the diaper tab seams.
At the diaper front top, turn under 1/4 inch and press. Turn under again (somewhere between 1/4" and 1/2") and press again. Pin into place, and stitch all around. Since I have kind of a love affair with the zigzag stitch, that's what I used, but you could just as easily use a straight stitch.
STEP 6.5: MAKE THE DIAPER TAB SNAPPI GRIPS
Take one of the 3" x 2.5" pieces of terry cloth. Fold and attach to a diaper tab, the same way you attached the front Snappi grip. You may need to play around with the placement to suit your baby, but here is where I place mine for my 20+ pound chunky baby:
Repeat for the other tab.
Congratulations, you made a fitted diaper!
I love the nice, deep, poo-catching pocket it forms inside. I have never had one of these diapers leak yet!
To shorten the rise, you can stuff it inside itself...
And it will fit a smaller baby!
This is a tutorial for a multi-size fitted diaper with the top left open, so you can stuff it inside itself to adjust the rise for smaller babies.
 |
| I LOVE this fabric! |
A few notes:
- I call this "multi-size" instead of one-size, because I'm not sure how small it fits. I started making these for my son when he was 19 pounds, so I'd love to hear how this works for smaller babes!
- This diaper is not waterproof, so you will need a separate cover to make it so. However, if you like to go coverless around the house or practice EC, this diaper is fabulous all by itself!
- I don't know how this works for heavy wetters or over the course of many hours, because I like to change my son just as soon as he gets wet. But, the nice thing is that you can stuff this diaper with an extra insert if you need to!
- You may also have to experiment with the placement and size of the Snappi grips to accommodate your individual baby.
What you need:
-Flannel (at least 3/4 of a yard in length). If you want different prints for the inside and outside, you will need at least 3/4 yard of each.
-An old bath towel (the more plush and absorbent, the better!)
-Elastic (I like to use 1/4"-thick for the legs, and 1/2" for the back waist, but 1/4" all around will work just fine)
-Paper grocery bag for making the pattern
-Safety pin (not pictured, whoops!)
-Optional: a washcloth to use as a Snappi grip (I use the cheapy Wal-Mart ones). Unfortunately, flannel isn't that great at holding a Snappi, so unless you plan on using pins, you'll want to add this.
STEP 1: MAKE THE PATTERN
You can trace a diaper you already have, or find a pattern on the web. I used this pattern from this tutorial for a starting point, and tweaked it. I added 1/2 inch to the top for wider tabs (3" instead of 2.5"), and at the other end, I made the diaper stop tapering 3" from the top, for easier stuffing.
STEP 2: CUT YOUR PIECES OUT
From the outer flannel print:
-One diaper piece from pattern
From the inner flannel print:
-One diaper piece from pattern
After you cut a diaper piece, you should have a small piece of fabric left over like this:
Save it, because you will need to use it later.
From the terry cloth:
-One 13" x 4" piece (I like to round the corners a bit, but you can just leave it square if you'd like)
From the washcloth, if you want Snappi grips:
One 5" x 2.5" piece
Two 3" x 2.5" pieces
I like to cut the corners on these to make folding easier.
STEP 2.5: MAKE THE SNAPPI FRONT
If you are going to attach some terry cloth for Snappi grips, now's the time to attach the front piece! I'm still figuring out the best size and placement, but here's what I have so far. Take your 5" x 2.5" piece, fold each side under 1/2 inch (If you want to make it easier, you can sew those edges down before pinning to the diaper front), and fasten to your outer diaper piece-- about 4 inches down from the front top, down the center.
With a straight stitch, sew 1/4 inch from the edge. Then, using a zigzag stitch, sew right on the edge.
STEP 3: ATTACH THE SOAKER
Pin the your 14" x 4" towel piece to the wrong side of your diaper inner piece. I like to position it about 4 inches from the front top so I can stuff the finished diaper further into itself. Using a straight stitch, sew 1/4 inch from the edge, with the presser foot as your guide.
Remember that scrap of fabric you saved? Pull that out and lay it over the soaker, covering it as best as you can. (Ideally, you want to use the scrap from whichever flannel print is lightest, but for the sake of instruction, I am using the ladybug print, wrong side up, so you can see better). Using your sense of touch as a guide, pin the flannel to the terry cloth, making an outline of the soaker.
 |
| Here, the pins are outlining one end of the soaker |
Turn the diaper inner over, so that the right side faces you. Using a zigzig stitch, and using the presser foot as a guide, sew along the outside of the straight stitch you just made.
Being careful not to cut the diaper inner, trim the excess fabric off the soaker.
STEP 4: MAKE LEG CASINGS
Some diaper tutorials instruct you to sew the elastic directly to the diaper. I've tried this before, and it compromises the elastic's stretchiness big-time! It also makes replacing the elastic next to impossible. So, we will be sewing leg casings instead.
Place both diaper pieces right sides together, and sew 1/2 inch seam along the back and sides, leaving the front top and tab sides open. Turn right-side-out, and press.
Starting about an inch from the diaper tab curve, sew a 5/8" seam, ending about 4 inches from the front top (where the diaper pattern straightens out). Sew another 5/8" seam along the top back, beginning and ending about 3" from the ends of the tabs.
 |
| The pins mark where to begin and end the seams. |
STEP 5: INSERT ELASTIC
Attach the safety pin to one end of the elastic.
Using the safety pin as a grip, thread the elastic up through the leg casing until it's clear of the end of the casing seam.
 |
| The safety pin is up at the top, near the diaper tab |
Sew across the elastic near the pin. Because I am slightly OCD, I like to make two separate seams about 1/8" apart, sewing and reversing a few times on each. That elastic ain't goin' anywhere!
Holding your new seam, pull the elastic until it's taut, but keep your diaper body straight and unpuckered. If I had another set of hands, I'd show you what I mean. :-( Pinch the elastic at the front top, and pin into place.
Make another seam (or seams) at that end of the leg casing. Clip off the excess elastic. Hooray, you're done with one leg!
Repeat for the other leg and back.
STEP 6: FINISH
Turn the diaper inside-out again and close up the diaper tab seams.
At the diaper front top, turn under 1/4 inch and press. Turn under again (somewhere between 1/4" and 1/2") and press again. Pin into place, and stitch all around. Since I have kind of a love affair with the zigzag stitch, that's what I used, but you could just as easily use a straight stitch.
STEP 6.5: MAKE THE DIAPER TAB SNAPPI GRIPS
Take one of the 3" x 2.5" pieces of terry cloth. Fold and attach to a diaper tab, the same way you attached the front Snappi grip. You may need to play around with the placement to suit your baby, but here is where I place mine for my 20+ pound chunky baby:
Repeat for the other tab.
Congratulations, you made a fitted diaper!
I love the nice, deep, poo-catching pocket it forms inside. I have never had one of these diapers leak yet!
To shorten the rise, you can stuff it inside itself...
And it will fit a smaller baby!
******
So, what gives? I have a baby boy, and yet this diaper is clearly for a girl! Well, I don't want to giveaway any answers, but you will want to check back for a special post soon! :-D
Monday, March 7, 2011
Bean Dish
In preparation for Lent, Elizabeth at That Married Couple is having a week of blog posts dedicated to meatless meals, so I thought I'd join in with my favorite ever vegetarian meal!
This is a meal that my mom made for vegetarians that visited my parents' restaurant when I was in high school. I never saw the actual recipe, so I just kind of guessed all the ingredients and made it my own! I don't have a name for this entree; around here, we call it "Bean Dish". Real creative, I know. :-P But what it lacks in titles, it more than makes up in flavor!
Ingredients
-One can black beans (or equivalent in dried beans, cooked)
-One can diced tomatoes
-1 cup frozen corn
-1 small onion
-A few cloves of garlic
-Olive oil
-1/2 cup salsa
-1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (or more, if you're not too attached to your taste buds)
-Salt and pepper to taste
-1 cup rice
-Shredded cheese, sour cream
1. Cook the rice. The box will tell you what to do. :-P
2. Chop the onion and garlic, reserving some of the onion for garnish. In separate saucepan, saute the rest of the onion and garlic in olive oil until cooked. (if you want to add meat, here's the place to do it! Toss in a chicken breast or 1/2 pound of ground beef) Add beans and tomatoes. Add corn, salsa and cayenne pepper (and other spices you wish); let simmer until bubbling.
3. Serve the bean sauce over rice. Top with sour cream, cheese, and the reserved onions.
Serves about 4.
Easy, huh? And you wouldn't believe how quickly it fills you up, and how tasty it is-- it's a little fiesta for your taste buds! So, if Friday rolls around, and you are strapped for a good vegetarian meal... you know what to eat.
This is a meal that my mom made for vegetarians that visited my parents' restaurant when I was in high school. I never saw the actual recipe, so I just kind of guessed all the ingredients and made it my own! I don't have a name for this entree; around here, we call it "Bean Dish". Real creative, I know. :-P But what it lacks in titles, it more than makes up in flavor!
Ingredients
-One can black beans (or equivalent in dried beans, cooked)
-One can diced tomatoes
-1 cup frozen corn
-1 small onion
-A few cloves of garlic
-Olive oil
-1/2 cup salsa
-1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (or more, if you're not too attached to your taste buds)
-Salt and pepper to taste
-1 cup rice
-Shredded cheese, sour cream
1. Cook the rice. The box will tell you what to do. :-P
2. Chop the onion and garlic, reserving some of the onion for garnish. In separate saucepan, saute the rest of the onion and garlic in olive oil until cooked. (if you want to add meat, here's the place to do it! Toss in a chicken breast or 1/2 pound of ground beef) Add beans and tomatoes. Add corn, salsa and cayenne pepper (and other spices you wish); let simmer until bubbling.
 |
| The green flecks are cilantro that I added at the last minute. |
3. Serve the bean sauce over rice. Top with sour cream, cheese, and the reserved onions.
Serves about 4.
Easy, huh? And you wouldn't believe how quickly it fills you up, and how tasty it is-- it's a little fiesta for your taste buds! So, if Friday rolls around, and you are strapped for a good vegetarian meal... you know what to eat.
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