First holiday of the year!

Ahh, May long weekend. I always look forward to our holidays. We spend them at the same place every year. Osoyoos, BC! C has been going there since he was two. J went for the first time when he was 4 months old. I can't really call it 'camping' cause we have a trailer and a HUGE deck. Camping to me, is a tent in the middle of nowhere.. or at a 'campground'.

Shady Lagoon used to be like that, now they are all permanent spots.

A couple years ago my FIL was offered a permanent spot and of course he agreed to it. He loves it up there more than all of us! Now Osoyoos in the middle of the summer is a hot spot.. literally HOT. Every year I get burnt, my first year was terrible. I was a lobster and was very uncomfortable. The next year I vowed to not get burnt but spent one day laying around under the mister and burnt my lower half! I do believe last year was the first year I didn't burn. I was too busy taking care of J and keeping him shaded that I didn't even get the chance hehe.

When we go to Osoyoos, we don't care about the time, what day it is.. or what's going on back at home (sorry people, but it's our time to relax) It's my favorite place on earth. No lie. It's so beautiful, so calm and serene.




The view



We plan of keeping the tradition going in our family. I cannot imagine any other place (well besides Disneyland when J is old enough) where we would spend our holidays. We have great friends that come along with us, it's like another family altogether.



J - May Long 2010




J - May Long 2011



I am now counting down the day's till we get to go again. I will be gone for ten whole days with J (C has to work but will join us for the long weekend) Ahh 56 days and counting...

A duca duca Goose?? Duca Duca Diaper

OK, so here's the deal. A while back MOAS was offering blogger's a chance to review one of two new diaper's that are coming out on the market. I jumped on that band wagon and was offered to do a review.

So here it is... Duca Duca O/S Diaper.

I was very excited to get the chance to do a review on a new diaper. When I received my package I couldn't wait so I did a load of diapers to prep everything. After I washed it, I did an inspection. I really love the back of the diaper. The embroidery is super cute and unique.



Pocket opening

 I was very happy that the diaper came with not one but two inserts (I am unsure if it's MF or a Cotton 'like' insert.It's very very soft) One is slightly larger (in width) and the other is similar to my other MF inserts. What I wasn't happy with was what the inner material is made of. To be honest I don't like it at all. It's not a micro fleece, it's a thicker fleece but I feel that it would make the diaper 'hot' if that makes sense. I'm stumped for words, when I looked on their website there was no information about the materials used.


The inserts-So soft and a good size



Internal

Upon further inspection I thought to myself "I don't even think this is going to fit J. The rise seems very short." So I asked C what his first impression was..he replied with "You sure that's going to fit? The rise seems..short" I agreed with him. I checked the internal rise thinking maybe I had some more room to play with but nope, it was on the largest setting.

I put it on J and gave it a chance. It sits very low on him (due to the short rise) and getting the snaps done up was a feat in itself. I could only use the first two snaps, and even then it was a tight fit.

Once I got it all done up and let him run around I was impressed with the trimness of the diaper. I would be on board with the diaper if the rise/sizing was altered slightly to fit a longer/chubbier baby.

If I were rating this diaper out of 5 I would give it a 3/5. The reason being a short rise, odd snap placement and the inner material being well not so comfortable looking. Upon going to their website, I would also not pay the 21.95 they are asking for a single diaper.

Pros:

Trim fit
Comes with two super soft inserts
Washes well

Cons:

Short rise
Snap placement
Inner material


So to sum everything up, I think this diaper would be great for a smaller baby or a toddler who is more slender. It has some good qualities but for us it's just not a good fit.

If you would like to buy your very own Duca Duca Diaper follow the link: http://www.ducaducadiapers.com/

I would like to thank Mother of A Sale for supplying the diaper to review. I do believe with a few tweaks, this diaper would be a good fit for us.

Please note I was in no way compensated for this review. I was supplied the diaper free of charge for the purpose of this review. All opinions are strictly my own. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Wordless Wednesday...On to the finals!!!

Ok so this really isn't a 'wordless' Wednesday, but I don't think ANY Vancouverite will be able to stay wordless today.... why's that you ask?? Cause we're GOING TO THE STANLEY CUP FINALS!!!!

Last night Vancouver beat San Jose in double overtime, final score...

3 - 2 VANCOUVER!!!!



Photo taken from the Province Newspaper



Let's bring it home boys!!!!!!!!

A not so mini MiniMaestro diaper review

I'm on a roll today! Two reviews on the same day?? What can I say, I'm very excited about my reviews that I have planned out!

Up next is a review for the Canadian owned and operated diaper company MiniMaestro.

Borrowed from their FB page:

"MiniMaestro is a Canadian manufacturer of high-quality cloth diapers for the parents who want to make a difference for their babies’ health and comfort, their wallet and the environment." 



Vintage White/Celery: Mint Julep



Now I have read quite a few reviews on the MiniMaestro pocket diaper and was looking forward to writing up my own review. I was very excited when I found out that Sophie (The CEO) was going to be running a 750 Facebook fan giveaway. Now rather than a random drawing for a diaper, she set up the giveaway as a "Name the Diaper" giveaway. She listed all their diapers and asked us fan's to come up with a name(s) for the color combo's they have available. OK I'll admit that I submitted a name or two (or three or four) for each color combo. I love naming diapers hehe.



Light Blue/Royal Blue: Little Boy Blue

 After that people 'voted' by liking the name they thought was the best. In the end, I ended up winning not one but TWO MiniMaestro pocket diapers. The Vintage White/Celery was my favorite. I came up with the name Mint Julep. In the end I won with the most likes. The second one I won was a Light Blue/ Royal Blue, which I named Little Boy Blue. Again, I had the most likes and won!

On to the review!

I received these quick as I am in Canada and so is MiniMaestro. Once I got them, I wasted no time and prepped them right away.

After the wash and dry I took a better look at them. My first impression was, they look like they are going to be a very trim fit, which is great as I do not like a super bulky diaper. One of the great features is the super soft inner. It's made of micro fleece and is very soft and keeps J's bum dry. The outer material is again soft, yet feels durable. A well rounded contructed diaper I must say!

Love the two tone look. It's a nice change from a white inner and color outer.

I have to say that the insert is fabulous! The 'fit' in the diaper is great. It's large and very absorbent. The insert is made up of a synthetic inner (microfiber) while the outer fabric is a Bamboo fleece. It's very soft and like I said before, very absorbent!



Here's a side by side comparison. the insert is a perfect fit!

I used my MiniMaestro diaper's while we went on Holidays this past weekend. We were in the car for almost 6 hours and J never had a leak in these diapers. You can bet that they were soaked but not a single drop of urine escaped. We also had a poop EXPLOSION in one of them, and again, not a single smidgen of poop got out!

I just wanted to point out that the Velcro on these diapers is very strong and actually stay closed to their laundry tabs while being laundered. I can get a custom fit around J's chubby tummy. I really like the large Velcro band across the front as well. Again it's a custom fit, which is a big plus!

The back pocket opening for the insert is quite large and I love that it has double elastics.

My overall review of this diaper is, it's a must have in any cloth diaper stash. It's fool proof for babysitters/grandparents as it's a Velcro closure. The two tone look is different from other cloth diapers out there on the market. Another big plus for me is just due to the fact that MiniMaestro is a Canadian company. The diaper washes very well (it's dries quick too!) and it has passed the car ride test. I have no doubts that this diaper could keep up with J's sleep (with the addition of a doubler) I can honestly say that when we decide to have Baby #2, I will be ordering a few smaller sizes to accommodate a newborn.

Follow the link here: http://www.minimaestroweb.com/ to purchase your very own MiniMaestro pocket diaper. Be sure to check out their entire selection of products. They have some great bundle deals as well as FREE shipping in Canada and a flat rate for the USA.

Be sure to like them on Facebook as well. You never know when their next giveaway will be! http://www.facebook.com/#!/MiniMaestro





J in his Large MiniMaestro diaper





Please note that I was not compensated for this review. I won these diapers from a Facebook giveaway. All opinions are strictly my own. Please feel free to contact me with any concerns.

Sweet Bobbins cloth wipe love...

When C and I made the switch to cloth diapers, we wanted an alternative to disposable wipes. It took some time for C to get on board as he wasn't too keen on using a cloth to wipe J's bum. We started out with baby wash clothes, but that soon got the axe. They just seemed to rough for J's delicate baby skin. So we went back to disposables.

After we made the switch to full time cloth, that was it, I was determined to use cloth wipes. So I made some of my own. I took some old receiving blankets and cut them up. I didn't sew them or anything, just snip snip snip and voila! Home made single layer wipes. After a few washes they started to fray but I didn't mind. I just cut off the loose threads. A month later I was getting annoyed at the fact that some loose threads came off during the wash and were catching to all my microfiber inserts. So I was on the hunt for some well made wipes.

I had a criteria that I wanted to follow when it came time to purchase.

1) They need to be double layer
2) Need to be very soft
3) Well made
4) Wanted to support a WAHM
5) Need a good size to get the job done
6) Well priced

After searching and searching I came across Sweet Bobbins on Facebook. I had looked at her Etsy shop sometime ago and remembered that she sold wipes by the half dozen, which is a great "try me out" kinda deal. I took a look around and decided that I would try her wipes first. So I placed my order for the mini starter set. I of course got the boys mix print and was very excited to try them out! I found out that she was close (like really really close) to her 800th sale, and whoever placed the 800th order would receive a free mini set along with their order. unfortunately I was number 799 BUT Angela did send me a little something something along with my order! (How nice is that!?)

It took about 9 days to receive my order (Which is pretty darn good since it was coming TO Canada) I was very excited to see what I had got! I tore open the package and pulled them out.

My first impression: HOLY COW, they are soooo soft! I looked at every one individually and realized that I had TEN not six!! (By the way, thank you Angela...that was a very nice surprise!)

Here's my Sweet Bobbins wipe order.

Now the nitty gritty:

These are a double layer wipe, made of flannel and Organic Bamboo Velour (OBV) They are the perfect size to fold up and put in a wipes container or in a small Planet Wise wet bag. The prints I received were very cute and very boyish! All the edges are surged and look very professional.

I put these bad boys to the test right away. I washed them up, dried them (they came out looking the same) and lucked out as J had gone for 'real'. I was amazed that one wipe took care of a very poopy diaper. The OBV caught the mess and cleaned him right up, while the flannel side was soft enough to dry him off.

Not the best picture but here is the OBV side... so very soft!

I was SO impressed with these wipes that I ordered a dozen more a few days later. C was all for it and he was the one that stated we should get some more. "they work better than the crummy ones you made!"

So with that being said, I ordered another dozen and am very excited to get them as I hate when I run out of my Sweet Bobbins wipes.

All in all I am IN LOVE with these wipes. The only thing wrong is that I do not have enough. They are everything that I was looking for in a wipe and the prices are great. Angela's customer service is amazing. I am a very VERY happy customer, and plan on returning to purchase some more items from her!

Here's some info!:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/SweetBobbins?ref=pr_shop - Link to Angela's Etsy shop

A mini starter set (6) costs: $7.54 CAD plus $2.75 to ship

A Starter set (12) costs: $15.08 CAD plus $3.50 to ship

(please note that these prices were what was on Etsy as of May 24th 2011, prices may change due to dollar conversion)

http://www.facebook.com/#!/SweetBobbins - Link to her FB page. At 1000 fans one VERY lucky fan will win a prize. Make sure you head on over and LIKE her!!

Angela, has other awesome products on her site. Not just wipes. So go on over and take a look around You won't be disappointed. I promise!

How cute are these prints? I love them

Please note that I was not compensated for this review. All opinions are strictly my own. If you have any concerns please feel free to contact me.

Wordless Wednesday...16 months have come and gone.

To my sweet, happy little boy:

Today you are 16 months old. Honestly, I don't know where the time went. I feel like I blinked and poof! My infant was gone. Replaced by a toddler, who is so curious, smart and oh so funny! I love waking up each morning to your babble and giggles. Walking in to see you standing in your crib with open arms, ready to take on another day.

J, my love for you is infinite. A never ending cycle. There are no words to describe it, but a mother's love for her child. I am proud to call you my son. And I hope one day you are proud that I am your mum.

I love you sweetheart, with ever fibre of my being. xoxo

Love, Mum

Up and coming reviews!!

Again I have been neglecting my blog... things have been a little crazy around here. My work schedule has picked up, C and J were involved in a car accident a couple weeks ago (everyone is fine, but my poor car isn't) oh did I mention that my work schedule picked up??

Now don't get me wrong I love my job (YES.. you read that right!) I really love my job. But having to work every weekend can make you somewhat bitter. I don't get to take J to the park with C, or go to the Aquarium but I guess it's ok as I get to spend the week with him. And I don't have to work EVERY weekend, just recently. Anyways, I have some exciting reviews coming up.

I recently won two MiniMaestro diapers on facebook!! It was their 750 fan giveaway, and you had to submit a name for the color combo. Now I have a confession, I love to name diapers. There are a few WAHM sites that have my names for their diapers. Heheh. So when I saw this I just on bored and went to work. A few names were kinda blah,but other I thought we really really good. I ended up winning a light green (celery) and white diaper, and also a Royal Blue and Baby Blue diaper!

I was pretty excited as I have not tried these yet. So keep your eyes peeled for the review!
I also bought a mini starter pack of wipes from Sweet Bobbins etsy shop. Again, I will be doing a review on those as well. And just for the record... I LOVE them... like really really love them. :)

Here's a list of what I hope to have reviewed and posted in the coming weeks:

MiniMaestro Pocket Diaper
GoGreen Champs 2.0
Sweet Bobbins wipes
Monster Fluff Studio Fleece soaker
AppleCheeks Little Bundle
Duca Duca Diapers (A new one!!!)
Knickernappies Doorknock diaper pail
Happy Green Wool Dryer Balls
Norwex Products (At the moment I have the polishing cloth, I'll do a review once I get my starter set!)

So there you have it. I am pretty stoked about doing some new reviews and I was also thinking of making a section for all my recipes. I love to cook and bake... so that will be my next step. Venturing away from the baby gear reviews. Don't worry I'll still do them, I just wanted to add something else to the blog.!!

Much love xoxox

And just like that...my nursing days were over!

Fifteen and a half months. That's how long I got to nurse J. In all honesty I really wanted to make it to eighteen months, but he self weaned himself.

Now I know there are a lot of people who would say "Babies won't self wean until the age of two" Well all I have to say to that is 'poo on you' Sorry to be blunt but I was starting to force J to nurse and he just wasn't having it.

It's a bittersweet feeling. On one hand, I'm so glad that I'm done with it. Not needing to be on call all the time. No more late night feedings..I get my boobies back! And then I think about all the time I got to spend with him. I provided something for him that no one else could. I have to give myself a pat on the back. After J was born, I wanted to give up two weeks in. I had sore nips, a small cut and to top it all off, I was so sore. After we both got the hang of it, things became a whole lot easier. But then I started to feel couped up all the time. I was never comfortable NIP so I would always organize my days around J nursing. After we hit three months, I said to myself..OK time to try some formula... Well that was an epic fail. First off, J wanted nothing to do with it. And secondly I felt guilty cause I was able to produce 'liquid gold' so why not continue on??

At six months all my other mommy friends (who had children close to J's age) children were off the boob and on to the formula/bottles. So I thought.. OK.. let's try it again. Maybe this time he'll take it. WRONG! Again he threw a fit. So I thought about it again, I'm still producing milk..why would I switch now?? So I set a new goal for myself. Let's make it to a year.

Happy birthday to you...J turns one! What a happy and sad day all in one. First off, my 'infant' is no ,longer an infant he is a small child (toddler if you will) and we both hit a MAJOR milestone. We made it to a year! Some of my family members were shocked to know that I was still nursing my 12 month old son... but I never really paid much attention to them. J had his first sippy of dare I say it.. COWS milk at ten months and he loved it! The transition from breast milk to cows milk was easy peasy. Although the main source of 'milk' was still me. (Please, do not tell me that Cows milk is meant for baby cows cause I'll lose it. I'm raising my child..not you!!) Sorry to be blunt again, but it drive me CRAZY when I hear other 'lacativst' say s*** like that.  Get off your high horse. If you can/want to nurse till your child is a certain age then bravo to you. But please don't make me out to be the bad buy... ok rant over.

At fifteen month J's nursing schedule dropped..drastically. He went from 3 nursings a day to just one.. then 2 weeks later.. he was done with my boobies. I tried to force him to nurse and that didn't go over to well with him. So I just stopped. I tried again a few days later and all I got was little love bites.. then he would run away.

I will treasure my nursing days with J forever. He taught me a lot about patients and he will never truly know how much I appreciate that. I know that I gave him the absolute BEST for 15 months... I am so proud of myself and J... and I look forward to my next nursling when the time comes.

Much love

xoxoxo

A not so Wordless Wednesday...sending a Birthday wish to heaven

Today he would have been 52. But he would have said that he was 29. He's been 29 since he turned 30! I would have asked him to come over for dinner. I would have made potato pancakes (his favorite and the one and only recipe I cannot perfect!!) He would remind me that I needed extra garlic and a lot of butter.. and sour cream.

Well today I will make his potato pancakes, I'll remember the extra garlic and will not forget the sour cream. The only thing that will be missing is him. "Who's him" you ask.. My Dad.

He passed away November 4 2008. Just six month shy of his 50th birthday. And all I can say, is that his passing came right out of left field. I had not spoken to him in nearly six months. And to this day the only regret I have is not answering the last phone call he would ever make to me.. on my birthday. I was very messed up after his death. I put on a face and a demeanor that looked like I was OK.. but inside I was screaming. I was very depressed...very very depressed. I finally got out of my funk when I learned i was pregnant with J. He was conceived on this very day back in 2009. Hehe.

My sisters and I try to get together every year on his birthday and on the anniversary of his death to celebrate his life. Both days consist of tears and laughter... funny stories and great food. But we all feel like there's something missing and truth be told there is. He's missing. And no matter how many years pass, or how healed we are..there will always be one empty seat.

Sweet home Alabama
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet Home Alabama
Lord, I'm coming home to you

"I just wanted to wish you a very Happy Birthday Daddy. I wish I could tell you that I love you very much and one day we will meet again. But until then, please keep watch over us and remember that we all love you and miss you so much."

xoxo

Well if you wanna go... why not GoGreen??

Yay! Here's my second diaper review! I know i have been so way behind with my blog, but I just have not had the time to sit down a write. *Sad face* But here is my review on the GoGreen pocket diaper.
I had won a couple of GoGreen's regular diapers. I chose a Moo Too (fuzzy diaper) and also a Print Silky diaper in Techno Tushie. First off I have to say that their Fuzzy diapers are oh so soft and they have some super cute prints. I also own the Giraffe print and the Camo print. Again all are so adorable and are very soft. Now on to the Techno Tushie...

My first impression was, how vivid the colors were. I was really drawn to this diaper just from the print. I love the blue and yellow combo. Secondly I really like the crossover snaps and the hip snaps. J has a chubby belly and thinner thighs so hip snaps are a must in our home. He's about 27.5 lbs and 32".

Here's the diaper un-snapped but on the medium rise setting. And also the inside of the diaper. Which is another great aspect of GoGreen diapers. Suede cloth....

I'll be honest, all of J's pocket diapers are on the largest rise setting, except for GoGreen. He is on the middle setting, which I love because that means he will get more wear out of them. I also really like the suede cloth inners. All of their regular diaper's have the suede cloth lining. I find that the suede cloth doesn't stain as bad as microfleece, which is a BIG HUGE plus as I hate (and I mean HATE) stains in my diapers. I know I know.. but it's a diaper. I do not care. I try very hard to get all the poop stains out. Each regular diaper comes with one microfiber insert, which is very absorbent!

The fit of this diaper is impeccable. Like I stated before, J is on the medium setting, which gives us a lot of room to grow. The leg elastic does not leave red marks on his legs and the outside is very soft. I have washed these multiple times and they come out looking like they did the day I got them. We have not had any leaks... none, zip, nada. J is a heavy wetter and even with just one insert in, he can go a few hours before I have to change.

Pros:

Great price point - Start at 8.99/regular diaper, 14.95 for a Champ 2.0 (I'm waiting patiently for stock so I can snag one!)

Really cute prints/solids and fuzzies

Wash very welesl

Great fit

Crossover snaps 

Cons:

Small stuffing pocket

I really didn't like the spacing of the snaps on the tabs. I wish they were spaced a little more far apart.

I don't have enough!!

No gussets like the Champ.

All in all C and I are in LOVE with these diapers. I would like to get some more. J seems to be a happy camper when he is wearing his GoGreen pocket diaper!!

J wearing his Techno Tushie



I so recommend GoGreen diapers if you are just starting to cloth diaper or even if you are a seasoned pro!. They are easy to use, come in a wide variety of prints,solids and fuzzy diapers. They also sell extra inserts for a reasonable price and have some really great Wet/Dry bags (that are a great price too!!) If you have been wanting to try them, DON'T hesitate. Get them while you can, cause when they stock, they go like Hot Cakes!!

Check them out on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/GoGreen-Pocket-Diapers/150502178315966

And make sure you go and visit their website! http://www.gogreenpocketdiapers.com/ 

 

Please note that I was in no way compensated for this review. All opinions are strictly my own.

New Diaper Companies!

I have been told that there are a couple new diaper companies that are getting ready to launch!! How exciting!!

Duca Duca Diapers: I haven't got any info about them yet, but when I do I will be sure to post it! Check out their facebook page to keep updated! http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Duca-Duca-Diapers/146354212101312

Maude Baby Diapers: Again no info yet, but when I get some I'll be sure to post it.
In the mean time check out their facebook page! http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Maude-Baby-Diapers/206741942691632

I'm pretty excited to see what they have in store. I'm such a fluff addict!!