Win free bumgenius diapers!

Here's the link:

Beat the Heat Summer Contest

All you have to do is enter your info and tell them your favorite way to stay cool in the hot hot summer!

Why I love breastfeeding

1. It's free
2. There's no packaging to throw in the landfill
3. There are no bottles to wash
4. I don't have to get out of bed to feed my baby at 4 a.m.
5. I always have a snack available for him
6. Mama milk is nature's perfect food for babies
7. Breastfed babies have a stronger immune system
8. Breastfed babies are less likely to become obese
9. Breastfeeding is great for cuddling and bonding with baby

10. I woke up this morning and put on my size 5 jeans from my freshman year of college--and I weigh less after 6 months of breastfeeding than I did when I got pregnant! :o)

I usually hate forwarded emails

but this was pretty funny:

Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders & says...

'Oh shit....she's awake!!'

hmmm...I'd like to live up to that!

Allrecipes.com article to share

Hi,
Just wanted to share this awesome article that I just read on Allrecipes.com. It's about saving money while eating well!

Go Green Save Money

enjoy!

Grand opening of my Etsy shop!

Hooray! I just listed my first item on my new Etsy shop: Little Dude Diapers! I've got more stuff to list, but I just wanted to share my excitement with you all...check it out!

Little Dude Diapers

...and the teething continues.

Ugh...teething is no fun! We haven't seen anything pop through yet, but Ollie has been crabby and miserable for the past week or so. We started using Hyland's Teething Tablets and absolutely love them! They seem to calm the restlessness and make him more comfortable, plus they're all natural so I'm not putting chemicals in my baby.

Another great tip that I got from an elderly lady at church is this: Take a large carrot out of the fridge and wash/peel it. Cut a length of at least 4" and give to baby to chew on. (Make sure the carrot is fat enough that baby can't break off a piece--and make sure to supervise) We used an organic carrot, and he loves it! What a cheap, earth-friendly way to deal with teething!

Homemade bread

I made homemade wheat bread for the first time ever this week, and it actually turned out really awesome! It was quite a bit easier than I thought it would be, it just took time to rise, etc. I used Hillbilly Housewife's recipe for "Beginner's Bread" .

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/beginnersbread.htm

I used one cup of wheat flour and two cups of white, but besides that I followed her recipe exactly and got a really nice loaf of bread out of it. Now that I know how easy it is, I might bake my own bread more often! Especially since it's cheaper and healthier for my family. Take a look at the ingredient label on your bread at home, or next time you're in the bread aisle at the grocery store--there are all sorts of bad things in there (can we say "high fructose corn syrup"?). Anyways, off my soapbox and on to dreamland. Goodnight!

Blueberry eyes

Just showing off the blueberry eyes! Happy 6 months to Ollie on Sunday!

mmm...crunchy!

Crunchy: Adjective. Used to describe persons who have ALTERED OR ADJUSTED their lifestyle for ENVIRONMENTAL REASONS.

Free Vitamins!

Here are the links for some free samples of Nature Made vitamins. Enjoy!

Multivitamin: http://shortn.it/uT5t
Multivitamin for her: http://shortn.it/uTCu
Vitamin C: http://shortn.it/ykl8
Vitamin D: http://shortn.it/g7SV
Calcium: http://shortn.it/oaL7
Super B Complex: http://shortn.it/GvmG

Greener cleaning

When I found out that I was having a baby, I went a little crazy and threw out everything in my house that was toxic. That meant I had to start from scratch with all of my cleaning supplies. After some research, as well as trial and error, I've realized that it is totally unnecessary to use any toxic cleaning products. Here is what I've tried and what I use.

Products that I've tried:
Method all-purpose cleaners, bathroom cleaning wipes, dish soap
Seventh Generation automatic dishwasher soap
Clorox Green Works all purpose cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner
Trader Joe's dish soap, automatic diswasher soap, castille soap
Charlie's soap (laundry detergent)

I actually haven't had a problem with any of the products listed above. I like the scents available with the Method cleaners (mmmm... pink grapefruit). Both the Seventh Generation and Trader Joe's dishwasher soap worked well getting my dishes clean. Not crazy about the scents with Clorox Green works but I do like their toilet bowl cleaner. No complaints about Charlie's soap.

All that is well and good, but buying the greener versions of cleaning products can be expensive. I do keep some on hand, but for the most part I make my own. I've already shared my recipes for laundry soap and dishwasher detergent. Here is what I use to clean everything else.

All-purpose cleaner (for sinks, floors, windows, mirrors, etc.):
1 part water
1 part white vinegar
10 drops of essential oil (I like a combo of tea tree, lavendar, and orange)

Toilet cleaner:
sprinkle in about 1/4 c. baking soda
add 1/4 c. white vinegar and scrub with toilet brush while it fizzes

Tub cleaner:
same as toilet cleaner but I use a sponge instead.

I also use my all-purpose cleaner to clean the baby's toys-- it works as a mild disinfectant.

Now go GREEN your cleaning!

Cheaper greener tips to stay cool!

It is BLOODY hot outside here in New England! Since cranking up the AC or driving to somewhere cool (Grocery store, movies, water park, etc.) costs money, let's think of some ways to stay cool on a budget.
*if you have babies or toddlers, let them play with cold washcloths in a bowl of ice water
*get some box fans going and drape wet towels over them
*drink plenty of ice water or iced tea (but not too much caffeine- it's dehydrating)
*go somewhere CLOSE and cool- maybe the library or a lake that is within walking distance
*take a walk in the woods- it's usually several degrees cooler (but make sure to check for ticks after)
*if you don't have an outside pool or a kiddie pool, try filling up the bathtub with cool water and let the kids take a REALLY long bath
*Cover the windows that the sun shines in the most with towels or heavy curtains, keep the lights off, and don't use the stove or oven to cook

Ooooh Freebies!

Wanted to share some freebies :)

*Free emergen-c sampler pack http://www.emergenc.com/ Upper right hand corner-- click "shameless bribe" and fill out a short survey

*Free Clorox 2 http://www.homecleaningsquad.com/clorox_offer.html

*Free chocolate truffles...http://deliciochocolates.com/gourmet_chocolate.php

Enjoy!

Yay--Rhubarb!

Just wanted to share a couple of great rhubarb recipes with you all! I made the rhubarb cake this morning and it was delicious :o) These recipes are a great way to use fresh rhubarb.

Rhubarb Custard Pie

(8-9" Pie)

Prepare pie crust

For filling, mix together:

3 cups chopped rhubarb

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 Tbl. tapioca

Fill pie crust with mixture and bake 10 min. at 400*, then 50 min. at 350*

Rhubarb Cake

3 cups chopped rhubarb

1-1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2-1/8 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 c. sour cream, plain yogurt, or buttermilk (may need to add a couple tablespoons of milk if using sour cream or yogurt)

1/2 cup sliced almonds (optional)

Preheat oven to 350*. Grease and flour 9x13 pan. In a small bowl, mix together rhubarb and 1/2 cup sugar-- set aside. In another bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon-- set aside. In a large bowl, cream 1 cup sugar and stick of butter. Slowly beat in eggs and vanilla. Alternate beating in flour mixture and buttermilk/yogurt/sour cream until it is all added. Fold in rhubarb and almonds. Pour into prepared pan and bake 30-35 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Enjoy!