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You see that ad over there that says BlogHer? —>

I just became a part of their ad network and apparently I can’t host giveaways on the same page where their ad is displayed.

So, this post has been moved. Sorry. Click here to go to it.

Thanks for understanding. . . . → Click Here To Read The Full Blog Post: Shift Your Habit: Recycling Bottles & Cans- Taking It One Step Further]]>

You see that ad over there that says BlogHer? —>

I just became a part of their ad network and apparently I can’t host giveaways on the same page where their ad is displayed.

So, this post has been moved. Sorry. Click here to go to it.

Thanks for understanding.

?

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I was given the opportunity to review quite a few cloth diaper products. I am a disposable mommy, but slowly moving to the cloth diapering side. I thought it would be difficult and costly. . . . → Click Here To Read The Full Blog Post: Cloth Diapering Q & A]]> Interested in Cloth Diapering? Have no clue where to start or what it is or how it works?

I was given the opportunity to review quite a few cloth diaper products. I am a disposable mommy, but slowly moving to the cloth diapering side. I thought it would be difficult and costly. The real cost is up front, buying the diapers- then it’s all wash & dry like you do laundry. I asked two cloth diapering Moms a few questions which they were glad to answer. Have any more questions? Email me or comment here and I’ll be sure to find the answers for you!

~ Dawana

Answers From Crazy SAHM:

1. How many diapers do you have in your “stash”?
   I am guessing about 70. seriously. Granted about 24 of them are not being used right now because my kids have outgrown them because they are sized pocked diapers.
2. Once your little one soils their diaper- what do you do? (rinse it off, then put it in a pail? put it right in a pail, etc.)
   If it’s wet, it goes straight into the pail, if it’s poopie I knock the solids into the toilet and rinse it then, it goes into the pail.
3. What kind of diaper pail do you use?
   I have a 13 gallon plastic trash can from target with a lid that I put a wet bag (waterproof bag that you can wash and reuse) into.
4. How do you wash your diapers? (What’s the process?, do you put them in the dryer?)
   I first run a cold rinse cycle, then a cycle on HOT water with free and clear detergent, then two cold rinses, with a bit of vinegar to make them fluffy. I only put my inserts, prefolds in the dryer, I always hang dry my covers. One in a while I will throw the covers in if I need clean diapers right away.
5. What happens when you go out? Where do you put the dirty diaper?
   I just pack my cloth diapers in the diaper bag just like a mom with disaposables. I carry a small wetbag to put the dirty diapers into.
6. How many cloth diapers do you arm yourself with when you leave the house?
   For my two kids who are 2 years and 9 months I usually pack a diaper each for every 2 hours I am planning on being gone.
   And yes I have taken my cloth on vacation! I have washed them away from home.

About the Crazy SAHM:

“I am a 26 year old bfing, cding, sahm to two kids, a 2 year old girl, and a 10 month boy…oh and I am a ninja.”

You can follow her on Twitter and read her blog here!

Answers from Cara:

1. How many diapers do you have in your “stash”?
   25-30 daytime diapers & 6 nighttime diapers (My almost 3yo is still in nighttime & nap diapers)
2. Once your little one soils their diaper- what do you do? (rinse it off, then put it in a pail? put it right in a pail, etc.)
   Pee diapers: straight to the pail (I don’t pull out my inserts). Poop diapers: Shake as much off into the toilet as possible then I rinse the remainder in the sink (followed by an immediate bleaching…I don’t have a diaper sprayer &  am not sticking my hands in the toilet to rinse).
3. What kind of diaper pail do you use?
   My diaper pail is a trashcan with a lid & I use a large wetbag as the liner.
4. How do you wash your diapers? (What’s the process?, do you put them in the dryer?)
   My wash process:
   1) Cold rinse
   2) Hottest wash possible with a cold rinse
   3) Repeat cold rinse
   4) Dry (During the summer I try to dry them outside as frequently as possible to help with stains)
5. What happens when you go out? Where do you put the dirty diaper?
   I’m lazy & haven’t gotten around to ordering a small wetbag yet, so when we go out, I just use a gallon size Ziploc bag to store the dirties. I use Rockin’ Green’s “Shake it up” in the baggies to help control odor.
6. How many cloth diapers do you arm yourself with when you leave the house?
   I usually take 3-5 diapers when we go out…1 diaper for every 2 hrs plus an extra, just in case.

About Cara:

“I am someone’s wife, mother, daughter, sister, best friend, confidant, shoulder to lean on. I am a baker, coffee drinker, laundress, schedule maker, grocery shopper, avid reader. College dropout, worker of mediocre jobs, now a stay-at-home mom. Married to my best friend, mom to two crazy, wonderful, lovable munchkins. Constantly searching for something to fulfill me, yet absolutely content, satisfied & grateful for the live I’ve been blessed with.”

You can follow Cara on Twitter or read her blog here.






Thanks, ladies!

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Well, it’s new to me.

I was actually told by a Middle Eastern man at the cell phone accessory kiosk in the mall that he used to carry cases for my cell phone, but “that phone is old” and “they don’t . . . → Click Here To Read The Full Blog Post: Hello Moto]]> That’s what my new phone says when I turn it on.

Well, it’s new to me.

I was actually told by a Middle Eastern man at the cell phone accessory kiosk in the mall that he used to carry cases for my cell phone, but “that phone is old” and “they don’t make cases for those anymore.”

Well you know what? Who ASKED YOU?!

I have retired my iPhone. For personal reasons, we are going separate ways.

My iPhone and I have a love/hate relationship… Mostly love, though. It did so many wonderful things for me, but honestly, I was probably cheating on my husband with it:

Laughing at tweets that I would get from my Twitter friends, playing words with friends late at night before bed, incessantly checking my email on long car rides, playing Tic Tac Touch or writing a new blog post on the WordPress app.

I definitely loved my iPhone, from day one. But then there were the times when I would have a dropped call even though I had full bars. Or when I’d walk into Old Navy at the mall and lose all reception. Or when I drove to Nebraska with the family and my “best 3G coverage” dropped in and out the entire way. That was fun…/(end sarcasm)

Alas, everything in this world comes at a cost. AT&T charges $30 per month for the iPhone data plan. With our government discount, it’s a little bit less, the the difference is not significant. After chatting with their customer service reps, we found out we were paying almost $30 in taxes! Thirty. DOLLARS. I’m sorry, what is that? I don’t get it.

I got rid of my text messaging months ago thinking it would help, but nope. And so, I’ve decided to make the “ultimate sacrifice” (please, just- allow me to exaggerate the situation for a bit)  and get rid of my iPhone. This will save us an extra penny on our bill per month and hopefully it will drop the bill significantly.

And as parents, making sacrifices is something we do for our families, right? I watched both of my parents make sacrifices for us all of the time. And if I really think about it, the iPhone is a want, not a need. So… **sigh** I can live without it. Life goes on, right? And by the time I’m in a position to go all smart-phone-ish again, there will be a phone even better than the iPhone for me to get.

At least that’s the way I look at it.

We also cut back our minutes to 700 daytime minutes per month from 2100, so… if you didn’t get the memo- please don’t call me before 9 p.m. Pacific Standard Time unless you have AT&T. You may call me on weekends freely, otherwise, please get in touch with me to acquire our home phone number. Yes, we got a home phone. And while you may think that it is expensive, I will tell you, in another post about the Jack with aaaaaall of the Magic.

So, I bid you adieu iPhone. It was great while it lasted. We had our good times and our bad times, but boy, were you fun.

I’ll be packing you up ever-so gently along with your 3 colorful protective cases and shipping you off to your new owner in North Carolina. I know her personally and well, she’s a great person, so I know she’ll take care of you.

Goodbye iPhone.

Hello Moto.

Image taken from Caytech.net

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As crazy as life is in this house, if I had to take the time to decide what was for dinner, we would never eat. Here’s to my menu for keeping us fed & on task and Here’s to my grocery list for helping us save . . . → Click Here To Read The Full Blog Post: My Menu & Grocery List-Making Skills]]>

As crazy as life is in this house, if I had to take the time to decide what was for dinner, we would never eat. Here’s to my menu for keeping us fed & on task and Here’s to my grocery list for helping us save money. Though, this grocery list is longer than usual because I didn’t shop the week before.

These hang right on the fridge so Hubby doesn’t have to ask what’s for dinner, though, he sometimes asks me that question anyway. Hmmm

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The Chevy is gone.

And really, it’s not a big deal. I don’t feel any sorrow or sadness, I don’t miss it. It was a . . . → Click Here To Read The Full Blog Post: Sacrifices]]> I am holding a Cashier’s Check right now for almost $10,000 that I need to take to the bank in order to pay off my car loan.

The Chevy is gone.

And really, it’s not a big deal. I don’t feel any sorrow or sadness, I don’t miss it. It was a good car. I liked the way it looked and drove, but there will be another car one day. I didn’t feel this crazy sense of attachment that some people feel to things like cars.

What I felt was that my family was paying for two cars when I don’t even work and hardly go anywhere.

What I felt was that if I paid off one of our cars, that would be one less thing to worry about.

What I felt was that the money that we were spending on my car note, my insurance and my gas- we could use to do other things whether for ourselves or for Cadence.

Really, what I felt was that sometimes in life you need to make sacrifices for the sake of your family and most importantly, your children. Chris and I have an amazing relationship, and while it hasn’t always been like this we have learned how to communicate and work as a team. So as a team, we can figure out how to make it work with one car.

When I was making the decision to sell my car, and it was my decision, I thought about the many sacrifices that my parents made for my siblings and I. I thought about the many parents today who sacrifice for their children on a daily basis. And mostly I thought about the people out there who don’t even have one car in their family. People who don’t have a roof over their heads. People who don’t have the ability to have a child… and I remembered how blessed we are. Having 1 car doesn’t change who we are. There’s always someone out there who has it the same or worse.

We have a home, we have our health, we have an amazing daughter and we have each other. Really, that’s all we need.

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After much conversation with some of my Twitter Mommas regarding how they save money while doing the (sometimes) daunting household task of grocery shopping, . . . → Click Here To Read The Full Blog Post: $64.32]]> That, my friends, is how much I spent on groceries for this week’s menu. This, is a milestone. I don’t think I’ve ever spent less than $75.00 before.

After much conversation with some of my Twitter Mommas regarding how they save money while doing the (sometimes) daunting household task of grocery shopping, one lesson that I learned and feel the need to share with you is that when planning your menu, plan for foods that use similar ingredients. This avoids buying lots of different types of food, which in turn, will hike up your grocery bill.

I know many of you don’t like Walmart, but as I’ve said before, this store is my savior. It is my one-stop shop, literally. The only thing we could not find on our trip to Walmart yesterday was a football tee, for Chris obviously, and I’d just like to think that they were out of stock.

My grocery shopping process usually goes something like this:
1. Scan our pantry and refrigerator. I look to see what items we have and what I can make for dinner using these items.

2. Create the menu- this sometimes takes forEVER. I try not to bore Hubby by making the same thing every week, but it can be difficult when you and your Hubs don’t really eat the same things. Hubs loves steak, I don’t. Hubs LOVES sushi, I don’t. Hubs LOVES, LOVES a good pulled pork sandwich- I don’t eat pork. So we usually end up eating things like pasta and chicken often.

3. Make the grocery list. I add whatever items I need to make this weeks dinner and any staple kitchen items (such as condiments, milk, WAFFLES) that may be missing or running low. It is VERY important to stick to your list.

4. Go shopping!

My shopping plan really revolves around buying store brand whenever possible. I realize that cheaper is not always better, but my philosophy is: I can try the store brand and if it’s not a quality product- then I know for next time. The store brand usually runs anywhere from a few cents to a few dollars less than the name brand items- why wouldn’t I want to save that money.

Of course, the hubs has his items that you “just can’t skimp on.” Some of these items include:
- Cheese. Cheese must always be Kraft- no exceptions.
- Pasta Sauce. Pasta Sauce has to be Ragu, preferably Mama’s Special Garden Sauce.
- BBQ Sauce. This is tricky, because bbq sauce can be store brand IF they have the spicy honey flavor, which they do not. Therefore, we buy Kraft.
- Bread. The Hubs likes Nature’s Own White Wheat bread- period.
- Golden Oreos. These are really my favorite and I bought Walmart brand last month. The Hubs said uh-uh, they don’t taste the same.

I get teased by Hubby for always buying store brand. He said to me that my Walmart coffee probably tastes like water, but he’s wrong. It tastes just like Colombian coffee, thank you very much. It’s $1 less than Folgers! That’s a lot!

When we were at checkout, I was very excited because I knew that I had done good. I had stuck to my list, I only picked up 2 things that weren’t on my list. One was a luxury item and one was a new sippy cup for the baby. I rationalize the sippy cup because she just recently learned how to drink out of a straw, of course she needs a sippy cup with a straw attached, duh!

Hubs proclaimed that he wouldn’t be impressed unless the bill was under $90. I began my victory dance prematurely (the cashier probably thought I was out of my mind) because I knew that we would come in WAY below $90. I turned the register screen so he couldn’t see and told him to guess. “$92″ he said. Ehhhhh- wrong! $64.32. ::Continue victory dance:: Yay, me.

Name Brand vs. Store Brand

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