Planes, Rains, and Automobiles

We're back from B's 2nd vacation, and what a whirlwind it was! No, that's not a typo in the title of this post, but more-so an allusion to Tropical Storm Debby who threatened to rain on our parade...slight pun intended! 

B's Grandma KD was supposed to visit from Florida, but at the last minute we decided it would be more fun to take the trip out east. A little back story: B has a great uncle who recently moved from England back to the states and hasn't had a chance to meet him yet. They have settled in South Carolina, just a quick drive from Florida.  So, the decision was made, fly out of Arizona on a Tuesday, arrive in Florida. Leave Thursday from Florida to drive to South Carolina (roughly 8.5 hours). Leave South Carolina on Monday morning to drive back to Florida. Leave Wednesday from Florida back to Arizona. Doesn't that sound like fun? Oh yeah, factor in a teething 9 month old! :)

At the airport waiting to board

We decided not to tell my uncle that we would be visiting and opted to surprise him instead. Who doesn't love last-minute house guests? Don't worry, my aunt was in on the secret! :) I also took this opportunity to try a new travel system for B's cloth diapers. (That will be another post entirely, but it will include Flips and disposables--don't get me started here) So there we were, hubby just left the airport and it's just B and I, ready for a 4 hour non-stop flight. This leg of the trip was surprisingly uneventful. Despite having two teeth popping in, B was rather pleasant to travel with. He was chatting up a storm with the ladies sitting next to us on the plane, and we didn't have one diaper issue the entire flight! I thought this would be a great indicator for the rest of our trip!

All buckled in!

Tuesday and Wednesday came and went, and Thursday was the first day of our road trip. Road trips these days aren't what they used to be. Loud random music, stopping here and there for whatever "world's largest this" or "see the tallest that". We were two ladies (Grandma KD and I) and a baby on a mission. Upon looking at the forecast, it was to be sunny and warm in South Carolina, the perfect recipe for a nice family weekend. We made a couple pit stops to eat, stretch our legs, and change diapers. B was a champ in the car! He slept most of the way up there and really seemed to enjoy his view from the backseat. Once we arrived safely in South Carolina (a mere 8.5 horus later, yes, even with traffic and an infant we made GREAT time) we met up with the rest of the family and had a nice evening of pizza and swimming. 

What you can't see is his shirt reads "Road trips are awesome!"

The rest of the weekend consisted of B's first trip to the ocean and of course visiting a couple local cloth diaper shops (I'll post about these later too). While we were having fun in the sun, a quick look to the weather channel, and multiple texts from family and friends in Florida indicated South Carolina was a much better place to be than Florida. Debby. Mother Nature's moody sister blew in to town and wrecked havoc on the part of Florida we were supposed to be staying in. It was like the second we left town it started raining, and it didn't stop for days. Streets were flooded, people were canoeing where they should have been driving, and alligators were walking down the street! We decided to stay an extra day in South Carolina and ended up leaving Monday night instead of in the morning. We made it halfway home, stayed in a hotel, and finished the rest of the driving the next day. Naturally, it was about this time that B decided to get his first real fever. Not a vaccination-induced fever, but a legit, over 100, fever. My poor little monkey was a little out of sorts and crabby making the second part of our trip a little...shall we say, noisier? than the first part, but alas we made it back to Florida by Tuesday afternoon. (After another day or so of fevering, B was back to his normal self!) Although the city was still a little damp, and we did hit some rain patches here and there, for the most part the city was drying back up. Well, as dry as Florida gets :), and wouldn't you know, South Carolina was now getting the rain that just left Florida. We couldn't have planned the trip better if we were meteorologists!

Beach baby! He loved playing in the sand and waves!

 After a brief afternoon night of adjusting to being out of the car, we hit the road again Wednesday to get to the airport to fly home. Another packed flight, nicely delayed about 20 minutes, but once again B prevailed and was a trooper. I even got to chat with one of the flight attendants about cloth diapers! It was the only flight I think I've ever been on where all the attendants were men. And wouldn't you know, one of them is planning to cloth diaper when he and his wife's little one is born! After arriving safely in Phoenix, we met Polish Prince at baggage claim and the smile on B's face was almost as big as his daddy's! We had such a great time visiting family that I'm truly thankful to get to have these experiences with him at this age. We have a few more trips planned for the rest of the year and it makes me excited to know that B can handle pretty much anything that gets thrown at him!

Nine Months!

I can't believe it, my sweet little B is 9 months old today. When I think of where I was this time last year, It's shocking to see the differences. It's just getting to be summer here in Arizona, and believe me, it's great not to be carrying around an extra 20 lbs of baby...well, on the inside at least. Now I wear him on the outside-hey, at least I can stuff ice packs in the Ergo if I need to! 

In nine months, B now has 5 teeth, and two more popping through. He's confidently standing, crawling, climbing and stutter-stepping. I refuse to believe I will have a walker on my hands in the near future! He has had his first Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and family vacation. He has made some great friends, well, I have too for that matter. He loves to play and babble and LOVES the water. I could probably go on for pages about how much he is learning and what he loves to do. 

I always knew at some point I would have kids, I never knew how much I would love it though. Thank you for continuing to teach me patience, understanding, and how to let go of control. Mommy loves you little man! Please don't grow up too fast!

Canada Day Giveaway!

Welcome!! It is finally here! 

<center><a href="http://mamanda-adventuresofmommyhood.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Thanks, Canada!" src="http://i1254.photobucket.com/albums/hh609/will1494photos/CA_250.jpg" /></a></center>

The Canada Day Extravaganza!

CANADA is the maker of many MANY many of the things that we LOVE!
From cloth diapers to amazing natural products, Canada ROCKS for giving the world some really stellar stuff! So, Amanda at Adventures of Mommyhood decided this summer, she would be highlighting a few companies that are really pretty sweet!

So, without much further ado, lets get this extravaganza started!! 

This giveaway is a little different--there will be surprise entries that pop up between now and July 1st. So, keep checking back--make sure you claim ALL of your entries!  The giveaway is open to the US/CAN and you can enter at several different blogs! As an added bonus, you can enter our Canadian blogger friend Celeste's Canada Day giveaway as well! Make sure to read the details after the fabulous sponsor highlights on this post!

 You can enter here or you can hop around to any and all of the blogs participating!

And of course, we need to send out another BIG thank you to all of the fabulous proudly Canadian sponsors that made this giant giveaway possible!!

Buncha Farmers started in the summer of 2006 as a group of farmers and local artisans from the Greater Toronto Region, Durham Region and Region of York in Central Ontario. Buncha Farmers is "committed to the highest standards of quality,satisfaction and fair pricing." I am really loving the stain remover and soap that they sent me to try--and a few readers will too!!!



Raffi is a super awesome children's singing sensation! He does a lot of work in support of 'child honoring' and has great messages within his catchy tunes! Our personal favorite in this household is "Baby Beluga!" 2 Winners will receive copies of some great Raffi CD's to dance with their kiddos at home!






Druide: THE LARGEST RANGE OF CERTIFIED ORGANIC BODY PRODUCTS IN CANADA.

Since 1979, DRUIDE has followed a charter built on ecological values such as respect for the individual and the environment, with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of life on earth. We love companies that love the earth! Druide has provided a Citronella kit to help keep biting insects from bugging you this summer and a full-size tube of Goat's Milk Lotion for a reader to win!! This stuff is wonderful smelling and feeling!


NorthernMom Diapers and Gifts is owned and operated by Samantha, a talented and friendly WAHM that lives in Saskatoon, SK! She made a beautiful elephant pocket diaper for my son -- look for the review and a chance for one reader to win a pocket from Samantha of their own!



Nellie's All Natural is a line of products that are really awesome in a super simple way! The products are hypo-allergenic, non-toxic, and environmentally friendly, specializing in kitchen and laundry cleaning products. One winner will get a bag of wash to try! I'm loving mine. It is unscented and does not bubble since it is all-natural, but leave laundry clean without overbearing perfumes.



EcoParent Magazine is a Canadian-based, family-owned magazine that is going to be wildly popular in the coming months, I can just feel it! It is a relatively new publication and I had the distinct pleasure of getting a subscription to peruse and enjoy--again, LOVING IT! Who doesn't love a magazine that talks about cloth diapering!? Sam at EcoParent has kindly offered a subscription for one-year to a lucky winner!



Lunapads are a pretty way to pad your period! They are WAY more healthy for a woman to use than bleached, chemical-ridden traditional disposable pads and tampons and they are more environmentally and economically efficient as well! Oh, and did I mention they are a proudly Canadian company? Lunapads has great customer service and a HUGE selection! One winner will get to try them!



OwOOly Love is run by a super sweet WAHM named Amy. She is really good with wool creations and she pretty much rocks! We have a pair of longies that were upcycled from a wool sweater and they are amazing! Amy has generously obliged to sponsor something woolly and lovely for one winner!



The Laundry Tarts is a super cool Canadian business that offers decadent smelling laundry detergent and stripping agents! A little Key Lime Pie to perk up diaper duty today? Yes, please! Fun, fresh, and fabulous, the Laundry Tarts are dedicated to environmental awareness too! One winner will win a yummy smellin' bag of detergent from these great gals!






Heather at Hippeez Cloth Diapers is the WAHM behind the label and is another super talented Canadian shopowner participating in the Canada Day Extravaganza! Heather is the maker of super easy-to-put-on flannel fitted cloth diapers and fleece covers. She is really personable and has such an expansive variety of prints!! One lucky winner will something fluffy from Hippeez!





Monkey Doodlez® is a proudly Canadian manufacturer that is near and dear to me, as I've become closer to them as a blogger and have gotten to know Kelly and Cheryl--the women behind the name! Monkey Doodlez® offers a wide range of diapering goodies not to mention fun contests on their blog and fan appreciation prizes on Facebook! The customer service and feedback with this company is amazing and the products are high-quality at an affordable price! One winner will be receiving some love from Monkey Doodlez®!





Woolies Dryer Balls = Lifesavers in the laundry room. I have 4 of these and they are my FAVORITE! I've tried other felted balls and they have left me picking fibers off of my clean diaper inserts and other laundry for weeks now--unraveling and making me angry! Woolies are felted at least 4 times and are giant! They are just amazing. Shauntha is super friendly to work with, she's the Canadian shopowner behind these fantastic dryer balls! One reader will win a set of 4 dryer balls to become smitten with!





The Green Bumkin is a WAHM-owned and made shop featuring cloth diaper, mama and family cloth, toy straps, wet bags and more!! Another wonderful, Canadian business, The Green Bumkin is based in Ottawa. One reader will be getting something that rocks from The Green Bumkin!








Applecheeks has a sweet motto--which says, "We didn't invent cloth diapers, we just perfected them." This is a bold statement but this great Canadian company has pretty amazing diapers.
 are yet another fabulous sponsor of the Canada Day Extravaganza!
 So, thank you Applecheeks! There will be a sweetly swaddled
bum our there, for one reader, thanks to the ladies there!



So, as you can see...there is a LOT of great Canadian loot to win! There will be several winners, and TONS of chances to win with entries popping up here and there in the next few weeks! Now, go WIN!

Enter on the Rafflecopter form below, or at any of the participating blogs!! As for the 2nd giveaway opp---go enter our blogger friend Celeste's Canada Day giveaway---and you know what? SHE'S proudly Canadian and very cool too!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

WAHM Wednesday: generationMe

I'm so excited to tell you about this next company! Not only is the owner super sweet and handy, but she's based out of my hometown! It's not like I'm from Manhattan or something, where the odds are high that someone shares my zipcode, I'm from a small-ish town in southern Wisconsin. Janesville, WI is now known as the City of Parks AND the residence of my latest WAHM business, generationMe!

Meg, is the brains behind the reusable products from generationMe. I was referred to Meg for her cloth wipes. I was told they were "buttery soft, durable, and very cute". I'm pretty hard to win over when it comes to cloth wipes. I've tried 3 different brands as well as another WAHM product and keep going back to one particular brand. So, I accepted the challenge and Meg was awesome enough to provide me with a set of her wipes to try out. I'm not going to say "love at first sight" because that's a bit cheesy, but my heart did skip a beat when I tore open the package. The first thing I noticed were the bright colors and super soft fabric! I almost didn't want to have to wait to wash them, I wanted to use them right away! But alas, I did wash them, and wouldn't you know, they came out JUST AS SOFT and still brightly colored! 

Dinosaurs!

Some of the wipes I've used on B have had a soft side and a "rougher" side for the...well..."dirty work". I always felt the rougher side was too rough, and the soft side just smeared things around. These do not have a rough side and both sides of the cloth are absorbent! No more needing multiple wipes for the messy jobs, one and done!! Each set contains 8 wipes, they are made from flannel and fleece and are roughly 8"x5". Perfect hand size! 

I love the contrasting fabric on the back! Just as soft as the patterned side!

I know the majority of you are cloth diapering families, but for those of you that aren't these would make great wipes for makeup removal (tried them, so soft on my eyes!), for wiping baby's face/hands after eating (much softer than a paper towel and way more eco-friendly), or even as wash cloths! They are not rough like terry cloth can be and they still get the job done! I love having products that can be used in multiple ways! 

Because Meg makes such an awesome product, she is sponsoring a giveaway! One of you lucky readers will get your own set of cloth wipes in the pattern of your choice from her Etsy shop! But wait, there's more! EVERYONE gets 15% off your order whether you win the wipes or not! AND the 15% off can be used towards ANYTHING in her shop! (I've personally been eying up the reusable paper towels, swiffer pads, and produce bags!) You can shop here and make sure to use the code "kloth15"


Make sure you fill out all the Rafflecopter entries and come back for daily entries!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



**This is not a paid posting. Thank you to generationMe for providing the items for review and giveaway**

Music is my time machine

"Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent”

-Victor Hugo

I love music. I try to have music playing more than I have the television on. I try to expose B to as many different types of music as possible. At this point, I still get to choose the music, and to be honest, I'm trying to avoid Barney-type songs for as long as possible! Certain songs have the ability to transport me back to different places, not just in spirit, but in feelings. When a memorable song hits the radio or my mp3 player, I can instantly go back to a certain time in the past. Here are a few of my favorite memory triggering songs:

• Stay with You-John Legend--This is Polish Price and my wedding song
• Anything Barry Manilow--My mom was a HUGE Barry Manilow fan, our wedding DJ even found a CD of instrumental Barry music to play while people were being seated
• Anything Jimmy Buffett--This one is for my dad. A true Parrot-head, I didn't start appreciating the works of Mr. Buffett until my 20's
• Danny's Song-Loggins and Messina--For some reason, this song is the song I've given to B. The day he was born this song popped in my head. We didn't find out what we were having until he was born, but without skipping a beat this song entered my head and never left.

Truthfully, I could go on for a while about music and where it takes me (especially the college/high school years that for some reason they are playing on the "classic hip-hop/rock/pop stations...classic? really?), but I'd love to know...do you have any songs that take you back?? 

WAHM Wednesday: Custom Cloth by Denise

I've been anxiously waiting to post this review! It's for my very first-ever WAHM cloth diaper! The cloth community is so full of talented people, and a lot of "big-name" diaper companies started with WAHM's! It was through the tight-knit cloth community that I was "virtually introduced" to my next mama-made company.

Custom Cloth by Denise was founded by a lovely WAHM who not only has 15 month old twins, but two older children as well. Yes, Denise and her hubby have FOUR children, all under the age of 10, all cloth-diapered from birth. If that doesn't exhaust you just thinking about it, she is also the brains, creativity, and labor behind Custom Cloth by Denise. I fell in love with her pocket diapers with just one look. First of all, they're pockets, a quick way to my heart. Secondly, she has whimsical twist on prints, and lastly they fit B like a glove. I rarely get the opportunity to say that (especially with sized diapers), but this one is the real deal. Denise so graciously provided a diaper of my choice for this review.

Let's start with her design: A pocket. Each diaper comes in your choice of hook and loop, or snaps. I chose snaps since B is quite the Houdini when it comes to hook and loops. You then get to choose your choice of colors for the PUL (outer) layer and the inner. You also get the choice of flannel or fleece for your inner. I've never had a flannel inner and was interested to see how it held up. So I went with the flannel. Each diaper also comes with a soaker insert. The soaker is comprised of 6 layers of terry cloth inside a flannel cover. It doesn't get much more soft or absorbent than that! 

Look at those colors! This was after MULTIPLE washes

So there I had it, my diaper picked out, all I had to do was wait. If you're a true cloth addict, you know the waiting for the fluff mail is the hardest part!! :) When my diaper arrived I couldn't wait to try it out! 

I guess now is as good a time as any to let you in on my favorite part. The "fun" part of the diaper, the pattern part, is on the INSIDE!! From the outside, it looks like most other modern cloth diapers. A very bright, fun, orange. But the second those snaps are undone, BAM! The super heroes hit you and you have a very soft inner with a beautiful bold pattern! The soaker insert is also made of the same material as the inner. Sheer genius for people like me who are obsessively making sure the right insert goes with the right diaper (oh the plight of the pocket diaper...).

Snug fit, no red marks!

Nice trim waist!

 

I can't say enough fabulous things about this diaper or the mama behind it. The diaper is such a great fit on my little B that I have yet to worry about a leak, either #1 or #2. I even had a couple non-cloth diapering mama's admiring this beautiful gem! The diaper itself is trim and fits easily under B's shorts without having to go up a size or more just to fit his fluffy bum. Also, the waist snaps have my favorite "wing drop" snap to make sure the diaper stays where it's supposed to. It's safe to say this diaper has shaken up the ranks of "first-grabbed diapers" in my house! It's definitely one of my new go-to's! 

Denise has been an absolute pleasure to work with, always fast to answer an email and clarify any questions. Denise is also an Army wife, so supporting Custom Cloth by Denise also supports the "Buy Veteran" initiative and each diaper is proudly MADE IN THE USA! :) 

Now that I've got you hooked, let me tell you how you can purchase your very own custom diaper from Custom Cloth by Denise. You can go here and select your styles and colors and provide shipping information. 

But here's the best news!! Denise is so fantastic, she is giving one of you lucky readers your very own custom diaper, for FREE! Make sure you fill out the Rafflecopter form below for your chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



**This is not a paid posting. Thank you to Custom Cloth by Denise for providing the items for review and giveaway**