Fun Fall Family Activities

Welcome today's Guest blogger, Kathleen Thomas!  Kathleen is a Communications Coordinator for the Atlanta day care facility, a member of the AdvancED® accredited family of Primrose Schools (located in 16 states throughout the U.S.) and part of the network of day care preschools delivering progressive, early childhood, Balanced Learning® curriculum.  Please welcome her and enjoy her thoughts on fun Fall activities for your family!  ~Laura

Fun Fall Family Activities

Article submitted on behalf of Primrose Schools by Kathleen Thomas

As autumn approaches and cool, crisp weather beckons, it's time to start making your list of activities for the entire family to enjoy. Whether you make plans to enjoy a local harvest festival, plan a neighborhood game night, or enjoy touring scenic destinations nearby, fall is the perfect time for family togetherness. This article offers some ideas for spending time with your family, while enjoying the fun that fall has to offer.

Visit a Local Pick Your Own Farm -- Fall is harvest time in most communities, and the perfect time to score local fruits and vegetables. Do some online research to determine what's in season in your area, then visit a pick your own farm nearby to enjoy the fruits of the season. Many orchards offer apple picking, pressed cider, and apple butter, while pumpkin patches feature pick your own pumpkins, corn mazes, and hayrides. If your children are adults, you may find a local winery tour more appealing. Supporting local farms can be a great way to spend a weekend outdoors with the entire family in the crisp autumn air.

Enjoy the Fall Scenery -- Those who live in an area that enjoys a seasonal color display may wish to plan an outing to view the leaves as they turn brilliant shades of red and orange. If your seasons aren't as dramatic, perhaps you could book a family visit to a local tourist attraction, such as caverns, a mountain range, or a historic destination. Your family can learn a bit about your local area, and you can enjoy a last road trip before winters' harsher weather drives you indoors for the season.

Attend a Sporting Event -- For many, fall means football. If this is the case in your family, make the time to make each game an event.  We all know with day care, sports, ballet, and band family time is limited. Whether you're supporting your local high school or college team, or prefer to watch your favorite team on your big screen television, use the opportunity to bring your family together. Favorite snacks, dedicated pillows and blankets, and team jerseys for the entire family can help make games a traditional event that everyone can enjoy.

Get to Know Your Neighbors -- If the weather is too chilly for outdoor fun, consider planning an indoor game night. Invite your children's friends or other families from your neighborhood over, and bake sweet treats or serve warming soup and bread. You're sure to enjoy the chance to curl up inside away from the blustery fall chill, while getting to know your friends and neighbors and having a rousing good time in the process.

Please, share any other fun fall activities that you and your family enjoy in the comments below!

I hope you have enjoyed this post by Kathleen!  Happy Fall Everyone!!!  ~Laura

Smiley Cookie Review

We are now entering my favorite time of year…fall!  I love autumn, the colors, the changing leaves, and the holidays!  Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are my favorite time of year…and of course, the season gets kicked off with my birthday!  So, my birthday has come and gone, and now it is time to get ready for the next event…Halloween!!!  Everyone loves Halloween!  It is so fun to get dressed up and go trick or treating.  The kiddos love to stuff their buckets full of candy, popcorn balls, cookies, and whatever else they can get their hands on! 

Did I say cookies?  Yes I did!  Which brings me to my amazing review for the day!  I had the pleasure of being chosen to review Smiley Cookies!  For those of you who have ever eaten at an Eat N Park, you will recognize the trademark smiley face cookie!  Even better, Smiley Cookie is based out of Pittsburgh!  I love supporting local western PA businesses!!!  You can see their assortment of Pittsburgh team theme cookies here!

Of course, when the box (which was packaged like Fort Knox) arrived and I opened it, my husband told me that I have the coolest job ever!  Cookies delivered to our front door was a dream come true for him!  He thinks I should get into food reviews!  Don't worry...I plan to stick to natural parenting and cloth diapers...but who could pass up a cookie review!?

On to the cookies...  If you are looking for a yummy treat, for any occasion (birthday, holiday, etc), and want it delivered right to your door…this is the place for you!  These cookies are delicious!  They arrived in a huge box, with tons of bubble wrap, not one of the cookies was cracked or broken, they were sealed in plastic, and they were perfectly soft and absolutely perfectly delicious.

The Halloween cookies are even more of a treat due to the candy corn face!  We all loved the candy corn face and we fought over who got the last cookie.  We ended up cutting it in thirds with each person getting a bite with candy corn!  Good thing there are only three of us!!!

Looking for a cute idea to give trick or treaters?  Try their Halloween mini cookies!!!  Perfect to hand out!

Or...Looking for a cute idea to announce that you are having a baby or to announce the gender of your upcoming arrival?  Try their baby cookies!!!

I highly recommend these cookies!  They were a yummy treat and would make a perfect addition to any holiday or celebration!  Think of the possibilities!!!!

Total Stars: ★★★★★

Want to purchase Smiley Cookies?  Become a fan of their Facebook page for 20% off your order of Halloween Cookie Gifts and Baskets!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Diaper Laundry Difficulties

I try to stuff my pockets after Miss A goes to bed, but last night I was just too tired.  This is what happens when I try to do my diapers during the day!  Do you have problems like this?  :)

Miss Daisy Dog had to get in on the action too! LOL  Have a great day everyone!!!

DesignerLiners Review and Giveaway

Sponsored by Tomoson.com

Most of you know that I am BIG into trying to make my home greener and more eco-friendly.  One thing that is next to impossible to avoid, are garbage bags.  You can use reusable, but in the end, you have to send it out to the curb.  And no matter how green your household becomes, there is always some sort of “trash” to dispose of.  This is where designerliners comes in handy!  When I saw this product, I just had to give them a try!

DesignerLiners tag line is “dress the mess” which is appropriate given their adorable and chic prints.  You can find a print to match your style and personality for every room of your house!

So how is this garbage bag eco-friendly?  Plastic is bad for the environment, right?  Well, designerliners are made of a fully biodegradable plastic-LIKE material.  To the touch, you would never guess that these liners are not made of plastic.  However, this material is biodegradable in 9 months to 5 years whereas a plastic bag can take up to 500 years!!!  These liners are also recyclable.  Either way that you chose to dispose of these liners, it is healthier for the environment!

Just like any other liner, you can use these over and over again until there is a hole, something sticky, or other reason why it is time to dispose of the liner.  These can even be wiped clean if there is something on them and reused.

The designerliners come in a wide assortment of colors and prints suitable for kitchens, bathrooms, offices, kid’s rooms, at work, and any other place that you have a waste can.  DesignerLiners will also work with you to customize your own liners if you have a logo or graphic that you would like on your liners!  These would be great as advertising tools!!

I personally loved these.  They are durable, reusable, adorable, and green!  My only complaint is the packaging.  The liners are all folded together in such a way that you have to take the entire thing apart to get one liner out.  These would be great in a roll so you can just tear one off and keep on going.  But for shipping purposes, I completely understand why they folded them that way.  They are in the package inside out, so it is a cinch to put in in your garbage can and fold it over, showing the lovely print off!

If you are looking for yet another way to go green in your home, you can’t go wrong with these!

Total Stars:  ★★★★★

You may purchase designerliners direct from their site here or from Amazon.  Giveaway below!

Please follow designerliners on Facebook and thank them for the giveaway!!!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

CLICK ON THE "READ MORE" FOR THE GIVEAWAY!!

Got stink? Tips, Tricks, and the last resort.

It is inevitable…stink.  Cloth diapers are wonderful, but in time, many parents have the stink issue.  Worse yet, depending on your type of stink issue, it can hard your baby’s skin.  No one likes to see a bright red and/or blistered bum, so it is important to diagnose your stink correctly.

So how do I diagnose my stink problem?  There are a few reasons why your diaper may stink; ammonia build-up, detergent residue, yeast, or they just aren’t clean.

First of all, are they clean?  If your diapers just simply aren’t getting clean, try using a different detergent (make sure it is a cloth diaper friendly detergent) and use lots of water.  Remember, when changing diaper detergents, you may need to strip your diapers.  And make sure that you are using the detergent according to the manufacturer recommendations, especially if you have an HE washer.  I have found that Tiny Bubbles by GroVia works best for us.  I have used many other detergents, but this one works best for our water, our diapers, our HE washer, etc.  Detergent choice will make or break your cloth diapering experience.

Secondly.  Are you washing diapers every 2-3 days?  Make sure that you are not letting that ammonia fester in your pail for more than 2-3 days.  Leaving your diapers sit for too long can cause serious ammonia issues for your cloth diapers and can be a bear to get rid of!

Make certain that you are only using cloth diaper safe ointments on your baby’s tush.  Non Cloth Diaper safe ointments can ruin your diapers and/or cause them to repel.  You can use liners in your cloth diapers if you MUST use an ointment that is not CD safe.

Next attempt.  Maybe you are experiencing detergent build up.  It is quite common for parents not to rinse their diapers enough and the detergent is building up residue in your diapers.  This is even more common for HE washers since they use less water.  Try running your diapers through the wash a couple of times with no detergent to get any excess detergent out.  Peek in from time to time and see if there are bubbles.  When the diapers no longer produce bubbles or you have run them through the wash 3-4 times with no detergent, your stink will be gone if detergent build up was the problem.  If this cures your problem, you may need to add an extra rinse to your wash routine, add extra water to your machine, or throw a soaking wet towel in to add water.  Also, as I said above, make sure that you follow the manufacturer recommendations for amount of detergent to use.  Too much or too little detergent can cause diaper problems.

Another reason for detergent build-up to consider; what do you wash your clothing in?  If you are using regular non cloth diaper safe detergent on your regular laundry, that detergent can build up in your washer and get on your diapers.  This can cause detergent build up, repelling, or ruin your diapers.  Just food for thought!

Natural Technology:  Sunning.  The sun is natural bleaching at its finest.  No matter what your problem; stains, smells, ammonia, funk, yeast, etc the sun can naturally bleach it out!  Plus, you can save a ton of energy by drying your diapers naturally!  Bonus!

Still have stink?  If you are having yeast problems, you can boil your microfiber inserts and/or use bleach.  Make sure to boil ONLY microfiber, prefolds, or flats.  Boiling will ruin PUL.  As for using bleach, check your labels first.  Using bleach may void the warranty on your diapers.  If you chose to use bleach, a little bit of bleach goes a long way and then rinse, rinse, rinse!  If you do not get the bleach out of your diapers, it can burn baby’s bum!  So make sure you rinse the heck out of them!

Lastly, The dreaded ammonia.  If this is your problem…please follow all of the steps above.  Wash every 2-3 days religiously.  Get a good detergent and follow the recommended amount for your washer.  To kill ammonia, follow one of the treatments below.

To kick ammonia, you can always try to soak your diapers.  Soaking can get the detergent in there to cleanse and kill ammonia and bacteria.  Rockin Green is well known for “rockin a soak” and their “funk rock.”  Both are designed to help with ammonia issues.  I have tried “rockin a soak” but I found that this was just a bandaid treatment.  My ammonia issues seemed to be gone, only to return a week or two later.  I have not tried the Funk Rock.  Many other brands such as Miss Lily’s, Ruby Moon, and others can be used to soak diapers (I have not tried them as well).  Many parents swear by this option.  Since using detergent does not void your diaper warranty and the last resort below might, you may want to try this first.  It doesn’t hurt to try.  And if it works…YAY!

Last resort, use bleach to get ammonia on the run.  When I had ammonia issues, I ran a load of just microfiber inserts so that I could use a little more bleach and then ran MULTIPLE rinses.  Since most of my stash is made of pocket diapers, I wanted to bleach the microfleece and microfiber too.  I ran the pockets in a load of their own and used less bleach and then rinsed repeatedly.  This completely cured my ammonia.  Just be careful to rinse rinse rinse that bleach out of your diapers!  If your diapers are clean, just use the bleach and no detergent.  If your diapers are dirty, you can use detergent and bleach.

When using bleach, when you feel that you have rinsed enough times…rinse a couple more!  Rinse Rinse Rinse!!!

And, Please Please Please read your diaper labels before performing any de-stink treatments.  Many diaper warranties will be voided if you use bleach.  I used bleach and voided many warranties, but when you are ammonia ridden, you have little choice but to bite the bullet, void the warranty, and fix your diapers.  They are useless if you cannot use them.

If you do not want to void your warranty and none of the other steps worked, contact the specific diaper company for the diaper you are having trouble with.  Most diaper companies can direct you on what will work best for their specific diaper and its materials. 

To see my first post on the EEK stink issues, you can see my post from a few months back here.

The Peaceful Housewife Natural Household Cleaners E-Book Review and Giveaway

Lately, more and more, I have been getting into an “everything natural” way of thinking.  I buy more organic foods, I recycle more, I use reusable items where ever possible, and natural household cleaning products are a must!  I love the idea of natural, and for the most part, it is simple ingredients as opposed to the complex chemical properties of most household cleaners.

When I saw this review opportunity for a natural cleaners book, I had to apply!  When I was approved, and checked out the book, I was thrilled!  This e-book is full of recipes for laundry care, kitchen cleaners, floor cleaners, wipes solutions, and many other household cleaners!  It is amazing how simple ingredients that you most likely have in your cupboards at home, can come together and make wonderful cleaners that most likely will work better than those store bought ones.

Many of the ingredients for these recipes.

The book is easy to read, easy to follow, and gives detailed information on how to prepare your cleaners.  I love the recipes!  They are easy to make, have simple ingredients, and work very well!!!  My favorites are the multipurpose cleaner and the mop refills!!!  You won’t regret checking this book out if you want to get rid of harsh chemicals in your house and use natural cleaning products!

Pair the Multipurpose Cleaner with reusable spray bottle and an unpaper towel or the wipes solution with cloth wipes and you have a reusable and environmentally friendly method for every day chores!

Recipes Included are:  (some include multiple recipes)

Powdered Laundry Detergent

Fabric Softener

Gel Stain Treatment

Spray Stain Treatment

Foaming Dish or Hand Soap

Dishwasher Detergent

Wet Mop Refills

Carpet Cleaner

Glass Cleaner

Multipurpose Spray

Disinfecting Wipe Solution

Scouring Powder

Diaper Pail Freshener

Furniture Polish

Pest Sprays

Make-up Brush Cleaner

Granite Cleaner

Oven Cleaner

Brass Cleaner

Liquid Scrubbing Cleaner

Overall, I love this e-book!  Easy to read, easy to follow and make recipes, and best of all...they are all natural and work perfectly!

Total Stars: ★★★★★  

You may purchase your own copy of The Peaceful Housewife Natural Household Cleaners E-Book here, or Giveaway below!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

CLICK ON THE "READ MORE" FOR THE GIVEAWAY!!

Pile of Diapers

I don't like to post pictures of Miss A's face due to scary internet people and what they may do, but this just had to be posted.  My FIL was here this past weekend and he loves to take pictures, is pretty good at it, and has the right equipment and knowledge to get some nice pics.  He was entering a photo contest entitled "Where's Waldo" and we came up with the bright idea to bury Miss A in a pile of cloth diapers.  He thought that the color and the depth of the diapers would be a nice photo.  I just thought it was CUTE as all heck!  So here is one of the pics taken from the photo shoot.  (PS. it's hard to keep a 2 year old still and buried for the photos! LOL)

Maybe I should have a contest to see how many diapers you can name!  hehe