The time has come...

I have been struggling with this decision for quite a while, but the time has come to say...Goodbye.

The TMG blog has been a big part of my life for more than 2 years and I have put a lot of heart, soul, and time into it.  But over the past 6 months our readership has plummeted and views/comments are non-existent.  It is hard to keep going when you don't have anyone reading or participating.

On top of that, with two kids now, I find that I have next to no time to spare.  And if I do there are things like bathing or applying deoderant or changing my shirt that are a bigger priority than writing for the blog.  I just cannot find the time to sit down and blog.  Like right now, Baby J is napping and Miss A is watching TV...and I feel a heap of mommy guilt for typing this instead of playing with Miss A.

TMG has been my baby for a long time and it is so hard for me to say goodbye to her. *sniff* But I just do not have the time to put into TMG to get her back up and running and being a read-worthy blog.  It took so much time and energy to get her up and running the first time, I don't think I can do it again.  Plus my family is my number one priority and I cannot take time away from them.

I will be leaving the blog on the net for anyone looking around for reviews, info, etc.  And maybe some day down the road I will ressurect her, but for now, TMG is going to lay dormant, full of memories, and packed with some great insights for anyone looking.

I have been so blessed to have been able to create, run, and contribute to this amazing blog.  I have done so many things and had some wonderful opportunities because of this wonderful blog and the blogging world.  To everyone who has helped along the way...a HUGE thank you and a big helping of Gratitude for everything!

Thank you for Two and a Half wonderful years!  It sure was fun!  Be safe.  Be well.  And most of all, be happy!

~*~Laura~*~

PS. If you ever have any questions (cloth diapers or otherwise) feel free to email themommygoods@gmail.com, I would be more than happy to help!


Words from the TMG Contributors:

HI - I've really enjoyed my time here and feel like I've learned a lot. I am re-launching my personal blog "Along The Way" www.andtheycallherblessed.blogspot where I'll be talking about homeschooling, budgeting, cooking, deals and steals, family, Christian life, and anything else that comes to mind! I am hosting some awesome giveaways right now to celebrate my relaunch so come on over and enter now. Hope to see you there.

Blessings - Jessica B

 

I am so thankful that I got to be a part of this blog. I started out really enjoying posting and doing reviews. It was disappointing the lack of viewer participation and I found I lost my ambition to post. With a third child in the mix now, I find that I don't have as much time for being online. Also when I do find the time I don't feel like blogging. I really hope that you all found some of my babywearing series posts helpful and enjoyed the reviews I did as well. Wishing our readers all the best as I bid adieu. - Laura B.

 

 

 

*image from http://www.terrybailey.com/home-1.jpg

*image from http://www.crossfitbalboa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/wallpaper-650912.jpg

desperate

Hi everyone!

I've joined up to an online book club for the book Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe and because so much of it is very personal I'll just be linking up here over to my personal blog for now. If you're interested in reading my thoughts on each chapter then head on over there! :)

desperate: Introduction
desperate: Ideals and Going Under

Jess

Boba Wrap Review

 Look how cozy L is! <3

I was so excited to get to do this review!  You all know how much I love to baby wear!  I was so happy to get the Boba Wrap in time to pack it inside my hospital bag.  As you know, I ended up with an emergency csection, so wasn't feeling up to wearing L in the hospital.  Big bummer. :(  I took some time to heal and get back to myself before wearing him.  I was able to get him nice and high in this carrier, so there was no issue with my incision (vertical). 

I absolutely love this wrap for a newborn!  Just look how snuggled in L is!  It's comfy for baby and for mama!  The wrap distributes the weight of baby evenly! It's so easy to wrap, anyone can do it.  It comes with a wonderful manual, and you can even go online to see how to also!  The first picture I think I had him a bit loose.  I tightened it up and was so pleased to realize how much length this wrap gives you!  I am a plus size mama, and am so happy that Boba doesn't exclude us!  All their carriers are completely usable for any size mama, just as it should be!  No worrying about whether it will fit, is a huge deal to us plus size mamas!
The material is so nice and stretchy it makes for the perfect fit every time.  It's material is what makes this such a comfy wrap for mama and baby!  And since it's so simple to use, it makes it one of the easiest carriers!  No buckles, straps or anything to deal with.

As a mama of 3 children, wearing baby is such a huge help!  My babies are always so content up next to me, and I am getting everything done that I need to.  L is my little monkey, and helps me with laundry, dishes, you name it! He couldn't be comfier in this wrap, he absolutely loves it!

The wrap comes in lots of amazing colors. I chose the brown, and it's the perfect shade!  Reminds me of chocolate. :)  It's very affordable at $38, too! You really can't go wrong with this carrier.  If you'd like to check them out here is the link.  http://store.bobafamily.com/baby-wrap/ 

Baby It's Cold Outside...

So I had another post all planned and ready to go, but decided instead to give a real-time post about this crazy and terrifically unsafe weather that many of us are having!

The wind chill...it's a COLD and SERIOUS factor!

When I saw that the wind chill in States such as North Dakota and Minnesota were reaching the -50's I was stunned!  It has been reaching -10 here in PA with the wind chill and it makes me ponder...

Do we live in the Arctic????

My goodness, it is just COLD.  Actually...it is {expletive here} cold!!!

So what can you do to protect yourself and your family in this CRAZY cold weather?

First of all, pay close attention to the weather and be prepared for inclement weather.  This means extreme heat, extreme cold, storms, etc.  Take appropriate measures for whatever weather you are facing!

The WHO recommends keeping your home temperature between 64-75 degrees.  With young children or elderly, they recommend keeping above 68.  During this extreme cold if your home drops below these lows, please seek shelter somewhere warm!

Now would be a good time to check out your heating system.  Change filters, do maintenance, and most of all if you are using a woodburner, fuel oil, natural gas, kerosene, coal, or gasoline either as a primary or secondary source of heat, please use caution and watch for signs of carbon monoxide!!!

Take extreme caution when going outside!  Dress warmly in multiple layers making sure to cover as much skin as possible.  Do not stay outside for long.  Bundle small kids well and keep a close eye on them.  Watch yourself and others for the signs of hypothermia.  If your body temperature is below 95, seek medical help immediately.

For children riding the school bus, keep them inside until the bus arrives or drive them to the bus stop.  Do not let your children stand outside for long periods of time!

Signs of Hypothermia in Adult
*Shivering
*Exhaustion
*Confusion
*Fumbling
*Memory Loss
*Slurred Speech
*Drowsiness

Signs of Hypothermia in Infants
*Bright Red/Cold Skin
*Very Low Energy

If you have cardiac disease or other medical condition, please follow advisement from your doctor for cold weather precautions.

Another problem in this weather is ice.  The roads are treacherous, side walks are icy, and you never know where or when you are going to slide.  Slow down and take time to make sure you are looking where you are going!

Please Please Please be careful during this extreme weather.  Keep warm.  And be safe going outside.

*Signs of Hypothermia from the CDC
*Photo from Futurity.org

A Tragic End

I'm posting my ending breastfeeding story..... but it felt appropriate to be on my own personal blog so head over here if you want to read it today! :)

Lovely Pocket Diapers

I was fortunate enough to be able to try out the Newborn Stuffable AIO from Lovely Pocket Diapers!  LPD provided me with an adorable red diaper with yellow snaps.  They also come in green, blue, black, white and yellow.  This diaper retails for $11.  It has a built in triple layer insert sewn in, with a pocket also so you can stuff it too! It has three rise snaps, making this diaper fit from approx. 5 to 15 lbs!  Also it features an umbilical snap down with 4 lower waist snaps.

Like I have posted before, my birth with L was quite the rough one with an emergency csection with complications to my eye.  I just wasn't up for dealing with cloth diapers right away.  About a week ago I decided I was ready to dive in, and found that a lot of my diapers just didn't fit him well.  He is so tiny still, about 8 lbs, so not unreasonable sized for a newborn.  He would leak out of the swaddlebees and grovia newborn AIO.  I decided to try using some prefolds and covers and was so pleased with how well they kept in his pee and poop.  I had a leak every diaper change with the others.  So now was time to give the LPD diaper a try.

I was really pleased with how they had put a snap down for the umbilical cord stump.  They even have extra row of snaps underneath the snap down, so you can get a nice snug fit!  L's cord has fallen off so I was able to just use the regular first row to get it nice and snug.  It seemed like this diaper fit much better in his legs than the other AIO's I'd tried. The others seemed to all have a gap at his leg.

I was a bit nervous as he is a long sleeper.  He fell asleep and I layed him down wondering if this diaper would hold up.  Well when he woke he had pooped.  Nothing came out of this diaper!! Yay!  With the double leg gussets it all stayed in wonderfully!  And the great thing about this diaper is that it is stuffable!  So if you do find that your baby wets more than it can hold, you can add more absorbancy!  Though I didn't find that I needed to, every baby is different.

   I couldn't be more pleased with this LPD newborn AIO!  At $11 it is extremely reasonably priced!  I know my DH loves to be able to just grab a cloth diaper and be able to put it on like a sposie.  He's not really wanting to deal with prefolds and covers.  So this diaper was perfect.  It is easy peasy and didn't leak!! Easy peasy isn't much fun when you have to change outfits every diaper change!  So glad this AIO actually fit the bill!  If you'd like to check out Lovely Pocket Diapers and their amazing Newborn Stuffable AIO, here is the link. http://www.lovelypocketdiapers.com/newborn.html  There is nothing better than supporting a WAHM and getting an amazing product at the same time!!

Can you tell by this picture that Mr L does not like his diaper changed!! LOL <3

~Laura B

Pardon Our Dust...We are always Improving!

Over the next few weeks and months, there are going to be some changes occurring on the blog.  We have noticed a HUGE drop in readership, views, participation, etc.  We are working to improve and get back up and running, but we can of course use your input!!

So, do you have any ideas for where you would like us to head next or what we can do to improve?  Any topics that you would like to see or like to hear more on?

There are going to be personnel changes and even some topic changes, but we are still working everything out so STAY TUNED!  We will be asking for blog contributors in the near future, so stay tuned for details on that!

But please...let us know what you would like to see and any ideas on what we can do to get things back up and SINGING! :)

Wish us luck!