BIG News!!! Meet the new TMG Contributors!!!

First of all, a HUGE thank you to everyone who submitted their name and information to become a contributor for the TMG blog!  I was amazed and touched by just how many of you wanted to come on board and write for the the blog!  It was very difficult choosing from all of you, but after long debate (including making my poor husband read all of your stuff and helping me decide) I finally came to my decisions!  So without further ado, here is the TEAM of people that will be bringing you the new and improved TMG blog!  We are all excited to get started as a team and really make this blog shine!!  Each person will be bringing their own flavor and expertise to the blog, so this is going to be a ton of FUN!!!

Up on Mondays...Jennifer!

My name is Jen--although I am referred to as "mum!" or "Mrs. M!!" 99% of the time.  I am a working mom of my "Cub," Drake, who is 20 months.  I have been cloth diaper-and-wiping my son since he was 3 1/2 months old and it was the best decision our family has made!!  I am a rabid baby wearer--yes he still lets me!--and extended breastfeeder, since my son loves his milk so much and I am so attached to the cuddles.  We have had a time of it with sensitivities and allergies, so nursing has not been without challenges.  My interests include my son! crafting, sewing (I am starting out, so get ready for my attempts!) and teacher related things--which really, are kids and creativity rolled into one : )  I am excited to explore blogging about parenting, fluff, craftiness and being a working mom.


Up on Tuesdays...Robin!

Hi! My name is Robin I am 30, married to my "balancer" and a proud Mama of three children DD1 ~ "Jubba" ~ is 5y, DS ~ "Cpt. Caveman" ~ is 2.5y and DD2 ~  "Velociraptor" ~ is just 4 months. I have been cloth diapering for about a year and a half now and my journey opened my eyes to a different way of living - a cleaner, greener way! I have experiences in many areas that I will be sharing with you all. Some of the topics that I will be discussing include, but are not limited to ...cloth diapering, baby wearing, breastfeeding, mama cloth, co-sleeping, child birth, and potty learning ... just to name a few. I look forward to sharing my experiences with you =)


Up on Wednesdays...Laura D. (me!)

You guys all know me!  I am the creator of the TMG blog!  I am a 29 year old wife and mommy. In June of 2007 I married the man of my dreams and I have the best husband in the whole world!  He truly is my best friend and I could not get through a single day without him! Our little girl (Miss A) was born June of  2009 and she is the light of our lives!  She is our funny little "monkey" getting into everything and has no desire to potty train, so she is still in cloth diapers!  We are expecting a boy (Baby J) in June 2012 and are anxious to meet him and get him in cloth diapers too!  Yes, two in CDs...should be fun!  I used to work as a Labor and Delivery nurse, but now I enjoy being a Full Time SAHM with my (soon to be TWO) kids! I started this blog in an effort to help other mamas out there navigate the world of parenting, cloth diapering, breastfeeding, babywearing, natural parenting, and whatever other topics come about!  It has been a fun journey so far, and this new twist is going to add so much to this blog that I have put my heart an soul into already!


Up on Thursdays...Jessica!

My name is Jessica and to some I am an extreme couponer but not really. I just enjoy making my dollars stretch as far as they can! I am married to my high school sweetheart (together 13 years, married 6) and we have three children - 4 1/2 year girl, 2 1/2 boy, 6 month girl.  I worked at a local university until I became pregnant with my third child and my husband and I decided that it was time for me to become a SAHM.  I was scared, excited, nervous, relieved, you name it - I was it!  We were suddenly going to cut our income in half - and thus I started my journey of saving money, cutting corners, and making those dollars last! 


Up on Fridays...Laura B.

Hi, my name is Laura!  I am a mama to 2, my son C who is 4 and my daughter A who is 2.  I started using cloth when C was around 9 months, and got hooked!  A wore cloth not long after birth, around 10 days old once her cord fell off.  I have a love of baby wearing and hope to share a lot about it with you all.  I breastfed both children til they self weaned, C at 15 months and A was around 18-19 months.  I am a SAHM who loves finding natural and frugal ways of living life.  We garden and also can a lot of things from our garden.  I am a novice sewer, but it's one of the few hobbies I make time for anymore.  


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We start on Monday with the new TEAM effort, so get ready for some FUN!  This week everyone has prepared a long bio and information on themselves so that you can get to "know" all of us!  Then starting the week of April 23rd, regular posts will start!  So tons of reviews, information, etc will be coming your way on all sorts of Parenting topics!!!  Hope you are all as excited as we are!!!

Natural House Cleaning Products Review and Giveaway!

It is no shock to most of you that I am always looking for new (and more natural) products to use around my home.  It all started with cloth diapering, and it has just blossomed...grown...EXPLODED from there!  So when I come across natural cleaning products, I just have to give them a try!  As a mama to an almost three year old, three pets, and a baby on the way...natural products are a MUST!  When I was given the pleasure of reviewing Natural House Cleaning Products: Flushy, Trashy, and Sinky I was anxious and excited to try using them!!!

Natural House Cleaning Products were designed by a MOM who wanted to clean her house with ingredients that were not only safe for her family, but would also prevent an outbreak of germs in her home.  Insert, Probiotics.  We have all heard a ton about Probiotics in the past few years, and this is just one more of the many applications where these tiny little micro-organisms can really be beneficial to you, your family, and your home!  They carefully select non-pathogenic and non-toxic Probiotic bacteria and natural plant based biodegradable ingredients for all of their products.

First up...Flushy!

Let's face it...while cleaning the toilet isn't as bad as most people make it out to be, it still is one of the most disgusting chores around the house.  Because of the probiotics in the Flushy ingredients, Flushy continues to break down waste, germs, etc between uses and can actually make your nasty chore a little bit easier!  Not only does it clean the part you can see, it also works to break down waste and toilet paper build up in your pipes and septic system!  Talk about paying it forward!!!

And even better, Flushy is a cinch to use!  It comes in water soluable packets, so all you do is simply drop one of the packets in your toilet, let it dissolve, activate, and foam for 5-10 seconds and then scrub with your brush!  When you are satisfied, simply flush all of those good probiotics down the toilet and they will continue to work on your pipes!

Next...Trashy!

Who thinks to clean their garbage can?  Honestly, I never did.  And to tell the truth...it's NASTY!!  Again, this is one germ ridden area of your house that (I think) most people don't clean.  I mean really, who is going to take the bag out and look in the bottom of your trash can, but it is a HUGE breeding ground for fungus and bacteria.  The same is true of your diaper pail!  Think of the nastiness in the bottom of your diaper pail!  EW!

Trashy has been designed with those same wonderful Probiotics to get in the bottom of your trash can and/or diaper pail (yes, it actually says on the bottle for diaper pails! YAY!) and kill those nasty germs and funk that live there!  And it could not be more simple to use.  Who wants to stick their arm in there and scrub?  NOT ME!  So all you do is simply spray the bottom of the trash can or diaper pail with Trashy and then air dry.  If there is serious gunk, you will want to wipe it out of course!  Trashy has a nice fresh scent and will continue to fend off those nasty germs long after you spray!

And last...Sinky!

The sink.  All kinds of different things get into your sink.  Food, mold, mildew, grease, soap, paint, play-doh...you name it!  You may or may not have a garbage disposal, either way...Sinky is your Man!  Just like Flushy, Sinky not only cleans your sink, but your disposal and your drains too!  Those probiotics are hard at work to digest odor, grime, and clean out build up in your pipes!

And just like Flushy, Sinky is a cinch to use since it also comes in the same water soluable packets.  You simply drop one in your sink, run hot water for 5-10 seconds, and watch the foaming action work on your sink.  If you have a garbage disposal, you simply run it for a few seconds.  Very easy to use and the probiotics continue to work long after you use Sinky.

Overall...★★★★★

I really loved these products.  They all have a nice, pleasing, fresh scent to them...nothing harsh or "chemical-ly."  They are extremely easy to use!  The are all natural, plant based, non-toxic, eco-friendly, and non-pathogenic probiotics.  They are safe for me, my husband, my kids, my pets, my home surfaces, etc.  And they continue to work long after you actually clean that area.  What is not to love?

Natural House Cleaning Products has a cute video highlighting what their products are all about, please take a moment to watch it!  It is quite adorable and made me laugh.  The dog licking the toilet...I clean with vinegar and my dog always licks whatever I clean! Including the toilet!!!




If you would like to purchase Natural House Cleaning Products, please visit their website here or you may purchase their products on Amazon.

The Day Has Come...

Well folks...I tried to avoid it...but I just can't keep up anymore!  With an almost 3 year old and a baby on the way (arriving SO shortly), the blog is really suffering and it makes me terribly sad!  So I am looking for a blog contributor or two! Who would like to write for The Mommy Goods?  This is a really hard decision for me, because this blog is another of my babies, but I just cannot keep up the amount of posts that I need to and so I am hoping that one of you lovely mamas would like to help me out!  I will of course still be around and will be doing my series on newborn diapering after baby J comes, but I just cannot keep up with the blog on my own and give it the attention (and you guys the information) that I feel it deserves!

If you are interested, please email me at themommygoods@gmail.com with the following information as well as any other information you want to include!

1. how long have you been cloth diapering?

2. how many children have you cloth diapered?

3. how many different kinds of diapers have you used?

4. what are your favorite diapers?  what are some diapers that you hated/didn't work for you?

5. have you used other reusable items ie. mama cloth, cloth training pants, etc?

6. how much time per week do you think you could spend working on posts for the TMG blog?  I am hoping that between myself and potentially 2 more contributors, we can each post one day a week so that there are three days a week with posts.

7. what are some other experiences that you could write about ie. breastfeeding, babywearing, etc?

8. take one of your diapers (either a fave and/or a hate it) and write up a short review of your likes and/or dislikes and the features of the diaper  (so I can see your writing style!)

Keep in mind, most of these questions are more curiosity and just looking at background, nothing is a MUST.  If you are new to CDing and want to write, that could be a PERFECT angle!  So don't think that experience is a must!  I would like to start incorporating more informational posts ie. washing, getting started, etc so any areas of expertise and any level of experience will be more than considered!  I would also like to get back to writing about other natural parenting topics such as breastfeeding, babywearing, etc.  Again, experience in these areas is not required, but we may branch out a little with more writers and more experiences to draw from!  And of course, your ideas are MORE than welcome!

Hope to hear from you guys soon!!!

Laura

Cee.Jay.Elle Review and Giveaway

A while back, I was contacted by Ami, the owner of the Cee.Jay.Elle Etsy shop about doing a review and giveaway of her t-shirts/onesies.  One quick look through her store (and the adorable custom clothing she makes) and I was in love!  With a little girl and a new baby boy on the way, it did not take me long to decide that I "needed" the big sister and coordinating little brother shirts for my kids!!

Ami was absolutely wonderful to work with!  She knows her stock and was able to help me decide on what size and fit for the t-shirt would work best for my 3t going on 4t daughter.  She was also wonderful in helping me to customize the shirts for my kids (hair color, eye color, names, etc!).  She is extremely friendly and very willing and happy to make your item to your specifications!  

As for the shirt and onesie...all I can say is that they are so stinkin' adorable!  The pictures really do not do justice to just how cute they are!  In addition to cute, they are extremely well made!  The applique and embroidery stitching are very well made and durable.  I have only washed these 2 times, but so far there is no evidence of wear or breakdown!  

Overall, I love these shirts!!  They are absolutely adorable and incredibly well made!  Add to that, a mama to knows what she is doing and who is willing to work with you to customize your item and you have a great resource for all of your specialty shirt needs!  Just a few of the shirts she makes are birthday shirts, sibling shirts,  name shirts, holiday shirts, and more!!  She also makes bibs, bows, wipes cases, and a ton more!  And if you do not see what you want, she is always willing to work with you on a custom item!

My one and only complaint...I have to wait until June to see how the onesie looks on baby J!!!  :)

This is a great mama to work with and I love her shirts!  You may contact her and visit her store here.  Or visit her on Facebook to see photos of her other works of art!

Total Stars:  ★★★★★

Miss A in her shirt...she was NOT having picture time!  I will have to post a new one when baby J arrives with both of them sporting their shirts!!

Newborn Fluff - Think I'm Ready?

So, baby boy J's due date is just coming closer and closer, and I have finally gotten my newborn stash up to par!  I think the only thing left that I need to buy (and soon) are some newborn prefolds!  Other than that, I think my stash is ready!  What do you think?

And of course, be ready for reviews on all of these!

1st row (back to front):  Applecheeks Size 1 Dark Blue, Applecheeks Size 1 Coriander, Tot Bots Tiny Fit Blueberry x2, BumGenius AIO XS in Butternut, Moonbeam, Clementine, Moonbeam, Ribbit, Butternut, Ribbit, and Noodle, and Grovia NB AIO in Ice.

2nd row (back to front):  Grovia NB AIO in Ice x9, Vanilla, Nature, Owls, and Planes.

3rd row (back to front):  Fuzzibunz XS in Choco Truffle, Watermelon, Mac n Cheese, Kumquat, Light it up Blue, Spearmint, Mint (aplix), Buttercream (aplix), and Apple Green, and Lil Joeys in Rootbeer x2.

4th row (back to front):  Happy Heinys Mini in Yellow and Squares, Swaddlebees Newborn Simplex in Monkeys, Owls, Cow, and Swirls, Kissaluvs NB AIO in Lagoon Blue, Lil Joeys in Spring x2, Lil Joeys in Lazy Lime x2, and Charlie Banana XS in Periwinkle.

5th row (back to front):  Best Bottoms Stay Dry Small inserts x8 and 1 overnight, Charlie Banana small in Under Construction, Thirsties Size 1 Duo Wrap in Mango (aplix), Honeydew (aplix), Ocean Blue (aplix), Honeydew (snap), and Family Tree (aplix).

A close up of some of the adorable prints:

What are you most excited to see pics of on baby J or what are you most excited to see a review on?  Anything that you think I should add to my stash?

June 6th...come on!  I'm ready!!!

Babyville Boutique Review and Giveaway

Today's review was completed by guest blogger (and dear friend) Laura B.  She and I have been friends FOREVER and have been lucky enough to share our love of cloth diapering.  I had received the Babyville Boutique supplies LONG ago, but due to sewing machine troubles, I was never able to get this review completed!  So I begged Laura to do this review for me, and she graciously (and nervously) agreed!  So a HUGE thank you to her!!!  ~Laura


If you have ever thought about making your own cloth diapers...here is a new brand that has made making your own diapers a cinch!!!  Included in what I received to review were a three pack of PUL fabric, Fold Over Elastic (FOE), EZ Adjust Tape, and the Instruction manual.

First of all I’d just like to thank Laura D. for letting me be a part of this awesome blog!  I will be honest though, I was very nervous to try making a cloth diaper cover.  I have used cloth on my children since my son was 9 months.  My two kids are 4 and 2 ½, so we are now out of diapers.  I’m anxiously awaiting the time when we’ll be able to use them again! I have never had the ambition to make my own, until having all these things so easily available and such a great book with the how to’s!   

I decided to go with the newborn hook and loop diaper cover.  What I received came with a how to book, which had pictures and instructions to follow.  Also it had patterns for all the sizes and types of diapers listed in the book.  As a novice sewer, I decided to go with what seemed to be the most simple version.  I had been given the adorable pul material with frogs and turtles on it, with matching green EZ Adjust Tape and fold over elastic.  I’ve used many different brands of pul covers and I have to say the quality of the material and supplies were great!  The EZ Adjust Tape was nice and strong and would hold up nicely! The choices of patterns and colors are great as well! It could become addicting with all the choices and appliqués available!   

I had been putting off making the cover, since I had never done anything with fold over elastic before.  When I finally got up the nerve to try it, I was at my mom’s so I had back up! ;)  Luckily she was only moral support, because everything was easy and self explanatory.  I didn’t need her for any advice while making it.  The book was fairly easy to use.  There were a few times I had wished the picture would have shown more details.  Though after reading what it said to do and studying the picture, I always got it right.  It’s fairly straight forward.  I had very little issues with it.  I did have to redo one of the leg areas, but it was my own error.  I know the more I would do the technique of stretching the elastic while sewing, it would only get easier.  It wasn’t hard, just something new that I hadn't done before.  I was actually pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to complete.  Cut out the fabric with the pattern, sew on the aplix, and go around it with the fold over elastic.  That’s all, hardly any steps!  So it really doesn’t even take much time to complete.  I would say I had it done in between 30 and 45 minutes.  Definitely doable in a naptime!  Which is when I find the time to sit down and sew uninterrupted!   

The pattern was easy to cut out and pin to the fabric. The pattern was well labeled and easy to understand.  The fabric cut really well and was so simple to use.  The fold over elastic is FANTASTIC!  I can’t imagine it being any easier, really!  I really enjoyed sewing it and felt very accomplished when it was complete.  I am looking forward to making more covers!  There are just so many cute possibilities waiting to be made!  If you have sewn at all, you can make yourself a cloth diaper cover.  It really went so well and I was pleasantly surprised.  You will be too! I made it yesterday and am already itching to get my sewing machine humming with another one today!  Thanks again TMG!! 

Overall Stars:  ★★★★☆  It was easy to sew, had all the nice materials to work with, but the pictures on in the book weren't always the most helpful. If it could have had a bit more pictures with the details being shown it would be a 5!


Finished Product

Bonnibuns Rapid Dry AIO Diaper Review

This diaper was purchased with my own money and was not sponsored by the company or any retailer.  All opinions are my own.

Fits:  8-40 pounds (4-18 kg)

The Bonnibuns Rapid Dry Diapers are made by Australian Company Bonnibuns.  And before I even start the review, I want to note that apparently the American diaper terminology is different than Australian diaper terminology since this diaper is considered an AIO to them and an AI2 to us since this diaper comes with a snap in/out insert and an outer shell.

Price Per Diaper:  ★★☆☆☆  Each diaper retails for $28 (AUD) which converts to $29.69 in US dollars.  I am unable to locate a retailer in the US, and I have no idea what shipping would be from Australia, so this could be a pricey venture.  However, I was able to snag this diaper off of BabySteals.com for a deal of $15.49 plus shipping.  This site has made this diaper more affordable and available to US customers.  And at $15.49 plus a couple dollars for shipping, this makes this diaper more of an average price.

Leaks:  ★★★★☆  This diaper consists of an outer shell made of PUL on the exterior and suedecloth on the interior.  There is a trifold snap in insert made of  6 layers of bamboo and 1 layer of suedecloth on top for next to baby skin.  I found that this insert was extremely absorbent and we did not have many leaks.  I did find that when we did have a leak, the main problem was around the legs.  Due to the way the legs are made, the suedecloth can roll out and cause leaking.  Also, even if you have all of the suedecloth tucked in, if your insert is getting saturated, wetness can wick out those legs.  Overall, I was quite shocked and pleased that the insert absorbed as well as it did, but the leg holes can be problematic.

Fit:  ★★★☆☆  This is hard to rate.  This diaper is an OS diaper, but does not have rise snaps.  This diaper only has two rows of waist snaps (including a cross over set of snaps) to make the waist smaller.  The back waist also has elastic to give a better fit around the waist.  I found that the rise on my 2 1/2 year old was a little lower than I would have liked and I can only imagine that the rise would be pretty high on an infant.  Also, on my tall/skinny 2 1/2 year old, I still had the waist snaps on the smallest (without crossing over) setting.  This means that this diaper has tons of room for chunky kids, but for smaller babies especially skinny ones, I am not certain that you will find a good fit.  This is just my opinion, obviously I have no way of testing this.

Ease of Use:  ★★★☆☆  As I mentioned above, the fit could be quite problematic depending on your child's stature.  I also did not love the actual tabs on the diaper.  When you snap the diaper on the smallest setting without crossing over, the two tabs bunch up on one another.  The actual function of the diaper is very easy.  The trifold insert has seams where it folds, so it folds quite easily and nicely.  There is only one snap at the back of the diaper that holds the insert in place which is extremely simple.  Likewise, washing is also a cinch due to having just one snap.  The hope of this diaper is to be able to reuse the shell and just replace the insert.  I found that every time my insert was wet, my shell suedecloth was as well.  I am not certain that you would be able to to reuse the shell unless you caught your child just as they peed and it didn't make it to the shell.

Washing:  ★★★★★  This diaper was extremely easy to wash.  With just one single snap, there is not much touching involved to separate the shell from the insert.  Everything washed well with no staining or wear noticed after many washes.  The bamboo has stayed very soft and does not make the diaper hard under baby's bum and the suedecloth has also stayed soft and repelled stains well.  Due to the design of the diaper, it is as the name implies, a Rapid dry diaper!  This diaper did not take near as long as some of my other diapers to dry and would definitely cut down on dryer time and gas/electric bills.

Overall:  ★★★☆☆  There were definitely things about this diaper that I loved and definitely things that I didn't love.  I love the trifold bamboo insert and how well it absorbed.  But I didn't love the possible fit issues or the fact that this AI2 cannot be used as such; the shell had to be washed after every use and could not be reused as intended.  I think with a few simple improvements such as fixing the suedecloth at the leg holes and adding rise snaps, this could be a fantastic diaper.

Total Stars:  20/30