Well it's official - I am a homeschooling mama. We had our first three days of school here this week and it's going really well. (I think I need to thank my husband who has been praying nonstop for us!). I am really enjoying it so far and I think the kids are too. I'm surprised how quickly and easily we got into a routine/schedule. So far this is what my day looks like -
Everyone gets up and has some breakfast. (Mama throws a load of clothes in washer)
We head up stairs to start our Accountable Kids Program (more on that later)
School - Numbers & colors for L & J
After school the clothes go in the dryer (washer and dryer are in our homeschool room), and the kids get to redeem a ticket from AKP. Mama cleans and starts to prep other areas of the day.
After L & J are done with usually computer time they head outside for some fresh air.
Then comes lunch with story time after lunch.
By then hopefully baby N is down for her nap and we move back upstairs.
More schooling for L & J - phonics, writing. (this is also when we will do Social Studies & Science)
Then J goes down for nap. L has to lay down for 30 minutes of quiet time. Mama gets some facebook creeping time, catching up on emails. :)
If L does not fall asleep - my nieces are being cyber schooled by my mom so this is when they get a break and can all play together outside for a bit. This is when Mama preps dinner and evening activities.
Dinner is next followed by cleaning up and outside time with Daddy.
The evening is finished by the completion of their AKP chores and Bible lesson time with Daddy.
And finally bed!!!
As I stated before we are using the A Beka Books curriculum and that has been a huge help for me since I had no idea where to start. Now this is my 'ideal' normal day but we all know those never happen more than twice in a row. For instance this week Monday & Tuesday went great, but Wednesday was stocked full of dr appointments and we spent 5 hours in town so lessons had to be shoved in after dinner before outside time. It's wonderful to be able to just go with the flow and adjust as needed. So far - I'm loving it! :)
Five Moms talking about Cloth Diapers, Breastfeeding, Babywearing, Child Rearing, Pregnancy, Money Saving tips, Sewing, Recipes, Mommyhood, Natural Parenting, Natural Cleaning Products, and much More! If you would like one of us to review an item for you, please email themommygoods@gmail.com!
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Kissaluvs Newborn AIO Review
While looking around (let's face it, stalking...) websites looking at newborn fluff and trying to decide what I wanted to try when Baby J arrived, I kept seeing the Kissaluvs Newborn AIO and kept thinking how much I would like to try those! I could not find many reviews or mamas who had used them which sparked my interest even more! Many mamas rave about the Kissaluvs newborn fitteds, but I am not a fitted and covers kind of girl...so when the opportunity came to trade a mama for a NIP one of these...I jumped at the chance and hoped that it would be a great addition to our newborn stash! If you would like to read more about my initial findings with cloth diapering a skinny baby and our rocky start to cloth diapering Baby J, please see the Intro post here.
Price Per Diaper: (4/5 Stars) This diaper retails for $14.95 per diaper. As with the other AIO's I have reviewed, this seems to be about average for the newborn AIO diapers. Since it is an easy to use AIO with the cord snap down and many other nice features, the price seems right!
Leaks: (2/5 Stars) Ack! I had high hopes for this diaper since the Kissaluvs fitteds are so highly regarded...but alas, my skinny leg baby had other ideas! This diaper is quite similar in style and size to the Rumparooz Lil Joeys. And just like that diaper, there were HUGE gaps around the legs with this diaper which led to constant leaking. The actual diaper is quite absorbent and has great leg elastic, but those leg gaps just let any drop of pee or poop escape out the leg hole. On a chunkier baby, I'm sure this would be a favorite! But on skinny babes, it just doesn't work! Baby J was 10 pounds or so before this diaper finally fit better around the legs. This diaper does have a wider crotch area than the Lil Joey does and is to fit to 15 pounds. My little guy is about 13 1/2 pounds now an while the leg openings are fitting, now the waist is getting too small. We just did not have luck with this diaper.
Even at 10 1/2-11 pounds, the legs still weren't a great fit.
Ease of Use: (5/5 Stars) Simple! Extremely simple!!! Since this is an AIO diaper there are no removable or movable parts and nothing to do extra for washing or prepping the diaper for use. Simply toss in the wash, toss in the dryer, and put on baby! The cord snap is easy to snap and unsnap. Very easy to use!
Washing: (5/5 Stars) Like I said above, washing is simple since there are no extra parts with this diaper! Just toss it in the wash and toss it in the dryer and it is ready to go! For an AIO, I did not find that this took any extra time to dry! And as for staining, this diaper washed back to all white every time!! Stains lifted with regular washing and this diaper looks brand new! The diaper I have has the white fleece inner and I had no problems with any stains or marks remaining after washing. Kissaluvs also makes this diaper with a yellow inner which would be perfect for those mamas who hate EBF stains!
Overall Performance: (3/5 Stars) I wanted to love this diaper! After all the hype with the Kissaluvs fitteds being many mamas #1 choice for newborn diapering and how cute these diapers are, I really hoped this would be a home run but this diaper just did not work for us! If you know that you have chunky babies, I would recommend this diaper! But if you bake your babies skinny or you are a first timer...I would not recommend this diaper.
Total Stars: 21/30
Here is Baby J weighing in at 10 1/2-11 pounds in his Kissaluvs AIO.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Sometimes Mama Needs a Time Out
Wow. Mama needs a time out.
My son is two.
Ok, to be fair, his birthday was the beginning of August, so chronologically he's been two for a month and change...but I'm talking metaphorically.
My precious perfect child is a monster.
Ok...I'm exaggerating. He's still my sweet boy and only occasionally acts sour but he really tried my patience this weekend. He was getting into everything (unlike before.) He was kicking off and doing "toddler aerobics" and "displays of greatness" (throwing his little body back with temper tantrums.) He was climbing on EVERYTHING (this includes me while I attempted to cook, sew more wipes for him and make 2 half aprons--which I'll post about later! do laundry, etc.)
We have entered a new stage. The stage where mama grabs a beer and lets chaos ensue!
He is still cuddly, kissy and precious. He still love love loves his mama and gives me a squeeze when he knows he not only went over a lone but blew past it like Lightening McQueen.
Mama needs a time out! But, let's call it what it is: Mama/Mrs. M never gets one! : D
<3 Jen
P.S. Fluffy goodness next Monday!! Get ready!!
My son is two.
Ok, to be fair, his birthday was the beginning of August, so chronologically he's been two for a month and change...but I'm talking metaphorically.
My precious perfect child is a monster.
Ok...I'm exaggerating. He's still my sweet boy and only occasionally acts sour but he really tried my patience this weekend. He was getting into everything (unlike before.) He was kicking off and doing "toddler aerobics" and "displays of greatness" (throwing his little body back with temper tantrums.) He was climbing on EVERYTHING (this includes me while I attempted to cook, sew more wipes for him and make 2 half aprons--which I'll post about later! do laundry, etc.)
We have entered a new stage. The stage where mama grabs a beer and lets chaos ensue!
He is still cuddly, kissy and precious. He still love love loves his mama and gives me a squeeze when he knows he not only went over a lone but blew past it like Lightening McQueen.
Mama needs a time out! But, let's call it what it is: Mama/Mrs. M never gets one! : D
<3 Jen
P.S. Fluffy goodness next Monday!! Get ready!!
Friday, September 7, 2012
More Canning Talk
Are you interested in canning? It was easier for us to dive in because it was familiar to both of us as we were raised in families that canned and preserved. Still we needed something to guide us. We wanted to make sure that we did things correctly. Who wants to put a ton of time and energy and produce into something all for it to go bad.
We found that the Ball Blue Book is like our canning and preserving bible. Not only does it tell you how to safely preserve your food it also has recipes. We love that we know that we are doing it correctly by going by their guidelines. Our food is going to stay fresh and healthy. We don’t want to go to all the work of canning and it not stay good and be safe for our family to consume.
We purchased a pressure canner, mainly because we plan to do a lot of canning and this cuts down on the time it takes to can. We go by the book it comes with to decide on how much head space to leave and also how much pressure and for how long. We know by going by their standards our food will be preserved properly.
You can also use canner. We just use the pressure cooker as a pot, not using the pressure feature to do our hot water baths. We have been trying to pick up one of these canners at town, but every time we go they are all out. Anyway, things like pickles, salsa, etc just need to be boiled in a hot water bath and this works just fine! We have bought the kit shown here, with a funnel, magnetic stick that grabs the hot lids out of the pan, a measuring tool for head space, and of course the tongs that pull the jars out of the canner. These tools have come in very handy and I recommend anyone starting out to pick up a kit for yourself.
And of course you will need to pick up mason jars, lids, and rings. We were lucky and a ton were left here in our home from his Great Uncle when we bought the house. We have bought new rings, as they tend to become rusty from the years gone by. The jars and rings you can reuse every year, and then you only have to buy the lids. You can usually find mason jars at auctions and flea markets, because most people canned 10-20 years ago. Even ask around and you may find someone who wants rid of theirs.
These few simple things will be all you really need to get started canning. Try it, and I promise though it can be a lot of work, you will reap the rewards all year long. There is just nothing tastier than opening up a jar in Feb and it tastes like fresh summer produce out of the garden. You know what you are putting into everything, so you can be at ease when feeding your family. There are just so many positives to canning. Try it for yourself. :)
We found that the Ball Blue Book is like our canning and preserving bible. Not only does it tell you how to safely preserve your food it also has recipes. We love that we know that we are doing it correctly by going by their guidelines. Our food is going to stay fresh and healthy. We don’t want to go to all the work of canning and it not stay good and be safe for our family to consume.
We purchased a pressure canner, mainly because we plan to do a lot of canning and this cuts down on the time it takes to can. We go by the book it comes with to decide on how much head space to leave and also how much pressure and for how long. We know by going by their standards our food will be preserved properly.
These few simple things will be all you really need to get started canning. Try it, and I promise though it can be a lot of work, you will reap the rewards all year long. There is just nothing tastier than opening up a jar in Feb and it tastes like fresh summer produce out of the garden. You know what you are putting into everything, so you can be at ease when feeding your family. There are just so many positives to canning. Try it for yourself. :)
Thursday, September 6, 2012
A Little Shopping
It's September... seriously how is it September already?
Time is just flying by. But it is also putting me in the mood to shop... and I love a good deal. I was out checking my daily deal sites yesterday and stumbled upon Totsy's Summer Blow Out Sale!!! yippee!!!
Just some of the deals -
Adorable rain boots - $8 (reg $22)
Slippers starting at $5 (reg $30)
Disney backpacks and purses for $7 (reg $14)
Children's Jewelry starting at $2.50 (reg $18)
This is just to name a few... but there are lots of amazing deals!
Sign up here and get started on stock piling gifts at great prices!
Time is just flying by. But it is also putting me in the mood to shop... and I love a good deal. I was out checking my daily deal sites yesterday and stumbled upon Totsy's Summer Blow Out Sale!!! yippee!!!
Just some of the deals -
Adorable rain boots - $8 (reg $22)
Slippers starting at $5 (reg $30)
Disney backpacks and purses for $7 (reg $14)
Children's Jewelry starting at $2.50 (reg $18)
This is just to name a few... but there are lots of amazing deals!
Sign up here and get started on stock piling gifts at great prices!
*The above are my affiliate links - sign up via me to help a SAHM and then share your links with friends and family to reward yourself!*
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Rumparooz Lil Joeys Review
One of the first Newborn diapers that interested me was the Rumparooz Lil Joeys. Let's face it, they are just darn cute!!! And they seem to be built perfectly for itti bitti newborns featuring inner gussets to hold in that EBF poop, a snap down for the umbilical cord, and they start fitting at 5 pounds to fit smaller babies! Being that I bake my kiddos long and skinny, I thought that this diaper would be a perfect fit for my tiny bum babies! If you would like to read more about my initial findings with cloth diapering a skinny baby and our rocky start to cloth diapering Baby J, please see the Intro post here.
Price Per Diaper: (4/5 Stars) A two pack of these diapers retails for $29.97 which is $14.99 a diaper. This is about average for the newborn AIO diapers and being that this is a quality and well made diaper, it may be well worth your money!
Leaks: (2/5 Stars) We did have some trouble with this diaper leaking. Baby J lost weight down into the upper 6 pounds and these diapers just did not fit at all. There were HUGE gaps around the leg openings and they just leaked and leaked. I had to take them out of rotation until he got up around 8 to 8 1/2 pounds. At that weight, then we started having leaking out the front waist if he went to sleep in this diaper. If you have chunky babies, this diaper would probably work well, but for my skinny boy, it just did not work well for us. This diaper is an AIO, it is all one piece and there is no way to add absorbency if needed. As Baby J got bigger, it would have been nice to be able to add absorbency and maybe use these a little longer. That being said, the inner gussets did do a very good job of containing EBF poop when Baby J was smaller. So if you had a chunkier baby that the leg openings fit and didn't leak pee, it would be a great diaper!
Fit: (2/5 Stars) When Baby J lost weight, obviously these diapers just did not fit around his skinny little legs at all. But I was always quite pleased with how this diaper fit around the waist and how nice the cord snap is for those first few weeks while the cord stump is still on. If your baby had chunkier legs, this would probably be a great diaper! But on my skinny leg boy, it just did not work. Also I found that as he got bigger, the crotch was just too skinny to contain pee/poop. I did not feel that this diaper fit well as we approached 11-12 pounds and it did not contain enough pee/poop for a child that size.
Ease of Use: (5/5 Stars) This diaper could not get easier! It is an AIO with no moveable parts so it is just snap on and unsnap off...no muss no fuss!!! Also it is a cinch for washing since it is just toss it in the washer and in the dryer and back on baby! Nothing else to do!
Washing: (4/5 Stars) This diaper is a cinch to wash since it is an AIO. But since it is an AIO, it does take a little longer to dry. If you hang to dry, you may need to finish off in the dryer since it takes sooo long for these to dry! As for stains, they mostly come out completely with washing. A few pesky EBF stains stayed but sunned easily. You do have to watch the gussets to make sure that all poop washes clean, this is also an area where stains are a little tougher.
Overall Performance: (3/5 Stars) I really wanted to love this diaper, but it just did not work for us. :( If you have chunkier babies, this diaper might work great for you! But on my skinny leg little man, these just never seemed to fit quite right. This diaper was great in theory for us, but just did not execute well. Boo!
Total Stars: 20/30
Monday, September 3, 2012
Fluffy Anticipation and Halloween!
Hey guys! I have been MIA and it's all due to a new job! Yay! But the downside is a way long commute plus the fact I'm teaching math and social studies to 3 different grades!! Luckily the kids are amazing (2/3 classes that is : ) and they are loving my wacky approach to teaching.
I have some really exciting things in the works with a fantastic WAHM from whom I have ordered a custom made Cars diaper. We are looking at a fab review (of her two different cuts) and an amazing giveaway. More on that next week when she and I finalize all the details.
On a personal note--I ran a 5K at Disneyland this Saturday (stroller division, of course!) For those who know me, this is so out of character. I am NOT the athletic one in the house (the Daddyguy is at the gym as I type lol) but I have been inspired by his gym I recently joined. Due to our son's food allergies and sensitivities--all found through breastfeeding and trial and error, I had cut out dairy, wheat, soy, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, all fish and corn! I lost the baby weight and an extra 30lbs but I needed to tone it up. I love being active now and I love that I can include my son in the fun.
Ok, on to Halloween. Yes, I know it's JUST September, but I was feeling crafty and decided it was time to make some Halloween decorations with Cub. He was less than thrilled however the end result was more than worth it!
I started with these goodies I picked up at Michaels:
I use Martha Stewart acrylic paint for everything...I admit I am a huge fan of her craft products and I am teased by Daddyguy incessantly for this fact! I just chose some fun holiday-ish colors that I loved. Keep in mind she has a ton of different finishes (white and orange were Pearl and needed a ton of coats, black was Metallic and shiny, purple and green were Satin.)
I just started to paint. I'd say I had a definite plan but that'd be a lie. I knew I wanted a palm print pumpkin, a handprint spider and bat and a footprint ghost but other than that--no plan! : )
This is after a few coats and a delightful viewing of Toy Story 2:
I used the white pearl for the "frame" to make the colors pop.
Then, it was time to torture my poor Cub who by this time needed a nap DESPERATELY and just wanted to watch Ratatouille & nurse. I was only able to grab one shot of the hand/footprint process...I used a sponge brush, painted his hand/foot and guided him where I wanted his imprint to go. (The tattoo is his name--got it when he was 3 months old : )
Almost finished...I still need the staple gun & ribbon.
Are they perfect? Well, that depends on your definition...in my mind they are : ) !! I added the little faces when he went to sleep. I'll post a picture when my "Halloween Installation" is hung up!
My next crafty endeavors are unpaper towels for the kitchen, a canvas for our freshly painted powder room, Halloween themed quiet books and more holiday handprint art! Let me know what you'd like to see...
<3 Jen
I have some really exciting things in the works with a fantastic WAHM from whom I have ordered a custom made Cars diaper. We are looking at a fab review (of her two different cuts) and an amazing giveaway. More on that next week when she and I finalize all the details.
On a personal note--I ran a 5K at Disneyland this Saturday (stroller division, of course!) For those who know me, this is so out of character. I am NOT the athletic one in the house (the Daddyguy is at the gym as I type lol) but I have been inspired by his gym I recently joined. Due to our son's food allergies and sensitivities--all found through breastfeeding and trial and error, I had cut out dairy, wheat, soy, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, all fish and corn! I lost the baby weight and an extra 30lbs but I needed to tone it up. I love being active now and I love that I can include my son in the fun.
Ok, on to Halloween. Yes, I know it's JUST September, but I was feeling crafty and decided it was time to make some Halloween decorations with Cub. He was less than thrilled however the end result was more than worth it!
I started with these goodies I picked up at Michaels:
I use Martha Stewart acrylic paint for everything...I admit I am a huge fan of her craft products and I am teased by Daddyguy incessantly for this fact! I just chose some fun holiday-ish colors that I loved. Keep in mind she has a ton of different finishes (white and orange were Pearl and needed a ton of coats, black was Metallic and shiny, purple and green were Satin.)
I just started to paint. I'd say I had a definite plan but that'd be a lie. I knew I wanted a palm print pumpkin, a handprint spider and bat and a footprint ghost but other than that--no plan! : )
This is after a few coats and a delightful viewing of Toy Story 2:
Then, it was time to torture my poor Cub who by this time needed a nap DESPERATELY and just wanted to watch Ratatouille & nurse. I was only able to grab one shot of the hand/footprint process...I used a sponge brush, painted his hand/foot and guided him where I wanted his imprint to go. (The tattoo is his name--got it when he was 3 months old : )
Almost finished...I still need the staple gun & ribbon.
Are they perfect? Well, that depends on your definition...in my mind they are : ) !! I added the little faces when he went to sleep. I'll post a picture when my "Halloween Installation" is hung up!
My next crafty endeavors are unpaper towels for the kitchen, a canvas for our freshly painted powder room, Halloween themed quiet books and more holiday handprint art! Let me know what you'd like to see...
<3 Jen
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