Testing for White Elephants

I am an official tester on newborn AI2’s for White Elephants. I got to pick out my fabric yesterday, and will be receiving these in 1-2 weeks. I picked the fabric from Hancock Fabrics in paisley prints. Reviews will follow. Hope they turn out!

As a thank you, and largely due to insomnia. I decided to redo White Elephants logo. Who’s the next lucky “Mompreneur” to get a freebie? Did I mention I hate the word “Mompreneur”?

Welcome New Friends!

Finally picked out my wall art! I met a talented young illustrator at the Mompreneurs show, from Stittsville, Ontario named Rachelle Anne Miller. This mom will be selling me these 3 coordinating prints for Kate’s room. Her illustrations and designs are also available on Etsy and Facebook - you can also find her work on Amazon.com. I am SOOOOOO happy! Her items are reasonably priced, and I am helping a local artist!

Second, Meet Binky. Why Binky? Cause I didn’t like Banky - or Hefalump. She is the newest edition to Kate’s bedroom. I had 4 piggy banks in there,... so I purged the old ones, and replaced em all with this cute little guy. I know you can’t tell, but there are daisies etched into her back.

I also got this super cute growth chart. I couldn’t find a picture of it, but it’s same green as the walls and had light blue and pink chickadees on it. Got them on clearance at Chapters! Thanks Linds!

Here is a picture of the illustrations finally framed and mounted!

Sewing my boredom away.

I finally finished my very first pillowcase dress. :) First try was a failed attempt and turned out looking like the Paperbag Princess... Trash it? or rub coffee onto it and hope for a neat Halloween costume... who knows.

These next 2 patterns, I attempting to make using the standard pillowcase dress method, but I’ll incorporate different things like ruffles... and maybe buttons.

I've also ordered more material from Etsy and hopefully will have different styles of dresses as well.

Fluff from a Friend. :)

What did I get in the mail today?? You guessed it,.. more diapers!!! An old friend thought of me - she’s as addicted to contests as I am now. She won a 6-pack of Sweet Pea Diapers from Bush Babies Baby Boutique in North Bay and was kind enough to send me 2 to sample they’re different than my other diapers so far...they have a hemp insert - oh la la! Thanks Chant!



I also received my Clean Shopper cart cover from Baby Steals. These are first come first serve deals of the day. Warning, it can get dangerous. Thankfully I haven’t found any addiction to them yet.

• www.babysteals.com
• www.kidsteals.com
• www.scrapbooksteals.com
• www.ecobabybuys.com
• www.babyhalfoff.com
• www.greenbabybargains.com

Another Win for Kate

It’s official, I’m on a winning streak!

I will soon be receiving an Econobum day pack from Abby’s Lane in the US. It comes with 3 covers in white and 12 prefolds. Don’t know yet how I feel about those... prefolds scare me.

Sew I wait...

This was my first attempt at making a Taggies style blanket with minky back for my little buddy Kyson. I will be making more this week - hoping I can find some cheap pink minky to make girly versions too!

I also made burp cloths by upcycling some old stained receiving blanklets and left over material pieces form passed bibs. I've come to notice that since for some strange reason, Sears seems to be the only ones that carry them - and if they do, they're short or narrow. I made these ones a little larger, 3-ply with a wipe pocket on the front. Hope it works! They match the bibs I’m currently finishing up.


Next up is a pillowcase dress. I spent a good hour at Winners today scouting through all kinds of pillowcases to find fun and funky patterns... I decided that I should start with a standard white pillowcase first, and work my way up from there. I didn’t inherit my Grandmother’s knitting gene, nor my mom’s crocheting gene... but I’m happy I can at least have enough passion to sew. Wish me luck!

Pattern used here - http://thecraftyclique.blogspot.com/2010/05/triple-ruffles-pillowcase-dress.html Isn't this the cutest kid ever?

Creepy?

Creepy or Beautiful? It's your own opinion I guess.
This was my mom’s first doll. I adore her. She's been with me since I was a little girl. A little dingy,... some broken fingers, but give her a break. She's over 50 years old!

I cleaned her up and dressed in a cute baby gap outfit rather than the ugly old stained gym suit she came in...

Eli HATES her. He says she’s creepy and it’s enough to give any kid nightmares... funny, cause I grew up with her in my room and always felt like she kept the monsters away. Breaks my heart that everytime someone sees her they have the same OMG! reaction. :(

Bassinet, Sling - but no baby.

Baby Monitor? Check.
Have I mentioned that I spend way too much time on usedOttawa.com?
Here’s are my latest finds!

I also got my hands on an Eddie Bauer bassinet for get this.. $80! Barely used,.. 1 scratch. Pam happy. Now Kate won’t have to deal with the lack of Air Conditioning in this house. Eli claims I’m only happy because it coordinates with the rest of the baby furniture... sad that he knows me that well. What can I say? I like my stuff to match!

I also found a new Pippalily sling for $30! (They retail for much more than that!) (NOTE ALL THE EXCLAMATION POINTS!!! I've been watching reruns of Seinfeld.) As long as my shoulder is ok with supporting Kate’s weight, I’ll be lugging her around in style.

Apparently, I’m stepping into a whole new world of addiction - but unlike the diaper one I’m pretty sure that this one, I can’t afford.

Diapeze Contest Winner!

Diapeze Diaper
I finally received my Diapeze diaper. Although I can’t technically test this thing out yet - someone’s a little shy and won’t come out to play! It came with great instructions and the service was far beyond typical.


Visit her facebook page and see what people have to say for themselves.

mail kristin@diapeze.com
web www.diapeze.com


Design your OWN cloth diaper
- you choose the type of print you want!
diapeze covers $15.00 US
diapeze inserts $4.00 US
traineze AIO $15.00 US
wipeze 20 for $18.00 US

Baby Shower with the Girls!

Thank you girls for making it out and thanks guys for making life a little easier for us by.. painting rooms for us!
I was overwhelmed with gifts. :) Glad to have all of your support. I spent most of the night doing laundry - trying to keep myself organized. By the way,... the closet is looking like an obsessive compulsive organizational haven. Awesome.


The Food was tasty, and the Trifle was ground beef free!!!
Good job Allison!

I couldn’t post all the gifts on here - so I simply put up the ones I could easily find a picture for... We’re on the home stretch! (No pun intended.)


For anyone wanting even more description on the Joys of being pregnant.. please, do not hesitate to ask... it’ll be brutal and it’ll be honest. ;)

Mail Fun!

More fun things in the mail today!

• New diapers (yet again) my Fuzzibunz Daisy collection is complete!!!

• I also got a free nursing cover by Udder Cover (www.uddercovers.com) with washable breast pad and nursing bracelet.
• 5 sets of Forward Thinking diapers, 
t-shirts and bibs! On left... 
(http://www.facebook.com/4wardThinking)

A few more snail mail freebies to come... who knew having nothing to do but play on Facebook had rewards? I’m so bored.

Rockin' Green wins over Tide.

RockinGreenSoap.com - I got a bunch of samples from Rockin’ Green and I must admit - I’m in love with soap. All my clothes smells... CLEAN. Not perfumed, but actually CLEAN!

I decided to switch all my towels and linens to wash in the same detergent. My towels have never been so soft.


I’ve also tried out Nellie’s. Works great, but to get real grime out of wash cloths and dish towels,.. I suggest you try out Rockin’ Green for yourself... ends up being cheaper than any liquid detergent and it’s HE front loader friendly.


Next up - Soap Nuts. I got these beauties in the mail as a free sample as well... but have yet to try them. Interesting concept though...

The story goes like this...

In India, Nepal, and other South Asian countries, a tree called sapindus mukorrosi grows small fruits surrounded by a firm outer shell. This tree is unique because it produces its own natural saponins, a soap-like product, that coats the shell of the fruit. When the fruits ripen and fall from the tree, local families harvest it, then remove the fruit from the seed. The soap nut shell is then dried out in the sun, using absolutely no chemical processing or manufacturing processes. The soap nut shell absorbs water and releases saponins which circulate as a natural surfactant in the wash water, reducing the surface tension of the water and freeing dirt, grime and oils from the clothing. They act just as commercial laundry detergents, but without the chemicals. When the clothes are rinsed, the soapnut saponins are washed downstream where they remain harmless to the environment. No synthetic chemicals, no fragrance chemicals, no foaming agents or other toxins. Just shells grown by nature. Soap nuts are an excellent choice for people who desire to use environmentally friendly products. They are a pure product, and contain no added chemicals, fragrances, dyes or fillers. They are also wonderful for people with skin allergies, eczema, or sensitivities to commercial detergents.

All these products are available at local health food stores, or baby shops - but I tend to buy them in bulk online... it seems a lot cheaper that way!

3rd win's a charm!

Ah facebook - how do I love thee... “Like” a company, win a random draw! I will be receiving these babies in a few weeks courtesy of diapeze.com !!! Not exact pattern as shown, but blue, green, pink and brown bubbles. :)

I’m not crazy... I’m nesting.

We have hit week 34 and I’m pooched. 


• Sciatic nerve pain? Check.
• Burning groin? Check.
  
• Lower back pain? Check. 

• Swollen feet? Check. Irritable? 


Ask Eli, he can confirm that one.

I met with our OB/GYN today. Everything looks, sounds and feels great. No general concerns. Basically, we’re on the home stretch now. Last week of work, and then I’m on vacation before my mat leave officially starts. No exciting news - no fun mail - no contest winnings (although I have entered a few, I’m just now following them as insanely as my last one which took over my life for nearly a month).

I think this describes my mental state these days... Enjoy!

http://babymagnus.blogspot.com/2010/07/great-balls-of-crazy.html?spref=fb

Cheap! Cheap!

What’s the next best thing to winning? Getting a friend to send you a coupon code to receive a free product - where all you have to do is pay shipping.

Meet the Udder Cover. 

Available at www.uddercovers.com. 

Coupon code: choice2

It gives you a free nursing wrap. I treated myself to a gift set which includes nursing pads and a nursing bracelet... everything for under $15. Booyah!
Thanks Chantal!

I won again!

This was an easy one - but it goes to show you that my life now revolves around diapering my child for as cheap as I possibly can.

1. Step 1 - add a comment to a blog
2. Step 2 - Win via a randomizer.
3. Step 3 - Get discontinued diaper via snail-mail. Only problem was that I didn’t get to pick the colour... so throw some more pink into my closet!

I won!

After a month of harassing friends and finally, I finally won the 
3 Little Monkeys Photo Contest with a whopping 164 entries!

What did I win?
I thought it was $200 of cloth diapers and accessories - ended up being a VERY expensive bag, with an AppleCheeks diaper cover, insert, 4 bamboo wipes and a stroller clip.


My bag? A Petunia Pickle Bottom Touring Tote - I can’t believe how expensive this bag is... basically, I’d never own one if I had to buy it for myself - even if it was on clearance. To put this into perspective... I could have bought 5 of them at Walmart for the same price. Tried to see if I could get money for it... ends up I’d be lucky to get $50. Therefore, I will follow the path of Gwen Stefani and Heidi Klum and will wear this bag proudly. $5 says that I ruin it within the first month... Thanks to all who voted!

Ultrasound 3

I was fortunate to have a student technician who was willingly giving me a play-by-play of what he was looking for and what all the dark spots were. A second technician came in to double check his work and gave him a quick lesson in 3D Ultrasounds... I got to see the baby in 3D for free! :) - but lady couldn’t get a clear enough picture which warranted a print-out. Which is OK - I thought it was creepy.
Everything looks great, Kate weighs 4lbs 6oz - is a small and very hairy baby - She apparently is already sporting a full head of hair. Aside from being VERY camera shy (it took 45 minutes to get this shot) Everything is on track! 8 weeks to go!

New FuzziBunz Order!

Guess what came into the mail for me today... :) More diapers!!! I was only able to get my hands on the lavender and teal daisy diapers. I would have loved to get lime and red as well, but beggers can’t be choosers.

I also got my new Monkey Doodlez swim diapers in Giraffe. Yay!!! My kid’s going to be the cutest kid in the pool. Hands down.
What’s on the agenda this week? New ultrasound. Stay tuned for new pictures of Kate!