too fast

I realize I cannot keep my "baby" a baby for her whole life.. but seriously this is all happening too fast.. its like everyday she becomes more independent and needs me a whole lot less.  How did we go from bringing a tiny little girl who depended on us for EVERYTHING to now being just shy of 5 weeks away from the first birthday? She is soooo close to walking, I know its going to be really soon, she is not happy with crawling now the thing that excites her the most is pulling up to stand on everything, and walk while holding on to things.. {How long between that and unassisted steps was it for your child?}

She feeds herself, talks all the time, and tells me real words like.. "uh-oh" and "all done" and "more"....

I'm honestly not trying to get all sappy but.. I seriously just don't know where the year has gone. I remember those early newborn days.. what am I saying I do not remember much of them, due to the insanely low amount of sleep, I remember some of the highlights.. but I do not remember their being enough time to say its been a year since she was born.

I held a friends newborn the other day who was born at 7.5 pounds which is actually larger then E was at birth.. but holding him I kept telling myself. there is no way my baby was every this small I just dont remember it. seems like there is alot of Not Remembering going on over here could I have amnesia???

To keep this post from being repetitive and sappy.. I'm completely changing gears here....

                Just thought you may want to know about the post's that are in the works...

My Cloth Diaper Journey This Far...
including brands I have tried, Etsy sellers I have used, and a cloth wipe solution 
Our home construction before and after
I guess that means I need to finish the painting
Designing my home organization binder
Thanks to the lovely Blue Eyed Bride
A few super fab recipes I have tried out
Some are healthy and some more for comfort
Torticollis 
A case of the infant with the crooked neck




I was also thinking about organizing a fall themed blogger swap.. who would be interested?

Cashmere Sisters {Review & Giveaway}

WINNER: #2 BRITT email has been sent.



I am always looking for a new bag, purse, or tote. I use them for everything, grocery shopping, diaper bags, beach totes, taking toys to grandparents, park luncheons, etc. However I never seem to get one large enough for everything I take with me, so I end up packing two totes. However that changed when I received this reversible tote from Cashmere Sisters. I love anything damask so this tote was the perfect fit, and its really big. I was able to fit everything we needed to go to the pool, and didn't have to pack a second tote.   

My lovely sister modeling the tote bag.

Here is a little bit about Valerie and who shop Cashmere Sisters

My husband and I recently moved to Texas which has provided a "new beginning" for me as far as my job situation.  While trying to decide where I was going to work we both felt like it was a good time to pursue my dream of having a home based business creating custom items.  It took quite some time to decide what those "items" should be since I love sewing just about anything, but we finally settled on bags and purses. While at first I thought that would be too limiting I have since realized that there are endless possibilities and each bag that we create can be as different as the women who purchase them.  We use a variety of fabrics and accessories for our bags--anything from the bright new fabrics that come with each season or upcycled men's silk ties from goodwill.  The accessories and buttons found on some of our bags are just as varied--there are some with fun and vibrant new buttons and yet others with vintage brooches that were once someone elses treasure.  Most of our bags are "one of a kind" and are not duplicated. The inspiration for a bag can come from so many places--sometimes it's just going to the fabric store and looking for fabrics that I like together.  Other times it's a jar of vintage buttons found in an antique shop or costume jewelry from the 1920's that would be perfect for converting into accessories for a bag!  I have loved creating things from a young age and now enjoy incorporating that passion into my life through Cashmere Sisters!  

You can purchase a tote bag HERE for $25

Use code "JULY SALE" for 25% off of your order

or you can win one below

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION 

Cashmere Sisters has offered one lucky 5K reader a large tote bag in their choice of design

{Leave a separate comment for each entry, if it says 3 entries leave 3 comments, if not you will not receive all entries possible, also YOU MUST LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS in one comment please} 

MANDATORY ENTRY

Check out Cashmere Sisters and comment below of your favorite tote design (1 entry)

Be a public Follower of this blog (1 entry)

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES
"like" 5ks and Chardonnay on facebook (1 entry)

"like" Cashmere Sisters on Facebook Tell her Mrs. Stethoscope sent you (2 entries)

Tweet about this giveaway using @Mrsstethoscope (3 entries)

Blog about this giveaway (3 entries)

Giveaway is open until Aug 2 at midnight EST, and to US & CAN readers only. Winner will be chosen using Random.org and will have 48 hours to reply.

I received the above tote bag in exchange for this review, the information read here is my honest opinion. I received no monetary compensation for this post.

Weight Watchers Wednesday

I was worried about this week, I came close to my calorie goal just about every day.. However it was pretty much the hottest week I can remember since.. well since I was a human oven the summer before. So I thought the heat may help me sweat out a few.. ounces... maybe?

We had a cheat day in the middle of the week, which is not normal at all, usually my cheat day is Sunday, but gammy was babysitting so I was drinking some margs!

Sunday morning I hoped on the scale, and really had prepared myself for no loss at all or even a gain since my eating had been off... I closed my eyes while it was registering and then what do you know..

1.3 pound loss this week!

I was super de duper excited! 

How did I celebrate... well eating a choc chip cookie of course.. how else would you celebrate at 8 in the morning on a Sunday?.......... before going to church...

family photos

So I have gotten a few emails requesting to see more

of our family photos from the

shoot we had last week with

Tracy 

So here they are!

Thanks Tracy for capturing these moments for us.

To be filed under ...

"That was umm strage" category 

Was sitting in Starbucks with hubs last week, baby girl was at home with a sitter {out with no baby, and we chose Sbucks.... lame... I know} anyway we were sitting near the front of the store by the windows.. There was a couple sitting at the table next to us, looked like two very artsy peeps in mid thirties. They were chatting, and laughing.. while a younger Asian woman was a the table in front of us, by herself working on a laptop. I noticed a  much older man from across the room approach the Asian woman by putting his hand on her shoulder, which of course freaked the poor girl out, he handed her a piece of paper.. looked like a yellow post-it folded in half, and motioned to the couple sitting next to us. The man then gathered his things and exited the coffee shop. 

Just a few short minutes later the woman who had been sitting in front of us, got up from her table walked to the couple at the table next to us, and said " There was a man in here, he wanted me to give you this", and handed the couple the folded paper, and then also walked out of the store. 

The two opened the paper, and then the woman started to chuckle, as she said " O my God what a weirdo". The guy she was with kept repeating the same phrase "that was really strange". The got get silent for a while and then laughed again. The woman headed for the bathroom as the man walked to the counter to order pastries. 

Of course hubs and I just watched this whole thing go down, so I'm sure you know the thought running through my head.. I must find out whats written on that paper. Hubs kept leaning his chair farther and farther back to try and read it, finally he was able to figure it out, the note read:

Call me if you are looking 

for a more interesting conversation

(xxx) xxx-xxxx :-)

I couldn't believe it, what a silly way to give someone your number, not to mention the chick was obviously already on what appeared to be a date. 

Silent Sunday

Last week on one of the days where it reached about 110 with the heat index we had family photos scheduled, our "Emmaline turns One" session turned out really well despite the insanely hot sauna we were working with!

Here is just s little peek.

Thanks to the Lovely Tracy Marshall Photography

Don't forget to enter my giveaway HERE it ends tomorrow

SMS

Today we are linking up with some of our favorites Katie & Eme for

SATURDAY MORNING SCENE

Because playing under the Jumperoo has become the new cool thing to do!

Seriously, this girl wants nothing to do with going in the Jumperoo, but everything to do with hiding out under it. The first chance she gets, she crawls right over there and sets up camp.

What does your saturday morning look like? Why dont you go link up too?

Sponsor Specials

Below are the current promotions going on from my fabulous sponsors

Summer is here! Check out our adorable cloth swim suits. This is not just a swim diaper bottom, it is a whole matching swim suit with no need for expensive, waste causing disposable swim diapers. We also have boy style bottoms. All suits come with mesh inner lining and adjustable side snap legs. Designed to keep accidents in, but not fill up with moisture to bog down your baby. Check out all our designs on www.kellylulu.Etsy.com.  Eco-friendly baby things by Lil' Stuff (kellylulu on Etsy). Special this month 10% off on swim diapers and swimsuits! Use promo code SWIM.

For the month of July, if any 5K & Chardonnay readers request a custom order of (2) bag tags/no touch tags (or one of each) and say they heard about it here, I will ship them free.

I have a new CLEARANCE section at my Etsy shop! I'm trying to clear some room for some things I'm working on for Fall/Halloween- like Disney princess inspired tutu/wand sets as well as ladybug, bee and fairy sets for Halloween!! It takes alot of room to store all that fluff!

This set of 6 decoupaged clothespin magnets were made with love with paper and/or stickers They come ready to use with a magnetic backing. They are perfect for sticking on the refrigerator for to-do lists, school schedules, sport schedules or pictures, or attach to an office file cabinet...anything magnetic will work! And they would make a super fun, unique gift! 

Convo me for a custom order today! I’m also happy to make a bulk or wholesale order for any special occasion you might have coming up! 

Natural Mommy Inc {Review & Giveaway}

UPDATE: WINNER IS #Jamie {Email has been sent}

Now that the Canadian postal strike is finally over, we received the sweetest little

newsboys cap in soft pink.

I just love it on E, obviously now in this natural sauna like weather we have been enduring its not the best time to wear it, but come fall and she will be sporting it with some of her cute fall jumpers.

It is handmade, and stretches so she will not grow out of it very quickly. 

I love the way it fits E and its super soft texture, I do wish that the brim were a bit more starched so it could stand on its own. This cap would make the sweetest new baby gift, for an expectant mother.

I am a SAHM to a wonderful little boy. I am always busy working on something crafty.
I make clothing for infants and children. I have also gotten into creating adorable little hats for infants and children. These hats can be used as photo props or for kids to wear all the time.

If you are not into the look of the newsboy cap you can find many other great styles in Natural Mommy Inc's etsy store

You can purchase the Newsboy Cap Here for $15 or you could win one.

GIVEAWAY STARTS HERE

Natural Mommy Inc has offered one lucky 5K reader a Newsboy cap in their choice of color

{Leave a separate comment for each entry, if it says 3 entries leave 3 comments, if not you will not receive all entries possible, also YOU MUST LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS in one comment please} 

MANDATORY ENTRY

Check out Natural Mommy Inc and comment below of your favorite hat (1 entry)

Be a public Follower of this blog (1 entry)

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES
"like" 5ks and Chardonnay on facebook (1 entry)

"like" Natural Mommy on facebook  Tell her Mrs. Stethoscope sent you (2 entries)

Tweet about this giveaway using @Mrsstethoscope (3 entries)

Blog about this giveaway (3 entries)

Giveaway is open until July 25 at midnight EST, and to US & CAN readers only. Winner will be chosen using Random.org and will have 48 hours to reply.

I received the above Newsboy Cap in exchange for this review, the information read here is my honest opinion. I received no monetary compensation for this post.

Cloth Diaper Giveaway Alert...

Obviously the only reason I am telling you all about this is because I want the extra entries,

and I kind of don't really want you all to enter

But I guess that's the way we play the game.

Are you a cloth diapering mama?

Do you want to win a Thirsties Duo Wrap?

Then Head on over to Ashley's Blog- StealingBabyKisses

Good Luck!

Weight Watchers Wednesday

This past week was a tad bit rough when it comes to the diet.. 

Out of town guests

Construction on our house

Horrible weather

all reasons that add up to eating the wrong foods.. 

of course we had to take our guests out to dinner {and lunch and breakfast}

Our house was torn up so couldn't really cook

and the weather being 900 degrees means not so much with the running bit

Thankfully I still managed to loose

1/2 a pound!

I plan to work harder this week though, I know I know I say it every week, but I hate not seeing at least 1 pound lost so I must up my game.

And you called 911 for that?

The following is a true story of a recent call for service, that was handled by Mr. Policeman.

The time was roughly 11pm, the sun had set, the day was near its end.... this could only mean one thing... the crazies... just got crazier.

Mr. Policeman was dispatched to the following call "Domestic Dispute between middle aged white man, his wife, and...... DING, DING, DING, you guessed it, another woman". Mr. Policeman arrived on scene, and was greeted by Middle aged white man, he was roughly 275, frequented the tattoo parlor and favored the design of "the bulldog". His head was bic'd clean, and his face full of hair, and a body full of metal. 

He was angry, and reeked of alcohol, and this was his story.

He and wife attended a wedding, spent most of the time at the bar, quickly became sloshed and met another woman. The festivities were dying down, and guests were headed home.  Drunken husband in his state of extreme intelligence decided it would be a good idea to take their new found female friend home with them, so she wouldn't have to drive her also drunken self home. Wife was too drunk to realize the problem with this situation....... until the effects of her extreme partying began to fade, and they arrive home. 

Upon arrival at the love shack, drunken stupid husband suggests wife should sleep it off while he ever so graciously offers single white (also drunk) female a ride home. Obviously wife now finds a problem with their new friend, and begins to argue with drunken, stupid husband.. who still sees no problem with this arrangement. While its not suggested to argue with the inebriated, its just  insane to argue with stupid. After a few minutes she has had enough and walked out.

At this point in the drunken mans recollection of how the evening went down, he is already in tears... yes you heard me correct metal man, is in tears. He was saying things like " I don't know why she is so upset with me", and "I really just need somebody to love me". Give this man a tampon and send him on his way would ya.

So Mr. Policeman ask's him, "Im confused, why did you call the police?", Drunk, Stupid, Crying man tearfully replies, "Because she left, and I wanted her stay."

Seriously people.. I am beginning to think drunks have 911 on speed dial. Good thing you can't txt into the dispatch could you imagine that, drunk texting at its finest!!!

Mr. Policeman is not enjoying this comedic call, more then he thought he would. He told me it was truly a sight to see, this big tatted, pierced guy, now to the point of sobbing. So Mr. P told him that there was nothing he could do for the man, the woman could come and go as she pleased she was an adult. He asked where the  other woman was who came home with them, however the hungover husband, had no clue. Mr. P looked around and she was nowhere to be found. For all I know her and the wife ran off together.

It was about the time where they were going to make sure this hungover husband would make it safely back in his residence to sleep it off, when he said to the officers..... "So you're just going to leave me here, all alone?" When they told him they had other real calls to handle, and couldn't stick around to play Jerry Springer any longer.. the hungover man looked at them with tears in his eyes, and said....

"why do you have to be so mean to me, all i wanted was somebody to spend quality time with me, and make me feel special" 

Silent Sunday

This photo is raw, completely un-edited so you can see

just how blue this girls eyes really are

I secretly pray every night that they do not change color

Winner.

Thank you to everyone who entered the "lil stuff by Kellylulu" giveaway

the winner is

#7 Lyryn

Check your email!

Saturday Morning Scene

Just a girl and her dog

We are linking up with Katie, and her adorable daughter Eme today to show you what our Saturday morning looks like, we have a cookout this afternoon so I have been in the kitchen most of the morning, while my sweet girls crawls around in her diaper playing with her pup!

Its' the freakin weekend..

Baby.. I'm about to me some fun..

except I'm Not...booo..

House is still a torn up mess, and my clean freak, germ-a-phobe self cannot handle it much longer. Seriously.. people I feel dirty in my own house with all of this dust, and drywall, and shopvacs sitting around. 

I thought I should tell you I have some pretty Suh-weeeet giveaways coming up for you guys, however.. now that I am back to somewhat of a normal schedule, and have been able to get my work-from-home life sorted, I have been trying to get back to some normal blogging, and not just giveaways every other day, however they did help me get though that portion of time where I coudln't blog much. 

Emma has been getting more and more sure of herself on the full speed ahead idea in the mobility department, she really has her self convinced that she CAN walk, and then takes a step on her own, looses her balance and looks at me like I did it.  This girl has NO fear whatsoever.. she tries to jump off of everything, climb on everything, and eats everything. 

She does not like to be alone very much though, she is all about being in the action, If I am cooking she wants to sit on the floor beating on pots and pans, and if I am getting ready in the morning she wants to chew on the brushes.

The past few days have been a challenge to sty out of the house most of the day due to construction and miss naps, O so not fun... now I realize just how much I really do love naps...

Also having to be out all the time means not such healthy meals and I sure am hoping that does not show when it comes to weigh in on sunday....

Yesterday we took dinner to a friend who recently delivered twin boys. They are just darling, and O so tiny.. they are almost 6 weeks old and just 6 pounds each, all wrinkly, and make the sweetest little grunts. I forgot what it felt like to hold 6 pounds, and compared to 19 pound child, it feels pretty much like you are not holding anything. 

It made me miss the newborn days, BUT not enough to revisit them any time soon. 

I have some new recipes to share with you next week, as well as a few photos!

Dont forget to enter my GIVEAWAY for a fancy *wetbag* HERE it ends tonight.

Hammers, Drills, and air compressors.

Those have been the things I have been hearing and seeing at my house for the past few days. We are having construction done and it is such a messy process. Yesterday we had to leave the house while it was going on, Emmaline was SUP-AH afraid of the nail gone, and the saw the used to take one of the walls down. We had friends in from out of state, so we decided to go to the beach, we packed up and headed out.

It was deathly hot outside, but we were going to enjoy it, we set up our baby cabana, unpacked the towels, re-applied sunscreen, and then thats when we saw it, the storm clouds rolling in. E was getting so hot pool girl was sweating, and she pretty much hates sand and the crashing waves, so we went and stood in line for a snoball to cool off a bit, we were in that stinkin line for 30 minutes.

About the time we were about to enjoy our flavored ice, I noticed everyone packing up, so we decided to do that too.. not 10 minutes after we got in the car it was pouring. Since we couldnt go home, and miss E was missing out on her nap, we decided driving would be the best thing. Thankfully she fell asleep in the car, I stayed in the car with her while the guys went in and got some ice cream and ordered wings for dinner. 

When we got word the contractors were close to being done for the day, we headed home, however it was still pretty loud there, and E was freakin out a bit, so my girl and I headed out to get some steamed shrimp. It had been 18 months since I could eat any seafood, I have a mild seafood allergy... I get hives, and my throat gets itchy, so I usually only have a few, however I was instructed to not even have one bite while pregnant as the allergy could become fatal while pregnant, and I couldn't have any while bfeeding, because the pedi said it could also trigger an allergy in E as well. So I held off... but now that I'm not nursing I wanted some really bad. 

We picked those up and then came back to the house, they were starting to pack, up.. things were messy, and looked so different. I am excited about the final product the the in between always looks horrible. They hung a new door on E's nursery... and ... I found out in the middle of the night... IT SQUEAKS...That my friends will the the most important task for the contractor to accomplish today, making the opening and close of that door soundless. 

Today we have to leave for a bit to, so we are going to go to the pool, and then head to Ikea, to look at desk's for my new home office that's being built!

Totally off subject, but because I think about it every day...

When did THIS 

O the 2 week PP body... its not pretty

Become THIS

Where did my tiny Baybee go?

winners

Hailey's Closet Winner

#5 The Workaholic Momma

Little Bare Bum Wear Winner

#2 Ashley

Emails have been sent.

Weight Watchers Wednesday

After a tough week, of starving myself  watching every little thing I ate, and counting my calories very well.. I am happy to tell you that

I LOST

2.4 Pounds!!!

I planned to start insanity, however after just doing the fit test I realized this cannot be done when you live in a condo on the third floor, unless you want the people below you to light your unit on fire, while you are sleeping. The amount of jumping was just too much. So its back to the good old shred, I am also keeping up with my ab app which I love, I just downloaded another actually and I alternate them every other day. 

I have not gotten to run as much as I had hoped however, that may never happen. I am eating much healthier, and smaller portions. If we go out to eat, I cannot finish my whole meal anymore, and usually get an upset stomach since I have been used to home cooking. 

I hope this week will be just as good!

Dont forget to enter my giveaway HERE

The dinner that wasn't

Like I had told you before, I am trying out lots of new recipes, and *IF* they turn out good I will post the recipes for you. I love to cook, and cook for many events, and have even catered a few before as well. Thats my thing organizing and cooking for events, I don't do it as a job or for money just to help friends out and I really, really enjoy it. I have always been great with following recipes, and even make up my own many times, that is until I had a baby, and have been slightly more pre-occupied with that sweet ball of energy.

I was very excited to try out a new recipe last night, it was the weight watchers grilled chicken quesadillas and homeade salsa. It thought to myself easy peasy right?... WRONG?

I started making the salsa, some thing I have done many times before, and usually just make up my own as I go along, however I was following this recipe, so I was measuring and going step by step. I had already diced up the green peppers, now it was time to chop the cilantro. I had 1 bunch of it fresh in the fridge so I pulled it out, washed it and layed it on the cutting board, the whole time trying to keep my *almost* walking child in my peripheral vision. I was going to separate the cilantro when my sweet girl puller herself up and grabbed the wallflower room freshener out of the outlet and was about to put it in her mouth, I took it from her, pulled her back into my sight, and she got mad that I took her new found toy and threw her head back, and you guessed it hit it on the floor and started crying. so I kissed the boo-boos, gave her some *real* toys and we were back in salsa making business.

Without even thinking twice about it, I chopped up the entire bunch of cilantro threw it in the bowl and then poured in the corn and the diced tomatoes.... it was while I was stirring the bowl I realized the mistake I had made... in my preoccupied state. Instead of chopping and adding 2tsp of cilantro I had added about 15 tsp. I thought, we love cilantro how bad could it be.... 1 word HORRIBLE..

So I thought I would start on the quesadillas, too bad I never took the chicken out of the freezer to thaw, I thought I could put in the micro on de-frost, but I really hate doing that.. it always ruins the taste.

So to make a long story even longer.... I got upset, because I never do this kinda thing, or at least I never used to do it. So there is no recipe to share, since dinner last night ended up being Bang-Bang shrimp at Bonefish Grill.

O well tomorrow is another day!

Lil' Stuff by Kellylulu {Review & Giveaway}

While on my quest to become a true cloth diapering mama, I realized there are a few essentials one must have. One very important thing is a WET BAG, at first I thought.. I don't need one of these, I could just grab a plastic grocery store bag and put the diapers in there, well remembering to pack one of those may have worked before I had a severe case of mom brain, but now I'm lucky I remember diapers let alone something to put them in. So after a few times of having to carry around a soaking wet diaper that then soaked other things, I decided I needed a wet bag.. Many of the ones I was finding were not fashionable at all, they were primer grey and only held 1-2 dipes...

Imagine how excited I was when I found Lil' Stuff by Kellylulu, and her great wet bags, you don't cloth diaper?? thats ok.. do you wear a swimsuit? Because these bags also work really great for packing in the beach bag to throw the wet suits in, and keep from everything else getting wet.

This big is pretty big to 13"X15" and can hold a few diapers, or bathing suits & a towel. It has a zippered top with a ribbon pull. the inside is lined with color coordinating PUL (polyurethane laminate) which I have talked about before for how strong it is, and its waterproof properties, and great ability to be washed over and over again. This bag can be thrown right into the washing machine with the contents and then hung to dry. 

Let me tell you a little bit about LIL STUFF, who has recently become one of my sponsors. 

Use code 5K10OFF to save 10%

Organic, natural and eco-friendly baby products are our passion.  
  *organic hemp cotton diaper wipes and wash cloths *Diaper Pail liners  * Wet bags 
*Washable nursing pads *Absorbent Baby burp cloths
We happily do custom orders!
We also hand knit baby hats, Felt keepsakes and make sewing and knitting accessories...just for fun! Visit http://lilstuffbykellylulu.weebly.com/ for more info on our material choices and natural Eco-friendly living. Thanks!

GIVEAWAY STARTS HERE

Lil Stuff has sweetly offered one lucky reader a wetbag of choice

{Leave a separate comment for each entry, if it says 3 entries leave 3 comments, if not you will not receive all entries possible, also YOU MUST LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS in one comment please} 

MANDATORY ENTRY

Check out Lil Stuff and comment below of your favorite wet bag fabric choice (1 entry)

Be a public Follower of this blog (1 entry)

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES
"like" 5ks and Chardonnay on facebook (1 entry)

"like" Lil Stuff by Kellylulu on facebook (2 entries)

Tweet about this giveaway using @Mrsstethoscope (3 entries)

Blog about this giveaway (3 entries)

Giveaway is open until July 15 at midnight EST, and to US readers. Winner will be chosen using Random.org and will have 48 hours to reply.

I received the above WETBAG in exchange for this review, the information read here is my honest opinion. I received no monetary compensation for this post.

Silent Sunday

O you know, just a bit of morning reading!

Welcome to:

The Wonderful world of bumps and bruises!!!

Emmaline has been pulling her self up on everything, literally if its in our house, odds are she has tried to pull herself up on. The couch, sliding glass door, cabinets, chairs, table, vanity, crib, glider, bedframes.

Some things hold her weight, others notsomuch.

She is getting pretty good at it, and I encourage it, since that is of course the way she learns. The problem comes when she has pulled herself up and then thinks she has mastered walking which, I can tell you.. SHE HAS NOT.

She will just let go, and shift her body weight try to take a step and down she goes. I do realize that on the journey of learning how to walk one must take a few face plants.. but I do try to protect her as much as I can. 

This morning I was making my bed, she was on the other side of it, pulling herself up, and having a pretty hard time, as she was using the comforter as support for standing up.. 

she finally did it, I like all moms cheered her on for her accomplishment, she got a huge smile on her face, and went to clap, which we all know involves letting go of the bed, and faster then I could get around the corner of the bead, I heard a bang and she was on the floor, only after her head came in contact with the foot board of my bed (why it is the heads always bump into everything and not like the forearm, or her thighs..with all the rolls on those babies she would never feel a thing).

Upon hearing the bump & cry almost simultaneously I pretty much dove over the bed, grabbed her but wasn't sure at that point what had hit, until the tears finally stopped and I saw the bump forming on her forehead. 

Im sure people without children have thought of calling CPS on me with all the bruises my kid gets, but  everytime I run into another "seasoned" mom she takes one look at E's head and says.. wont be too much longer she will be walking!!!!!!

To catch you up.

My normal post's which include everything from adorable baby photos, stories about crazy's, and the happening in our house have been few and far between lately. Most of this is in part to the following:

I STARTED MY NEW JOB

So of course there will be some explaining here...

1) NO I did not return my nursing job at the hospital... Yes I know I told you all I was, and as a matter of fact, I myself thought I was, until another job sort of fell into my lap, that I pretty much had to take. 

2)While I cannot go into large details with you {per contractual agreement} I can tell you that I am the Administrative Assistant for the regional events/marketing director for a VERY large liquor distributor. This company owns many big name brands that you see every day, and is in the process of releasing a few more new products that I am very excited about. 

3)No my job does not consist of drinking all day.... 

4)My job is done from my home office, however there will be events to attend, and places to go, as well as errands to run.

So now that I have started and life is getting back to somewhat of a routine {if such even exists} I will be blogging more real life stories again. ... Hopefully close to the amount I was able to before.. we shall see. 

So just to catch you up to date...

I am full speed ahead planning E's Birthday party.. I cannot believe how fast the last 10 months have went by, I know I say it every month.. but this time hitting the double digit month numbers was a bit hard. I will of course be doing a birthday party recap post, and maybe a few more peaks here and there. 

We have been going to the pool at least 5 nights a week, my girl is a fish, and loves the water.. we have a lady bug floaty with a sun shield over the top and she loves it, I think this much time in the pool has also helped her walking skills which are really taking off.

We are about to start a pretty big project in our house, extending our hallway, redesigning our bedroom, and my office I will post pics!

Yesterday i started baby proofing the house, I bought half of BRU and came home .. thinking it would be asy but I feel some of this is adult proof too.

I have a bunch of other things to catch you all up on, but I will leave you with this for now....

I have started meal planning again, and trying new recipes I have never used before.. most are Weight watchers.. Last night we had WW Chicken Hash and loved it..

Here are a few I will be trying over the next 2 weeks

• Snow Peas with ginger Dressing
• Chicken Tomato Chowder
• Corn Chowder
• Stir Fry w/asparagus
• Greek Meatballs
• Chicken Quesadilla   w/homeade corn salsa
• 3 cheese stuffed manicotti 

Dont forget to enter to win a cloth diaper HERE, and a girly giveaway HERE.

Little Bare Bum Wear {Review & Giveaway}

Well we are still on our cloth diapering journey.

Some of you thought I would have given up by now but I have not. 

I am actually enjoying it! Except for the added laundry part.. but honestly who enjoys laundry.

Up until now we have been doing prefolds & covers.

However we have now added fitted AIO cloth diapers into the mix, thanks to Little Bare Bum Wear.

We were recently sent these two fitted cloth diapers with velcro closures.

The Ladybug is medium, and the hearts is large.

I prewashed these 3 times as recommended on the wash and care guidelines sent with the diapers. They are wonderful diapers and I enjoyed trying out an AIO {all-in-one) diaper. I was extremely excited when I found out these diapers also have a layer of PUL inside of them , which has been important to me on my cloth diaper experience. As I have talked about before PUL was originally intended for use in the medical field since it provided a perfect non leaking barrier against body fluids that can stand up to the high sanitary heats to keep it staying fresh, and clean. It is also safe around even the softest of skin.

When I became a grandmother in 2010 I began wondering what the future held for my precious Eva Grace and this planet.  What would my part be in helping keep our planet a little better for our Children and someday their Children.  That is how Little Bare Bum Wear was started.

About The Diapers

Besides the fact that they are just plain adorable, they are also eco-friendly, practical, and affordable. These diapers are AIO (all in one) The diapers are made out of flannel with 4 layers of terry towel for absorbancy and one layer of PUL to help keep those bare bums fresh and dry.

Americans throw away 18 billion disposable diapers a year, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).  By using cloth diapers we can help drastically reduce that number.

AIO diapers are the easiest and cleanest way to cloth diaper and are perfect for beginners and veterans alike.  They are the closest thing to a disposable as possible without leaving our carbon footprint. Simply put the diaper on baby and change when soiled or wet. No stuffing, no snapping, no fuss, and one less diapper in the landfill.

 Each diaper is able to stay securely on your babies bum with Velcro adhesives making it very easy to design a custom fit.

All diapers have elastic leg gussets to avoid messes ending up anywhere other than the diaper. 

Diaper Sizes
Small: Waist 11 1/2 " to 16" with a 13" rise weight 6-10 lbs 
Medium: Waist 12 1/2 " to 19 1/2" with a 14" rise, weight 10-16 lbs 
Large: Waist 13" to 22" with a 16" 1/2 rise
weight 16- 20 lbs

extra large up to 30 lbs
Each baby varies in sizes and these are just general diaper sizes.

DIAPER CARE

For best results wash with powder-only detergent with the least amount of additives possible. Do not use anything that contains bleach, has whitening agents or says "contains whitening enzymes."

A lot of moms wash with vinegar which helps cut urine smells, as well as keep them fresh and clean.

Tumble dry or sun bleach on the clothes line (this actually helps removes stains as well). Do NOT use fabric softeners. It is recommended drying your diapers in the dryer the first time on high heat.

These diapers get MORE ABSORBANT as time passes. It is recommended you wash these 3-5 times before wearing them.

Diaper Cost

The cost per diaper starting @ $12.95

Cloth diapering may seem expensive at first, but did you know the average American spends up to $2500 dollars in disposable diapers from birth through potty training?

If you buy 6 Little Bare Bum Wear Diapers at every stage from birth to childhood you will spend approximately $300.00. THATS IT! That is a savings of approximately $2200 dollars.

GIVEAWAY STARTS HERE

Little bare bum wear has sweetly offered (1) cloth diaper in small, medium, or large.

MANDATORY ENTRY

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Visit Little Bare Bum Wear, then comment below which diaper print you like

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Be a public follower of this blog

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ADDITIONAL ENTRIES

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(3 entry each)

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Please leave a separate comment for each entry, including your email address. Giveaway will be open until  July 12 at midnight (EST), winner will be chosen using Random.org, and will have 48 hours to reply. 

I was given the above cloth diapers in exchange for this review & giveaway, thank you Little Bare Bum Wear. The opinions expressed here are my own and my vary from yours. I received no monetary compensation for this post.