Amanda has been notified, and has 48 hours to claim her prize. If she doesn't a new winner will be drawn. There were 62 entries that came in before the deadline of March 4th at 11:59 pm PST.
Looking forward to the next review and giveaway!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Winner of the Biokleen giveaway....
Comment number 8! Amanda!
Amanda has been notified, and has 48 hours to claim her prize. If she doesn't a new winner will be drawn. There were 62 entries that came in before the deadline of March 4th at 11:59 pm PST.
Looking forward to the next review and giveaway!
Amanda has been notified, and has 48 hours to claim her prize. If she doesn't a new winner will be drawn. There were 62 entries that came in before the deadline of March 4th at 11:59 pm PST.
Looking forward to the next review and giveaway!
Friday, February 18, 2011
Biokleen Review: Soy Lube SL-100
A product like this may seem like "eh, no big deal". But actually, it is. Nearly every home in America has this same type of product for fixing squeaky doors and stuck hinges, and whatever else we use that nasty blue can stuff for. You know the stuff I'm talking about, I won't name names. That stuff is highly toxic, and "harmful or fatal if swallowed". But yet most of us have it in out homes! And sometimes, not particularly hidden from our kids (we just can't think of everything). It's also highly flammable and just generally bad for the environment.
Well, get rid of that garbage and switch to the good stuff! And why not? Biokleen's Soy Lube does all the same things that other stuff does, without being so dang harmful! Here's some info from their site:
"Biokleen Soy Lube SL-100’s bio based formula is made entirely from renewable resources for an effective lubricant that lasts longer and is less hazardous than mainstream alternatives."
I have a really REALLY loud door at home, and of course it's the one for my baby's room. I sprayed some of this stuff where it sticks, and that was it! No more ear piercing squeal. And I haven't had to reapply yet, and it's been about two months since I used it. I was so happy, I ran outside and sprayed the car doors too. And the sliding glass door....and the storage room door....and everything else that was stuck, hard to move, or loud! You really should switch to this stuff as soon as you can. It's just as effective as the other stuff.....but so much better for you, your house, and the earth.
Biokleen Review: Soy Blends Cleaners
Two more products that I love to clean with. Have I mentioned how great these cleaners smell? I actually don't mind cleaning because they aren't bothersome, or over powering bleach type smells that burn your nose and make your eyes water. Just simple clean and fresh smelling citrus. The Toilet cleaner has really grainy bits of volcanic perlite (basically ground up dried lava) in it. This helps with the scrubbing power. Minimal elbow grease needed! Lets face it, toilets get funky and no one likes to clean them. But this stuff makes the job much more bearable, and as easy as it can possibly be. With no harsh bleach smell either.
From their site:
• Free of Acids and Caustics
• No harsh fumes – gentle to skin
• 99% VOC Free
• Effectively cleans and deodorizes
The Kitchen and Bath Soy Cream Cleaner is also a scrubbing action type of cream with volcanic perlite. But the perlite in this cleaner is much more finely ground. The texture is very similar to other bleach cream cleaners. This stuff cleans and shines without scratching surfaces. I use it at least twice a week on my kitchen sink. I have one of those stainless steel sinks that always has ugly water spots left behind. This is the perfect cleaner for my sink. It makes it so nice and shiny after a good scrub down! One of my favorite kitchen cleaners for sure. I use it on bathroom fixtures some times too, when they look like they need a polish.
Here's info from their website about it:
• Natural Volcanic Perlite and Lime Peel Extracts
• 99% VOC Free & Ozone Safe
• Cleans, shines and protects without scratching
• Gentle to skin
Biokleen Review: Bac-Out Drain Care
This is an awesome cleaner for all the drains in your house. Every now and then, especially in the kitchen where the garbage disposal is, drains get stinky. This is the perfect solution. It's a thick liquid that you swirl down the drain. It has live enzymes that eat away at food and other organic junk in the drain.
Details from their site:
• Clears slow drains and keeps them flowing freely
• Cleans and deodorizes
• No artificial fragrance, colors or preservatives
• Superior to enzyme-only based products
I use this about every other week to keep my kitchen sink from getting stinky. My drains weren't slow at the time, but they did have a bit of an order. Yuck! Not anymore! This stuff also smells great, more like lime than anything else. Nothing harsh and nose singing. Just a fresh clean scent. I put it down the drain before I go to bed at night, and when I wake up, rinse the drain for a minute or two. That's it!
This is not meant for a drain that's clogged by hair I found out. I tried it. I have long hair and, thanks to bizarre hormonal changes during pregnancy, I loose a lot of it. My bathroom drain is clogged fairly often. So I tried this cleaner, just to see. It didn't really do anything, BUT it did make it easier for me to get the hair out by hand. And, my bathroom drain smelled great too!
Biokleen Review: Citrus Soy Solvent
I love this stuff! This is a fresh smelling cleaner, and I use it all over my house. I got one full sized bottle to review, which is 32 oz. But, this one bottle actually makes 1,024 oz. of cleaner! The solvent is concentrated. All you do is add one ounce of Citrus Solvent Cleaner concentrate to 32 oz of water, and get to cleaning. This means, you aren't paying for your own water! Running about 12.40 a bottle on amazon, you are actually getting a lot for your money. If you were to buy 32 bottles of another similar cleaner, you would spend much more in the long run.
Here's some info from their site:
• Super Concentrated
• Multi-Purpose: All Purpose, Heavy-Duty Degreasing, Light Cleaning, and Dissolving
• Dissolves gum, wax, paint, adhesives, tar and more
• Gentle to skin
But, hey. That means nothing if it doesn't work, right? Well, no worries there! This stuff works great! I use it in my kitchen, specifically on my stove at least every other day. Bacon grease? No problem. Spilled spaghetti sauce all over the stove? Piece of cake. Stuck on something or other that no one knows how it got there? Done. I host Thanksgiving dinner in my house every year, and I'm sure you can imagine what a mess that makes. Between stuck on gravy drippings and crusted over mashed potatoes, it usually takes a while to get the kitchen back to normal. And the smell? You know, it smells great that night, but I don't want to smell it in the morning the next day!
Citrus Soy Solvent really works to get the greasy caked on yucky stuff off, but it also smells great! It's not an over powering smell like other cleaners. It's just a light and fresh, slightly citrusy scent. Just clean. And because of that, it takes away the funky dinner smell so there's nothing left but clean to smell in the morning! Love it.
I wish I had a picture of what my kitchen stove looked like after Thanksgiving dinner, but a friend jumped in and helped me out by cleaning. Before I knew it, the kitchen was clean, and I had no pic of the mess! But, she had the soy solvent in her hand and asked me what it was. I told her, and she said it was the easiest clean up she had ever done after a massive meal like that. She had even cleaned the floor around the stove with it!
And the best part is, I didn't have to worry about what my baby was going to touch afterward. It's non-toxic, which means I don't need to worry about tiny amounts of residue that may get left behind after cleaning!
Biokleen Your house! ***Giveaway CLOSED***
The awesome folks at Biokleen sent me some products to review. I couldn't have been more excited to work with this company! I had already tried a couple of their products before. We use Bac-Out in our house regularly, and I think EVERYONE should keep this stuff around! I had also used their dish washer detergent and laundry powder before. So I knew that they made quality products. Biokleen has won several "best of green" awards in the past, and for good reason. I have tried several other national brand "green" cleaners, and have been mostly disappointed for a number of reasons. But Biokleen has always exceeded my expectations! Check Out their website. You will be surprised to see how much they have to offer now.
Here's what Biokleen sent me to test out:
Pretty cool right? I've been using all of this stuff for several months now. I'm really impressed! It's safe to say that I am a total Biokleen convert now. I even gave away my other cleaners to friends because I simply won't be using that stuff any more!
Some things you should know about Biokleen:
*No animal testing!
*No animal products in their cleaners!
*Started in 1989, they have been at this for a while!
*All of their products are NON TOXIC!
*No known carcinogens, mutagens, teratogens, or pollutants.
*Readily Biodegradable-Does not Biodegrade to More Harmful Compounds
That's just a short list of why Biokleen holds up to their motto of "Tough on Dirt, Gentle on the earth" Read more about their history and commitment not just to the earth, but you.
I decided to review each product individually, here are the links:
Citrus Soy Solvent
Bac-Out Drain Care
Soy Blends Cleaners
Soy Lube
Bac-Out
Now for the fun stuff. Biokleen has very generously offered a nice package to one of my readers. Here what you will receive directly from Biokleen:
1 Citrus Soy Solvent 32 oz.
1 All Temp Laundry Liquid 32 oz.
1 Bac-Out Fresh Lavender
1 Bac-Out Stain & Odor Eliminator 32 oz.
4 Coupons
That's one heck of a prize!
Rules:
This contest is open to US residents. Please leave your email in the comments with your entry so I can contact you if you have won. Contest will run From today Feb. 18th, until March 4th at 11:59 midnight PST. I will draw a winner the next day.
Mandatory entry:
1.) Visit Biokleen's website, and tell me how you think they could help in your home!
2.) Like Biokleen on Facebook.
Extra Entries:
1.) Like Tidee Bums on Facebook
2.) Follow this blog via GFC
3.) Tweet about the giveaway using @BiokleenInc and @tideebums and #giveaway in the same tweet. (can do this twice per day for the duration of the giveaway if desired. at least one hour apart) For Example: "@tideebums has a @BiokleenInc #giveaway on her blog!http://tinyurl.com/4gjwbu8"
4.) Read and comment on my other Biokleen reviews (worth one entry each!)
Super entries (worth 3 entries each!)
1.) Post about this giveaway on another site, linking back to this blog. (leave the link in the comments so I can see it, please) You can do this as many times as you would like, up to twice per day!
Please note, because of Facebook's rules, I will not ask you to write on Biokleen's Facebook wall. Thanking them for the giveaway is completely up to you (always appreciated), and will not count for entry.
Here's what Biokleen sent me to test out:
Pretty cool right? I've been using all of this stuff for several months now. I'm really impressed! It's safe to say that I am a total Biokleen convert now. I even gave away my other cleaners to friends because I simply won't be using that stuff any more!
Some things you should know about Biokleen:
*No animal testing!
*No animal products in their cleaners!
*Started in 1989, they have been at this for a while!
*All of their products are NON TOXIC!
*No known carcinogens, mutagens, teratogens, or pollutants.
*Readily Biodegradable-Does not Biodegrade to More Harmful Compounds
That's just a short list of why Biokleen holds up to their motto of "Tough on Dirt, Gentle on the earth" Read more about their history and commitment not just to the earth, but you.
I decided to review each product individually, here are the links:
Citrus Soy Solvent
Bac-Out Drain Care
Soy Blends Cleaners
Soy Lube
Bac-Out
Now for the fun stuff. Biokleen has very generously offered a nice package to one of my readers. Here what you will receive directly from Biokleen:
1 Citrus Soy Solvent 32 oz.
1 All Temp Laundry Liquid 32 oz.
1 Bac-Out Fresh Lavender
1 Bac-Out Stain & Odor Eliminator 32 oz.
4 Coupons
That's one heck of a prize!
Rules:
This contest is open to US residents. Please leave your email in the comments with your entry so I can contact you if you have won. Contest will run From today Feb. 18th, until March 4th at 11:59 midnight PST. I will draw a winner the next day.
Mandatory entry:
1.) Visit Biokleen's website, and tell me how you think they could help in your home!
2.) Like Biokleen on Facebook.
Extra Entries:
1.) Like Tidee Bums on Facebook
2.) Follow this blog via GFC
3.) Tweet about the giveaway using @BiokleenInc and @tideebums and #giveaway in the same tweet. (can do this twice per day for the duration of the giveaway if desired. at least one hour apart) For Example: "@tideebums has a @BiokleenInc #giveaway on her blog!http://tinyurl.com/4gjwbu8"
4.) Read and comment on my other Biokleen reviews (worth one entry each!)
Super entries (worth 3 entries each!)
1.) Post about this giveaway on another site, linking back to this blog. (leave the link in the comments so I can see it, please) You can do this as many times as you would like, up to twice per day!
Please note, because of Facebook's rules, I will not ask you to write on Biokleen's Facebook wall. Thanking them for the giveaway is completely up to you (always appreciated), and will not count for entry.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Ergo Winner Announcement:
I figured since not everyone who entered is a facebook fan or follower, I should announce the winner in a blog post.
The winning number was:
The winner said:
"lisad33611 said... 135
Daily tweet 1
http://twitter.com/#!/My2CentsFL/status/25598613417631744
duncan.lisa at gmail.com
January 13, 2011 9:03 AM"
Congrats to our winner! She has been emailed (and already responded) to claim her prize! I hope you will stick around for more fun on the blog!
The winning number was:
The winner said:
"lisad33611 said... 135
Daily tweet 1
http://twitter.com/#!/My2CentsFL/status/25598613417631744
duncan.lisa at gmail.com
January 13, 2011 9:03 AM"
Congrats to our winner! She has been emailed (and already responded) to claim her prize! I hope you will stick around for more fun on the blog!
Monday, January 3, 2011
ErgoBaby Carrier Giveaway *CLOSED*
If you haven't read my review of the ErgoBaby Carrier yet, you probably should (click here)! What an amazing carrier! The generous people at Ergo have offered to give a carrier to one of my lucky readers!
This is my way of ringing in the new year, so I am going to have this contest run from today 1/03/11 to 1/17/11 at 12 midnight PST. I will draw a winner on Tuesday the 18th. I will draw a winner and notify them via email. You will have 48 hours to claim your prize, or else a new winner will be drawn. The prize is being shipped directly from Ergo, and the style is at their discretion. I will put the word in for you on which one you would like most, but ultimately, it's up to them and what's available :)
Want to skip the wait and buy one?
Click the banner bellow:
The Prize:
One ErgoBaby Carrier
Rules:
This contest is open to anyone. Please leave your email in the comments with your entry so I can contact you if you have won.
Mandatory entry:
1.) Visit Ergo's website (here) and tell me which carrier you would most like!
2.) Like ErgoBaby on Facebook.
Extra Entry
3.) Tweet about the giveaway using @ERGOBaby and @tideebums and #giveaway in the same tweet. (can do this twice per day for the duration of the giveaway if desired. at least one hour apart) For Example: "@tideebums has an @ERGOBaby #giveaway on her blog! http://tinyurl.com/34luh7h"
That's it! Please note, because of Facebook's rules, I will not ask you to write on Ergo's Facebook wall. Thanking them for the giveaway is completely up to you, and will not count for entry.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Ergo Baby Carrier *Review*
Ergo baby was kind enough to have me review their baby carrier! I can't tell you how excited I was to receive this package in the mail. I had been day dreaming about trying one of these for quite some time. I already have a hot-sling type carrier and a Moby Wrap. I liked them both, the Moby more than the sling. But, I was looking for something that went on even faster and was less likely to get dirty when taking on and off. We go camping A LOT and because of how the Moby kind of drapes on the ground a bit while you are tying it up, it is always filthy about 15 minutes after arrival. Not a huge deal, but not much fun either.
Ergo is based in Hawaii, and they sent me a really nice organic carrier to review. If you have ever been to Hawaii, you'll know it's an amazing place. If you haven't, let me tell you, it's like paradise. When I got my package from Ergo, I felt like I got a little piece of paradise sent to me! They follow through with Hawaii's sense of Aloha in their customer service, and the obvious care in which their product is made. I think that's one of the reasons I was so drawn to this carrier over other similar carriers in the first place. The sense of care and concern Ergo projects to it's audience. And I love that they spend a lot of time talking about safe babywearing on their website. Really good info for folks who are new to the idea, or new parents in general.
OK, back to the carrier. I got a black one with embroidered flowery detail on it, and like I mentioned it's organic. LOVE that aspect! The shoulder straps are very padded to provide maximum comfort. So is the waist strap. It has elastic bands that will catch the clips in case they break so the baby doesn't fall......but it looks like it would take A LOT to break those suckers! Not worried about it at all.
It's probably obvious that this is a carrier that holds the baby facing you and in the front. But you may not notice right away how versatile this carrier actually is. Besides being a front carrier, it can also be a hip carrier. AND it can also be a back carrier! That's three safe positions in one convenient package. The first two positions were quick and easy for me to learn. I used them right away when heading out for an evening walk with the little one. I have yet to master the back carry.......I am just too afraid I am going to drop the little one :( The good news is, there's a TON of videos on youtube that demonstrate how to use the Ergo in various ways. It appears it just takes practice.
The Ergo also has an optional infant insert, but because my little one is passed the age of needing that I can't attest for that piece.
One of the other advantages of this carrier is that it is designed to offer the best and most natural support for both the parent and the baby. This makes it more comfortable for longer periods of time. I have yet to experience neck and shoulder pain, or any real back and foot pain after our evening walks. I haven't worn it for hours on end yet, but I can't forsee it being uncomfortable. And I can tell my little one is comfortable because she settles right into it. She LOVES to be in it!! A carrier isn't any good if baby hates it and it never gets used! Little miss generally falls asleep in it before long, so I know it's nice a comfy and comforting.
The best thing about the Ergo, which probably goes without saying is how quickly it goes on so I can be hands free in under a minute, with no fussing with tying straps or goofing with comfy positioning. Once it;s on, it's on. It doesn't get loose after wearing it for a bit, it's secure and safe, comfy. Perfect. The hip carry is awesome for when the little one gets bigger and it's harder to maneuver around them when they are on the front of you. Like, say doing dishes for example. It's hard to get to the sink and do a proper cleaning job when your 8 month old is right in front of ya! I imagine it must be what being 17 months pregnant would feel like!? YIKES!! So yeah, I usually go with the hip carry for chores. I even had someone help me get her into a back carry so I could cook Thanksgiving dinner for 16 people while wearing her! BEST THING EVER!! To have your baby peacefully playing or napping on your back while you prepare a feast is the best ever. No worrying about what she was getting into or who was watching her!
All in all, this is my favorite carrier. I LOVE it and can't believe I got along without it before! I recommend this to any new mom, or mom interested in trying out baby wearing. It's safe, comfortable, durable, and more affordable than other similar carriers. Worth every penny if you ask me! Get yourself one HERE.
I am adding some pics of the two positions I am good at. These were taken right before our evening walk. I might just keep on adding pictures of how she fits and how we use it as time goes on. It's just such an awesome carrier!
Ergo is based in Hawaii, and they sent me a really nice organic carrier to review. If you have ever been to Hawaii, you'll know it's an amazing place. If you haven't, let me tell you, it's like paradise. When I got my package from Ergo, I felt like I got a little piece of paradise sent to me! They follow through with Hawaii's sense of Aloha in their customer service, and the obvious care in which their product is made. I think that's one of the reasons I was so drawn to this carrier over other similar carriers in the first place. The sense of care and concern Ergo projects to it's audience. And I love that they spend a lot of time talking about safe babywearing on their website. Really good info for folks who are new to the idea, or new parents in general.
OK, back to the carrier. I got a black one with embroidered flowery detail on it, and like I mentioned it's organic. LOVE that aspect! The shoulder straps are very padded to provide maximum comfort. So is the waist strap. It has elastic bands that will catch the clips in case they break so the baby doesn't fall......but it looks like it would take A LOT to break those suckers! Not worried about it at all.
It's probably obvious that this is a carrier that holds the baby facing you and in the front. But you may not notice right away how versatile this carrier actually is. Besides being a front carrier, it can also be a hip carrier. AND it can also be a back carrier! That's three safe positions in one convenient package. The first two positions were quick and easy for me to learn. I used them right away when heading out for an evening walk with the little one. I have yet to master the back carry.......I am just too afraid I am going to drop the little one :( The good news is, there's a TON of videos on youtube that demonstrate how to use the Ergo in various ways. It appears it just takes practice.
The Ergo also has an optional infant insert, but because my little one is passed the age of needing that I can't attest for that piece.
One of the other advantages of this carrier is that it is designed to offer the best and most natural support for both the parent and the baby. This makes it more comfortable for longer periods of time. I have yet to experience neck and shoulder pain, or any real back and foot pain after our evening walks. I haven't worn it for hours on end yet, but I can't forsee it being uncomfortable. And I can tell my little one is comfortable because she settles right into it. She LOVES to be in it!! A carrier isn't any good if baby hates it and it never gets used! Little miss generally falls asleep in it before long, so I know it's nice a comfy and comforting.
The best thing about the Ergo, which probably goes without saying is how quickly it goes on so I can be hands free in under a minute, with no fussing with tying straps or goofing with comfy positioning. Once it;s on, it's on. It doesn't get loose after wearing it for a bit, it's secure and safe, comfy. Perfect. The hip carry is awesome for when the little one gets bigger and it's harder to maneuver around them when they are on the front of you. Like, say doing dishes for example. It's hard to get to the sink and do a proper cleaning job when your 8 month old is right in front of ya! I imagine it must be what being 17 months pregnant would feel like!? YIKES!! So yeah, I usually go with the hip carry for chores. I even had someone help me get her into a back carry so I could cook Thanksgiving dinner for 16 people while wearing her! BEST THING EVER!! To have your baby peacefully playing or napping on your back while you prepare a feast is the best ever. No worrying about what she was getting into or who was watching her!
All in all, this is my favorite carrier. I LOVE it and can't believe I got along without it before! I recommend this to any new mom, or mom interested in trying out baby wearing. It's safe, comfortable, durable, and more affordable than other similar carriers. Worth every penny if you ask me! Get yourself one HERE.
I am adding some pics of the two positions I am good at. These were taken right before our evening walk. I might just keep on adding pictures of how she fits and how we use it as time goes on. It's just such an awesome carrier!
Friday, November 19, 2010
Vital ID from Belly Charms *Review*
As part of child safety awareness week, I wanted to share some products that can help to keep your children safe. The wonderful people at Vital ID by Belly Charms offered me a Vital ID to use and review.
Here is some info from their site:
"Whether you are a lost child at the mall, experiencing a medical emergency, or have been involved in an accident, ensuring you can quickly communicate with those around you is essential! Carrying ID can provide this voice when you are unable to communicate for yourself and ensure help is quickly given by those who have come to your aid.
You Never Know When You'll Need It - Be Prepared... Carry ID!"
I love this wrist ID. It is truly a great idea for when you are out and about with your little ones. You can put your address, contact information and any medical information that may be necessary. It is water proof, and the velcro is not very easy for little one's to take off! Each wrist band comes with two ID tags that fit securely inside in a pocket. This is also good to have on your child if you are attending a large out door event such as a fair or concert where you can loose sight of your child rather quickly. Trust me, my brother and I turned the act of escaping into an art form, it was not because we weren't being watched!
By the way, here's a tip for attending large fairs, festivals and other large outdoor events. Pick a meeting place upon entry. Somewhere easy for little eyes to find. As kids we used to have the meeting place at the first aid/nursing station. Every single fair had one. And we knew all we had to do was tell someone that worked at the fair that we were lost and we needed to meet our parents at the nursing station. Never had to use that, but it's a good idea.
Back to my review. I really do like this wrist band. It is a bit too big for my child still, she is only 7 months, but this will come in handy sooner than we know! This is also a good idea for use at class-mate birthday parties. You can have your phone number all ready and easy to access for the host of the party, in case you chose not to stay with your child. Vital ID also makes a medical ID that would be great for use on a child in school. This way teachers can look and see any medical needs or allergies quickly and easily and not have to rely on the child to relay important information.
$11.99 is a small price to pay for peace of mind when it comes to our children! I encourage you to get one of these. They come in a multitude of colors and even camo!
To Purchase a Vital ID by Belly Charms go here.
For more products and info from Belly Charms, go here.
Like Belly Charms on Facebook here.
And Follow them on Twitter here.
*************************************************************************************
Want to win one? You can:
Mandatory Entry (all in one comment):
1.) Visit Belly charms on face book (link above), like them, and thank them for the giveaway.
2.) Visit the Vital ID's By Belly Charms link (above) and tell me what color/style of ID you would like.
Comment back here with your answer, and let me know you liked our sponsor. Leave your email address so I can contact you if you win!
Extra Entries:
1.) Follow Belly Charms on Twitter (one extra entry)
2.) Follow Me on Twitter @tideebums (one extra entry)
3.) Follow me on GFC (one extra entry)
4.) Like me on Facebook
Super Entry:
Tweat about this giveaway using @belly charms and @tideebums in the tweet with a link to the blog. For example:
"@tideebums is having a Vital ID by @BellyCharms #giveaway on her blog! http://tideebums.blogspot.com/" OR use the "tweet this" button bellow!
This can be done twice per day (more than 3 hours apart) for one entry each time during the entire giveaway.
Giveaway starts today 11/22 and will end on Monday 11/29 at 11:59 p.m. PST. Random.org will chose the winner.
Tweet
Monday, November 15, 2010
Child Safety Awareness Week 11/15-11/22
Because of the nature of this blog, my readers are all parents. This is why I wanted to have a special event dedicated to bringing awareness to keeping our children safe when they begin to travel further and further out of arms reach. I am dedicating this week to a classmate and friend who got kidnapped, and has never been found. Some of you may, or may not have heard about this case, depending on where you live. Here's some info from the FBI's website:
"Michaela Joy Garecht was nine-years-old when she was abducted by an unknown male assailant in the parking lot of the Rainbow Market in Hayward, California, on the morning of November 19, 1988. She was attempting to retrieve her friend's scooter that the abductor had moved closer to his vehicle while the girls were inside the market when she was grabbed by the assailant and pulled into a car. Garecht has not been seen or heard from since this date."
Please also see the Charley Project's website for even more info.
There is also a Facebook page set up by Michaela's mother, and you can feel free to :like" it if you want to stay on top of any and all information that comes in. As Sharon mentions, this case is not cold, and they do investigate any and all tips that come in.
Her mother has set up a website, which you can find here. Here is an excerpt from the home page written by her mother Sharon:
"I am filled with a desire not only to continue the search for Michaela, but to keep her alive by keeping her memory alive. Michaela was a bright and shining light in the world, and I am determined that her light will never go out. In her honor, I offer you this website. I seek information about her kidnapping. I offer a book I have written on child safety, and what an honor to my daughter it would be if that book should ever result in keeping even one child from having to endure the horror she did. "
The website created by her mother has several links and lots of information about the case, and I urge you to take a look at it. It is painful to think about something like this happening to our own. I feel it is important to think about though, so we can try to prevent it. There will come a time when our children will be out of our eyesight at some point. Weather it be walking to or from school, waiting for the school bus, in a store where you have averted your eyes for only a second, a crowded area where your hand accidentally slips from your child's without meaning to, or sometimes even in your own home while you are asleep at night. Or when our little ones, unaware of the dangers of the outside world, get curious and sneak away from us.
In honor of Michaela, I will be giving away one copy of the book that Sharon wrote "Listen To Your Smart Voice: And Stay Safe!"
This is the best way that I can think of to honor Michaela. To try and help make sure this doesn't happen to any of you. All week I will be posting other cases and products that can help protect your children and keep them safe.
To win the book, there is only one way to enter.
Please comment your thoughts below, leaving your email so I can contact you if you have won.
This will be open from today 11/15 until 11/22 at 12:59 pm PST
If you decide to like Michaela's facebook page, please don't post our usual "tidee bums sent me!" type of comments. Obviously, this isn't that sort of page. Supportive comments are always welcome to Sharon though. Thanks for understanding!
"Michaela Joy Garecht was nine-years-old when she was abducted by an unknown male assailant in the parking lot of the Rainbow Market in Hayward, California, on the morning of November 19, 1988. She was attempting to retrieve her friend's scooter that the abductor had moved closer to his vehicle while the girls were inside the market when she was grabbed by the assailant and pulled into a car. Garecht has not been seen or heard from since this date."
Please also see the Charley Project's website for even more info.
There is also a Facebook page set up by Michaela's mother, and you can feel free to :like" it if you want to stay on top of any and all information that comes in. As Sharon mentions, this case is not cold, and they do investigate any and all tips that come in.
Her mother has set up a website, which you can find here. Here is an excerpt from the home page written by her mother Sharon:
"I am filled with a desire not only to continue the search for Michaela, but to keep her alive by keeping her memory alive. Michaela was a bright and shining light in the world, and I am determined that her light will never go out. In her honor, I offer you this website. I seek information about her kidnapping. I offer a book I have written on child safety, and what an honor to my daughter it would be if that book should ever result in keeping even one child from having to endure the horror she did. "
The website created by her mother has several links and lots of information about the case, and I urge you to take a look at it. It is painful to think about something like this happening to our own. I feel it is important to think about though, so we can try to prevent it. There will come a time when our children will be out of our eyesight at some point. Weather it be walking to or from school, waiting for the school bus, in a store where you have averted your eyes for only a second, a crowded area where your hand accidentally slips from your child's without meaning to, or sometimes even in your own home while you are asleep at night. Or when our little ones, unaware of the dangers of the outside world, get curious and sneak away from us.
In honor of Michaela, I will be giving away one copy of the book that Sharon wrote "Listen To Your Smart Voice: And Stay Safe!"
This is the best way that I can think of to honor Michaela. To try and help make sure this doesn't happen to any of you. All week I will be posting other cases and products that can help protect your children and keep them safe.
To win the book, there is only one way to enter.
Please comment your thoughts below, leaving your email so I can contact you if you have won.
This will be open from today 11/15 until 11/22 at 12:59 pm PST
If you decide to like Michaela's facebook page, please don't post our usual "tidee bums sent me!" type of comments. Obviously, this isn't that sort of page. Supportive comments are always welcome to Sharon though. Thanks for understanding!
Friday, November 5, 2010
Tommee Tippee Explora Food Pots Giveaway
Now that you have read the review, here's how you can win a set for yourself!
This contest is open from today 11/05/10 until 11/12/10 at 11:59 p.m. PST. I will draw a winner and notify them via email. You will have 48 hours to claim your prize, or else a new winner will be drawn.
The Prize:
One 4 Pack of Tommee Tippee Explora Food Pots
Rules:
This contest is open to anyone.
Mandatory entry:
1.) Visit Tommee Tippee's website and comment here telling me which product of theirs you would most like to have.
2.) Like Tommee Tippee on facebook, and tell them "thanks for the giveaway from Tidee Bums!!" and then comment here so I know you did.
Extra Entry:
1.) Follow me publicly on google friend connect, comment here so I know you did.
2.) "Like" me on facebook, and comment back here to tell me that you did.
3.) Tweet about this give away using this in the tweet "@tideebums is having a tommee tippee #giveaway on her blog! tideebums.blogspot.com" or by using the tweet this button below. (you can do this once per day for the duration of the giveaway. copy and past your tweet in the comments)
4.) Comment on ONE of my other blog posts, and come back here and comment so I know you did. (you can only do this once during the giveaway)
Tweet
This contest is open from today 11/05/10 until 11/12/10 at 11:59 p.m. PST. I will draw a winner and notify them via email. You will have 48 hours to claim your prize, or else a new winner will be drawn.
The Prize:
One 4 Pack of Tommee Tippee Explora Food Pots
Rules:
This contest is open to anyone.
Mandatory entry:
1.) Visit Tommee Tippee's website and comment here telling me which product of theirs you would most like to have.
2.) Like Tommee Tippee on facebook, and tell them "thanks for the giveaway from Tidee Bums!!" and then comment here so I know you did.
Extra Entry:
1.) Follow me publicly on google friend connect, comment here so I know you did.
2.) "Like" me on facebook, and comment back here to tell me that you did.
3.) Tweet about this give away using this in the tweet "@tideebums is having a tommee tippee #giveaway on her blog! tideebums.blogspot.com" or by using the tweet this button below. (you can do this once per day for the duration of the giveaway. copy and past your tweet in the comments)
4.) Comment on ONE of my other blog posts, and come back here and comment so I know you did. (you can only do this once during the giveaway)
Tweet
Tommee Tippee Explora Food Pots Review
I'm always on the look out for little products and gadgets that can make getting out and about with my little one easier. When I first started getting out of the house with a new baby in tow, I totally over prepared :) I would lug around this giant diaper bag overstuffed with extra bottles, cans of formula *just in case*, slings galore, 10 extra diapers, extra clothes, you name it. It was in the diaper bag. And that was just fora run to the grocery store! Needless to say, that got to be cumbersome and I needed to find better ways to do things. Not only did I cut back on the sheer amount of needless items I put in the bag, I started to keep my eyes open for little compartment style containers and things that I could put portions of food into. I also wanted to make things easier for when my husband is gone and I need to take the little one over to her grandpa's house to be cared for during the day.
That's when I came across Tommee Tippee products. I so wish I had found them sooner!! They make virtually everything you can think of! Bottles, plates, spoons, pacifiers, and even offer support for breast feedings moms and the dads who love them. How awesome is that! Tommee Tippee is obviously committed to a high standard of quality and to supporting and building relationships with their consumers. Needless to say, I was pleased as punch when they allowed me to review one of their products, the Explora Food Pots.
On top of being concerned about saving space (and pay load) in the diaper bag, I am more concerned about safety and health issues. Tommee Tippee proucts are ALWAYS BPA free! Thats' one of my favorite parts about this company. They know what's important to us moms.
Here's what I received in the mail from Tommee Tippee:
Upon first impression, I was really please with their packaging. And the fact that there's not a lot of it to throw away! As a person who works in product packaging, those first impressions are important. But what's better is, you'll notice how all four pots and the list stack neatly together so they won't take up much space in your cupboards. Thank goodness for that because I am already overrun with too much Tupperware!
After washing these up, I was ready to put them to use the next morning. I grabbed a frozen cube of home made baby food, and tossed it in the pot and then straight into the diaper bag, hoping for the best! I was worried that the lid would leak as the food started to thaw out. But, nope! I had no reports of leaks! What's better is that, because these are microwave safe and dishwasher safe AND freezer safe, I don't have to worry about how these pots will get used when I drop my little one off during the day at my dad's. Meaning, if he decides to microwave her food, no worries! Wash them in the dishwasher? No problem. Much easier than using hundreds of little plastic baggies that just need to get thrown out.
They made a trip out to dinner much easier too. We could take her frozen food with us without worrying about leaks, and some rice cereal on another pot to just mix up at the table of the restaurant we went to. And it didn't take a toll on the valuable diaper bag real estate. I also find that bringing along empty pots are good for storing things, like binkies, that you may not want just floating around in the diaper bag. We have also even let little miss put the bink in the pot, sealed the lid and then let her shake away as a makeshift toy to keep her distracted while running errands.
Overall I love these little food pots and Tommee Tippee for making them. You can bet I'll be buying more of their products in the very near future! Tommee Tippee products are reasonably priced and are sold at Babies R Us and Toys R Us. I'm also giving away a set of Explora Food Pots here!
That's when I came across Tommee Tippee products. I so wish I had found them sooner!! They make virtually everything you can think of! Bottles, plates, spoons, pacifiers, and even offer support for breast feedings moms and the dads who love them. How awesome is that! Tommee Tippee is obviously committed to a high standard of quality and to supporting and building relationships with their consumers. Needless to say, I was pleased as punch when they allowed me to review one of their products, the Explora Food Pots.
On top of being concerned about saving space (and pay load) in the diaper bag, I am more concerned about safety and health issues. Tommee Tippee proucts are ALWAYS BPA free! Thats' one of my favorite parts about this company. They know what's important to us moms.
Here's what I received in the mail from Tommee Tippee:
Upon first impression, I was really please with their packaging. And the fact that there's not a lot of it to throw away! As a person who works in product packaging, those first impressions are important. But what's better is, you'll notice how all four pots and the list stack neatly together so they won't take up much space in your cupboards. Thank goodness for that because I am already overrun with too much Tupperware!
After washing these up, I was ready to put them to use the next morning. I grabbed a frozen cube of home made baby food, and tossed it in the pot and then straight into the diaper bag, hoping for the best! I was worried that the lid would leak as the food started to thaw out. But, nope! I had no reports of leaks! What's better is that, because these are microwave safe and dishwasher safe AND freezer safe, I don't have to worry about how these pots will get used when I drop my little one off during the day at my dad's. Meaning, if he decides to microwave her food, no worries! Wash them in the dishwasher? No problem. Much easier than using hundreds of little plastic baggies that just need to get thrown out.
They made a trip out to dinner much easier too. We could take her frozen food with us without worrying about leaks, and some rice cereal on another pot to just mix up at the table of the restaurant we went to. And it didn't take a toll on the valuable diaper bag real estate. I also find that bringing along empty pots are good for storing things, like binkies, that you may not want just floating around in the diaper bag. We have also even let little miss put the bink in the pot, sealed the lid and then let her shake away as a makeshift toy to keep her distracted while running errands.
Overall I love these little food pots and Tommee Tippee for making them. You can bet I'll be buying more of their products in the very near future! Tommee Tippee products are reasonably priced and are sold at Babies R Us and Toys R Us. I'm also giving away a set of Explora Food Pots here!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Quick tutorial for Giveaway fanatics.....
Have you entered so many blog giveaways that you can't remember which one's you have already entered!? I have. Lots of times! I return to the giveaway to find that there's hundreds upon hundreds of entries, and I can't be bothered to look through pages and pages of comments to see of I actually commented or not! Don't worry, you don't have to do that anymore.
Here's how to search a page to see if you have commented.
Go to the blog's giveaway page. Once you are there, hit CTRL+F or COMMAND+F if you're on a mac like me. This should pop up a find field somewhere in your browser. For me, it's the top right. I use Safari. It could be different for every browser, but it will be there somewhere!
Now type in the name that you use to enter giveaways, probably your google friend connect user name. If you were say "crazygiveawayfan1", then that's what you would type in the find field.
What you searched for will be highlighted on the page if it's there. If not, then you haven't entered yet!
If a persons blog is set up to have paginated comments, then you would have to repeat this action for every page of comments. But in my opinion, it's better than reading through it all!
Obviously this works for anything you might want to find on a page. Hope someone finds this useful! Good luck all my giveaway entering fanatics.....
Here's how to search a page to see if you have commented.
Go to the blog's giveaway page. Once you are there, hit CTRL+F or COMMAND+F if you're on a mac like me. This should pop up a find field somewhere in your browser. For me, it's the top right. I use Safari. It could be different for every browser, but it will be there somewhere!
Now type in the name that you use to enter giveaways, probably your google friend connect user name. If you were say "crazygiveawayfan1", then that's what you would type in the find field.
What you searched for will be highlighted on the page if it's there. If not, then you haven't entered yet!
If a persons blog is set up to have paginated comments, then you would have to repeat this action for every page of comments. But in my opinion, it's better than reading through it all!
Obviously this works for anything you might want to find on a page. Hope someone finds this useful! Good luck all my giveaway entering fanatics.....
Laundry Sampler Kit Giveaway *Closed*
If you haven't settled on a detergent yet, or are curious about trying one of these "made for cloth diapers" detergents, OR battle stinkies from time to time, this giveaway is for you! And here's little story about what happens when you don't wash your diaper laundry, a personal experience :)
This contest is open from today 10/27/10 until 11/10/10 at 11:59 p.m. PST. I will draw a winner and notify them via email by friday 11/12/10. You will have 48 hours to claim your prize, or else a new winner will be drawn.
The Prize:
2 packets of RLR laundry Treatment (this helps with stinkies and so much more)
5 packets of Country Save Detergent
5 Packets of Rockin Green Detergent in your choice of available formulas and scents.
1 package of Bummis Biosoft Flushable Liners in size small
Overall value is $20.71!
This is enough to "strip" your diapers at least twice, and wash at least 10 loads of laundry! More if you have and HE machine. And I threw in the flushable liners to help you get the poop off before throwing in the diaper pail!
Rules:
This contest is open to anyone in the U.S. and Canada. You MUST be a follower of this blog to enter, or else your entries won't count!!
Mandatory entry:
1.) Comment below and tell me if you have used any of these brands before. If not, that's ok, just say so :) BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL OR SELSE I WON'T BE ABLE TO CONTACT YOU AND TELL YOU IF YOU'VE WON! And then I'll have to pick a new winner.
Extra Entry:
1.) "Like" me on facebook, and comment back here to tell me that you did.
2.) Tweet about this give away using this in the tweet "@tideebums is having a laundry kit #giveaway for #clothdiaper users on her blog! tideebums.blogspot.com" or by using the tweet this button below. (you can do this once per day for the duration of the giveaway. copy and past your tweet in the comments)
3.) Comment on ONE of my other blog posts, and come back here and comment so I know you did. (you can only do this once during the giveaway)
4.) "Like Rockin' Green Soap on facebook, and tell them Tidee Bums sent you!
Super Entries:
1.) Become a member of my blogfrog community, and comment here to let me know you did. This is worth 10 extra entries! (comment back here, blogfrog 1,2,3....etc.)
2.) Start a discussion, or join an existing discussion in the community for 10 extra entries.
3.) Earn 10 entries for every $25 you spend at Diaper Junction through my affiliate link (link bellow) during this contest. Comment bellow with the dollar amount of your order, and the order number so I can verify.
If any of this was confusing, contact me on facebook and I'll help you out!
Tweet
This contest is open from today 10/27/10 until 11/10/10 at 11:59 p.m. PST. I will draw a winner and notify them via email by friday 11/12/10. You will have 48 hours to claim your prize, or else a new winner will be drawn.
The Prize:
2 packets of RLR laundry Treatment (this helps with stinkies and so much more)
5 packets of Country Save Detergent
5 Packets of Rockin Green Detergent in your choice of available formulas and scents.
1 package of Bummis Biosoft Flushable Liners in size small
Overall value is $20.71!
This is enough to "strip" your diapers at least twice, and wash at least 10 loads of laundry! More if you have and HE machine. And I threw in the flushable liners to help you get the poop off before throwing in the diaper pail!
Rules:
This contest is open to anyone in the U.S. and Canada. You MUST be a follower of this blog to enter, or else your entries won't count!!
Mandatory entry:
1.) Comment below and tell me if you have used any of these brands before. If not, that's ok, just say so :) BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL OR SELSE I WON'T BE ABLE TO CONTACT YOU AND TELL YOU IF YOU'VE WON! And then I'll have to pick a new winner.
Extra Entry:
1.) "Like" me on facebook, and comment back here to tell me that you did.
2.) Tweet about this give away using this in the tweet "@tideebums is having a laundry kit #giveaway for #clothdiaper users on her blog! tideebums.blogspot.com" or by using the tweet this button below. (you can do this once per day for the duration of the giveaway. copy and past your tweet in the comments)
3.) Comment on ONE of my other blog posts, and come back here and comment so I know you did. (you can only do this once during the giveaway)
4.) "Like Rockin' Green Soap on facebook, and tell them Tidee Bums sent you!
Super Entries:
1.) Become a member of my blogfrog community, and comment here to let me know you did. This is worth 10 extra entries! (comment back here, blogfrog 1,2,3....etc.)
2.) Start a discussion, or join an existing discussion in the community for 10 extra entries.
3.) Earn 10 entries for every $25 you spend at Diaper Junction through my affiliate link (link bellow) during this contest. Comment bellow with the dollar amount of your order, and the order number so I can verify.
If any of this was confusing, contact me on facebook and I'll help you out!
Tweet
Disposables Uncovered: They are garbage!
Please feel free to laugh at my expense :
Sometimes, my own tiredness (or lazyness) overwhelms me and I fail to do things that I know I should. Last Friday was one of those times. I usually wash Chlo's diapers ritually every three days. I hardly ever miss a wash day. I don't have enough diapers to go longer than that really, and even if I did......I'm afraid of what the house would smell like. Yuck? But last Friday I came home from work and I was so tired from the week and so happy to have Scott home for a night of relaxing, that......I got lazy and didn't do it.
Now, I'm not going to sit here all high and mighty and act like we've never used a disposable. We have, on occasion. Little miss has a sensitive bum, and she gets diaper rashes really easily. We tried disposables a time or two to see if it helped clear the rash up. Guess what.....it didn't. We used disposables for times that we wanted to try diaper creams to help with rashes, and didn't want to ruin our cloth diapers. But, creams don't help much either. So, we rarely use disposables and don't know much about them. And I'm happy about that. On with the story......
By the way, if you don't like reading about poop, then you might as well click your back button right now and save yourself. This story is full of it. Literally.
Friday night, after being lazy and trading in shlepping diapers to and fro for relaxing on my couch and watching movies with the fam, I put the last clean prefold on Chloe's bum for bedtime. We all went to bed peacefully and happy (ok, that's an exaggeration, Chloe screamed her teething head of for an hour first, and we all went to bed stressed and grumpy). Saturday morning rolled around, and we all got up and started figuring out our standing plans to go to Del Osso Farms for the day. Meanwhile, I had no clean diapers left. My choices were to drag diapers over to the laundry room, pray for an open machine, and spend the next three hours doing what I should have done the night before, OR say forget it and use the disposables we happen to have on hand. I took the path of least resistance and decided on disposables. I'm still kicking myself for this!
Saturday morning proceeded like usual, feeding Chloe her yummy breakfast of home made baby food (pears and oatmeal). Did you catch that? Pears? Pears. It's a glorious food for helping a baby keep things moving. I give her pears just about every other day to ward off any constipation that she may have from the various foods (and formula) she eats. It's worked wonders. So many wonders.......*sigh*
After her pear meal, and a little bit of play time, I tried to finish feeding her the formula she still had left. She started eating, but began to squirm a bit......then suddenly freaked out. And I thought, what the heck!? But chalked it up to teething. Until my nose informed me otherwise......
I took her in to change her, and as I was taking the disposable diaper off, I noticed something odd. No poop? As I unwrapped the diaper, I didn't see any poop at first glance and there was NO WAY that smell could have just been gas. As I began to lift her bum, I started to get a clearer picture of the mysterious vanishing poop. There was poop alright............but not in the diaper. It had traveled backwards and outwards. There was poop on her onesie. Yuck! But I wasn't phased by this.........we've had minor blow outs in cloth. But the odd thing was, the blow outs usually happen at the leg in our cloth diapers, never up the back. As I began to pull away the diaper I thought, sheesh that's not much poop, I hope it isn't going to be one of "those" days. The kind of day where your kid poops 800 times in a row instead of one or two larger poops. But as I started to peel off her onesie, I realized there was more poop. A lot more poop. The poo had traveled COMPLETELY up her back, all the way up to her NECK!!! It was even in her hair!! How in the WORLD did this happen?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? I was actually horrified. I was holding her out as far away from me as possible, completely disgusted and in shock! I yelled for Scott, and I have no idea why. What was he supposed to do? Get a hose? Call the hazmat crew? I was stunned. This was the most disgusting blow out that has ever happened to us. Ever. To top it off, when Scott walked in the room to see his naked child covered in poop from head to toe, she laughed! She actualy giggled when he walked in the room. She was pretty proud of herself!! Scott didn't even have words.....it took him a minute or two to understand what he was looking at. It took us both several minutes to decide how to clean her up without getting poop all over the house. The thought actually crossed my mind to take a picture of this event because it was so horrifying! Don't worry though readers. I will spare you the gag reflex. I didn't turn this into a kodak moment, and even if I had, I wouldn't subject you to images of that toxic spill.
This was a major lesson to us both. Being lazy does NOT pay off when it comes to diapers. As I mentioned before, we don't have much experience with disposables, so I don't know why it happened or if that's a common problem. And honestly, I don't care to know! I have never had that massive of a problem with my cloth diapers, I am a master of the jelly-roll fold my friends! OI can honestly say I would much rather swish a million pooped on diapers in the toilet than clean up the aftermath of a disposable. At least the poop stays where it belongs (mostly) in our cloth dipes!
Bonus section:
I decided to do a little math on weather or not cloth diapers have saved us any money, just out of curiosity. To date, I have spent $375 bucks on cloth diapers. That includes the two months I paid for diaper service. My stash consists of 12 DiaperRite prefolds, 6 various covers, and 17 various "modern" cloth diapers. And I also included the laundry detergents. Yep, 375 bucks for 6 *almost* 7 months of diapering. What would I have spent on sposies? Well lets see.....if I were to use disposables full time I would strictly use chemical free (cuz I'm a damned hippie freak) and I would have to go with Tushies I think. Not even Seventh Generation is chemical free.
So with Tushies, here's what I figured, keep in mind Chloe is 206 days old today:
12 diapers/day for 30 days = 360 diapers = $99.29
8 diapers/day for 176 days = 1408 diapers = $511.93
Rough total for Chem free = $611.22 not including tax and shipping.
Standard national brand:
12 diapers/day for 30 days = 360 diapers = $119.96
8 diapers/day for 176 days = 1408 diapers = $327.92
Rough total for standard diapers $447.88
If my math is wrong please let me know. I actually probably underestimated on the number of daily changes after newborn. We did 12 diapers a day for about a month and then 10 a day for about another two months and then 8 a day. And of course, there's fluctuations. I would guess those numbers are undershot. And they don't include any tax. Or account for coupons you may or may not have. But I'm guessing it's a good average. So there you have it. Our diapers have already paid for themselves, and are now saving us money. Cloth diapers for the wallet win!!
And holy crap, have we really changed 1,768+ diapers?! good grief!
Because of my lazy laundry lapse, I am going to giveaway a laundry sampler kit to a lucky reader!
Sometimes, my own tiredness (or lazyness) overwhelms me and I fail to do things that I know I should. Last Friday was one of those times. I usually wash Chlo's diapers ritually every three days. I hardly ever miss a wash day. I don't have enough diapers to go longer than that really, and even if I did......I'm afraid of what the house would smell like. Yuck? But last Friday I came home from work and I was so tired from the week and so happy to have Scott home for a night of relaxing, that......I got lazy and didn't do it.
Now, I'm not going to sit here all high and mighty and act like we've never used a disposable. We have, on occasion. Little miss has a sensitive bum, and she gets diaper rashes really easily. We tried disposables a time or two to see if it helped clear the rash up. Guess what.....it didn't. We used disposables for times that we wanted to try diaper creams to help with rashes, and didn't want to ruin our cloth diapers. But, creams don't help much either. So, we rarely use disposables and don't know much about them. And I'm happy about that. On with the story......
By the way, if you don't like reading about poop, then you might as well click your back button right now and save yourself. This story is full of it. Literally.
Friday night, after being lazy and trading in shlepping diapers to and fro for relaxing on my couch and watching movies with the fam, I put the last clean prefold on Chloe's bum for bedtime. We all went to bed peacefully and happy (ok, that's an exaggeration, Chloe screamed her teething head of for an hour first, and we all went to bed stressed and grumpy). Saturday morning rolled around, and we all got up and started figuring out our standing plans to go to Del Osso Farms for the day. Meanwhile, I had no clean diapers left. My choices were to drag diapers over to the laundry room, pray for an open machine, and spend the next three hours doing what I should have done the night before, OR say forget it and use the disposables we happen to have on hand. I took the path of least resistance and decided on disposables. I'm still kicking myself for this!
Saturday morning proceeded like usual, feeding Chloe her yummy breakfast of home made baby food (pears and oatmeal). Did you catch that? Pears? Pears. It's a glorious food for helping a baby keep things moving. I give her pears just about every other day to ward off any constipation that she may have from the various foods (and formula) she eats. It's worked wonders. So many wonders.......*sigh*
After her pear meal, and a little bit of play time, I tried to finish feeding her the formula she still had left. She started eating, but began to squirm a bit......then suddenly freaked out. And I thought, what the heck!? But chalked it up to teething. Until my nose informed me otherwise......
I took her in to change her, and as I was taking the disposable diaper off, I noticed something odd. No poop? As I unwrapped the diaper, I didn't see any poop at first glance and there was NO WAY that smell could have just been gas. As I began to lift her bum, I started to get a clearer picture of the mysterious vanishing poop. There was poop alright............but not in the diaper. It had traveled backwards and outwards. There was poop on her onesie. Yuck! But I wasn't phased by this.........we've had minor blow outs in cloth. But the odd thing was, the blow outs usually happen at the leg in our cloth diapers, never up the back. As I began to pull away the diaper I thought, sheesh that's not much poop, I hope it isn't going to be one of "those" days. The kind of day where your kid poops 800 times in a row instead of one or two larger poops. But as I started to peel off her onesie, I realized there was more poop. A lot more poop. The poo had traveled COMPLETELY up her back, all the way up to her NECK!!! It was even in her hair!! How in the WORLD did this happen?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? I was actually horrified. I was holding her out as far away from me as possible, completely disgusted and in shock! I yelled for Scott, and I have no idea why. What was he supposed to do? Get a hose? Call the hazmat crew? I was stunned. This was the most disgusting blow out that has ever happened to us. Ever. To top it off, when Scott walked in the room to see his naked child covered in poop from head to toe, she laughed! She actualy giggled when he walked in the room. She was pretty proud of herself!! Scott didn't even have words.....it took him a minute or two to understand what he was looking at. It took us both several minutes to decide how to clean her up without getting poop all over the house. The thought actually crossed my mind to take a picture of this event because it was so horrifying! Don't worry though readers. I will spare you the gag reflex. I didn't turn this into a kodak moment, and even if I had, I wouldn't subject you to images of that toxic spill.
This was a major lesson to us both. Being lazy does NOT pay off when it comes to diapers. As I mentioned before, we don't have much experience with disposables, so I don't know why it happened or if that's a common problem. And honestly, I don't care to know! I have never had that massive of a problem with my cloth diapers, I am a master of the jelly-roll fold my friends! OI can honestly say I would much rather swish a million pooped on diapers in the toilet than clean up the aftermath of a disposable. At least the poop stays where it belongs (mostly) in our cloth dipes!
Bonus section:
I decided to do a little math on weather or not cloth diapers have saved us any money, just out of curiosity. To date, I have spent $375 bucks on cloth diapers. That includes the two months I paid for diaper service. My stash consists of 12 DiaperRite prefolds, 6 various covers, and 17 various "modern" cloth diapers. And I also included the laundry detergents. Yep, 375 bucks for 6 *almost* 7 months of diapering. What would I have spent on sposies? Well lets see.....if I were to use disposables full time I would strictly use chemical free (cuz I'm a damned hippie freak) and I would have to go with Tushies I think. Not even Seventh Generation is chemical free.
So with Tushies, here's what I figured, keep in mind Chloe is 206 days old today:
12 diapers/day for 30 days = 360 diapers = $99.29
8 diapers/day for 176 days = 1408 diapers = $511.93
Rough total for Chem free = $611.22 not including tax and shipping.
Standard national brand:
12 diapers/day for 30 days = 360 diapers = $119.96
8 diapers/day for 176 days = 1408 diapers = $327.92
Rough total for standard diapers $447.88
If my math is wrong please let me know. I actually probably underestimated on the number of daily changes after newborn. We did 12 diapers a day for about a month and then 10 a day for about another two months and then 8 a day. And of course, there's fluctuations. I would guess those numbers are undershot. And they don't include any tax. Or account for coupons you may or may not have. But I'm guessing it's a good average. So there you have it. Our diapers have already paid for themselves, and are now saving us money. Cloth diapers for the wallet win!!
And holy crap, have we really changed 1,768+ diapers?! good grief!
Because of my lazy laundry lapse, I am going to giveaway a laundry sampler kit to a lucky reader!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
100 fan giveaway (Laundry Sampler Kit Giveaway)
I wanted to announce my next giveaway for you since it seems we may hit the next goal before the current giveaway is over. I am going to giveaway a laundry sampler kit when I reach 100 fans! If you haven't settled on a detergent yet, or are curious about trying one of these "made for cloth diapers" detergents, OR battle stinkies from time to time, this giveaway is for you!
The Laundry Sampler Kit includes
2 packets of RLR laundry Treatment (this helps with stinkies and so much more)
5 packets of Country Save Detergent
5 Packets of Rockin Green Detergent in your choice of available formulas and scents.
1 package of Bummis Biosoft Flushable Liners in size small
Overall value is $20.71!
This is enough to "strip" your diapers at least twice, and wash at least 10 loads of laundry! More if you have and HE machine. And I threw in the flushable liners to help you get the poop off before throwing in the diaper pail! This contest will open when we reach 100 followers on the blog. All rules and information will be posted when the contest opens.
The Laundry Sampler Kit includes
2 packets of RLR laundry Treatment (this helps with stinkies and so much more)
5 packets of Country Save Detergent
5 Packets of Rockin Green Detergent in your choice of available formulas and scents.
1 package of Bummis Biosoft Flushable Liners in size small
Overall value is $20.71!
This is enough to "strip" your diapers at least twice, and wash at least 10 loads of laundry! More if you have and HE machine. And I threw in the flushable liners to help you get the poop off before throwing in the diaper pail! This contest will open when we reach 100 followers on the blog. All rules and information will be posted when the contest opens.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Blog Kick Off Giveaway! *CLOSED*
Ok, the moment you have all been waiting for. Now that you've read my review, you are probably wanting to try this diaper out! So here we go.....
Since this is my first contest, I am going to run it for two weeks to see how it goes. It will start today, October 7th, and run until 11:59 p.m. (PST) October 21st. I will draw a winner as early as possible on Friday October 22nd. Mark your calendars! Save the date! I will ship this item directly to you from Diaper Junction within one business day of claiming your prize.
The Prize:
One Bum Essentials Bumbino diaper with one set of Terry Towel Bum Pads. (basically, one diaper).
Rules:
This contest is open to anyone in the continental U.S. You MUST be a follower of this blog to enter. (you've probably already met this requirement!)
Mandatory entry:
1.) Comment below and tell me why you want to try this diaper, and what color you would pick if you won.
Extra Entry:
1.) "Like" me on facebook, and comment back here to tell me that you did.
2.) Tweet about this give away. (you can do this once per day for the duration of the giveaway. copy and past your tweet in the comments)
3.) Comment on ONE of my other blog posts, and come back here and comment so I know you did. (you only get one entry for this)
Super Entries:
1.) Become a member of my blogfrog community, and comment here to let me know you did. This is worth 10 extra entries! (comment back here, blogfrog 1,2,3....etc.)
2.) Start a discussion, or join an existing discussion in the community for 10 extra entries.
3.) Earn 10 entries for every $25 you spend at Diaper Junction through my affiliate link (link bellow) during this contest. Comment bellow with the dollar amount of your order, and the order number so I can verify.
If any of this was confusing, contact me on facebook and I'll help you out!
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Since this is my first contest, I am going to run it for two weeks to see how it goes. It will start today, October 7th, and run until 11:59 p.m. (PST) October 21st. I will draw a winner as early as possible on Friday October 22nd. Mark your calendars! Save the date! I will ship this item directly to you from Diaper Junction within one business day of claiming your prize.
The Prize:
One Bum Essentials Bumbino diaper with one set of Terry Towel Bum Pads. (basically, one diaper).
Rules:
This contest is open to anyone in the continental U.S. You MUST be a follower of this blog to enter. (you've probably already met this requirement!)
Mandatory entry:
1.) Comment below and tell me why you want to try this diaper, and what color you would pick if you won.
Extra Entry:
1.) "Like" me on facebook, and comment back here to tell me that you did.
2.) Tweet about this give away. (you can do this once per day for the duration of the giveaway. copy and past your tweet in the comments)
3.) Comment on ONE of my other blog posts, and come back here and comment so I know you did. (you only get one entry for this)
Super Entries:
1.) Become a member of my blogfrog community, and comment here to let me know you did. This is worth 10 extra entries! (comment back here, blogfrog 1,2,3....etc.)
2.) Start a discussion, or join an existing discussion in the community for 10 extra entries.
3.) Earn 10 entries for every $25 you spend at Diaper Junction through my affiliate link (link bellow) during this contest. Comment bellow with the dollar amount of your order, and the order number so I can verify.
If any of this was confusing, contact me on facebook and I'll help you out!
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Bum Essentials Review
*all closed up on the medium setting. We just went into this size and my girl is 16 lbs. So these will fit for a loooonnng time!
*The two pads snapped together. Still very thin, and very absorbent. This allows for a nice trim fit with no added bulk!
*Fully open and diaper shell (the color is pretty accurate in this picture. At least on my screen anyways!)
*Nice soft lining on the inside
*Close up of the Classic Bum Pad
*Close up of the Terry Towel Bum Pad.
* The two separate pads. They snap together so the newborn pad stays in place.
I found this diaper when I was searching through Diaper Junction's package deals. I saw the Bum Essentials A-Z kit, and thought, why not? Two diapers, an extra pad, and a wet bag for $47.99? Sounds like a deal to me! So I took a chance and bought it. Turned out to be a great decision!
This is not a pocket diaper. It's not an AIO. It's an AI2. Similar to GroVia, in that it has a snap in pad for absorbency, and an outer shell that can be reused. The outer shell is made of a soft and flexible waterproof material that stretches and moves, giving a perfect fit. Inside the diaper is a soft micro fleece liner. The leg elastic is never TOO tight, but always tight enough. There's elastic in the front of the diaper where the tummy rests. This is great because it keeps messes in. Especially if you have a tummy sleeper like I do! The tummy elastic helps keep the micro fleece from rolling outwards to prevent wicking, and keep any blow outs that may travel to the front from leaking out. There's two types of pads to chose from. The "classic" Bum Pad is soft and made of a bamboo cotton blend it's smooth and very absorbent. The "Terry Towel" Bum pad is also very soft and made of bamboo, cotton and polyester. It's also very absorbent, with texture more like a wash cloth. The pads snap in right in the front of the diaper away from any sensitive parts. Once the diaper is used, you can just snap out the soaked pad, and then let the shell air dry and snap in a new pad. This diaper is a one sized diaper that fits from 8-35 lbs.
I gave this diaper 4 out of 4 stars.
1.) Quality/Durability. This diaper has both! It's obviously made well, and still looks brand new after a few months of use. Even the velcro looks new still! I know I can use this diaper for at least one more child. And possibly donate it or give it to a friend when I'm done! If you have multiple children, then this might be what you are looking for.
2.) Do they work? Yes! This diaper is just as great as it claims to be. I have never had event the smallest amount of poop escape the elastic legs, waist or tummy! It REALLY contains those messes. Never had any wicking problems either. The stretchy outer shell means that this diaper is going to fit well every time with no fuss. It's so easy and fool proof that these are the first diapers that get used by my hubby. I have also sent them over to my dads house when he's watching my little one, and he never has a problem with them. If grandpas and hubbys like them, you know you have a winner! The pad is really easy to clean off, and they hardly stain at all. The best part? THEY DON'T STINK! Of all the troubles I've had with microfiber, I have NEVER had a problem with these organic pads!
3.) How cute are they!? Very! These are very trim, and fit well under clothing. I really like that because I am able to put cute little jeans on my girl without her looking funky! They also come in 4 colors, red, blue, yellow and green. I like the choice of primary colors (plus green) because it makes the whole set gender neutral. If you have a boy and a girl, you wouldn't have to worry about a print or color that you couldn't use for your boy. Which would mean less diapers to drag around in the diaper bag! I would guess though, that BE may come out with new colors in the future to add to the cuteness. Don't know for sure.
4.) Overall value. Worth every penny! One diaper on it's own rings in at $19.95 and extra soakers are $9.50 a piece. This puts them on the higher end of the scale, but we ARE talking organic materials here. We are also talking about quality and ease of use! But hey, you can get the A-Z kit for 47.99 and save yourself some cash! $10.40 to be exact.
All these reasons are why I am very happy to give away this diaper. I love it, and I want you to love it too!! SO down to the fun stuff...............
I like this diaper so much I'm give one away for my Blog Kick Off Giveaway!
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