7 Quick Takes Friday #25

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Wow, I have now done 25 of these 7 Quick Takes Fridays! Time really flies when you are using a meme to cram a bunch of random thoughts into one post.

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Saturday and Sunday is the Cottonwood Art Festival in Richardson, where I met Dave Rizzo Studios, who is behind the design of my blog header and background. Looking forward to seeing Dave and his family again!

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I did 3 bentos this week but only took pictures of 2 of them. And only one picture has been downloaded to my computer, this one (which is not very good):

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I have not been blogging as much lately and I am sorry about that. Once again, my children do not sleep. I am doing around 10 hours of part time work a week (combining paid and unpaid), and since there is no time during the day that I can work because no one is napping, I have to do it all after they go to bed. You might recall that they won't go to sleep until around 9-9:30pm. So, yeah... most of the time I am up until 1:00am working and then I have to get up twice during the night with the baby before everyone gets up for good at 6:00am. This is why I have not been blogging.

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I am really excited about The Keeta Collection. Look for a blog post about their Etsy shop in the next few weeks!

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I love Dr. Sears as much as the next natural parent. But when Christian found this article on high needs babies, I was discourage to find that, just like everyone else, he seems to believe that high needs only exists for the first 3 months of life and then everything straightens out when the babies sleep through the night at that magical age. Excuse me while I call bullshit on that. So far both of my kids have gotten worse after 3 months, and never slept through the night anywhere near that magical age. Sorry, Dr. Sears, sometimes you are just as delusional as Dr. Weiss@ss.

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If anyone feels like commenting today, I'd love to hear what kinds of topics you'd like to see on this blog in the future? Not just "how to be green", but is there anything fun you'd like me to write about? Would love to hear from you!


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Well that's all for this week, be sure to visit Conversion Diary for links to more 7 Quick Takes Fridays.

Cloth diaper Thurs: KaWaii Baby

I actually did not receive this week's diaper at the #HauteGreen party at BlogHer. Instead, I received it free with an order of over $39 at KellysCloset.com*.If you sign up to receive their emails, they will let you know when they have these specials running!

This is the last week of Cloth Diaper Thursday, as I have run out of new diapers to review. We take you back to you regularly unscheduled Thursdays starting next week!
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Kawaii One-Size Cross-Over Squared Tab Snap

My first impression of this diaper is that it is almost exactly like the BumGenius 3.0 One-Size pocket diaper in design. Same insert, same shape, same elastic configuration, same snaps. (It's not necessarily comparable to the BumGenius 4.0's available now, because the 4.0's have additional features that the KaWaii doesn't have).

Things that are different from BG:

• inside fabric is softer
• the PUL seems "looser", not as tightly woven as BG
• fit might be a bit bigger

Because of the softer fabric inside and the looser PUL, unsnapping the snaps stretches the fabric quite a bit - to the point where I am afraid the snaps might actually pop off eventually. However, there's no way to know if that would really happen.

As for performance, this diaper works great! No leaks to complain of, and the poo stains bleached right out in the sun, just like BG. Because the fit is looser, I have tried this diaper only on my toddler so far, not the baby.

I'd recommend it as a great lower-cost alternative to buying used BumGenius.

Update as of 9/2012: The "loose-ness" of the outer shell of this diaper did prove to be it's undoing. Somewhere around July of this year, the snaps popped right out of the fabric. Before then, the stitching of the diaper had already started to unravel in several places. The total life of this diaper was less than one year, and that was only on one baby. By comparison, my BumGenius diapers lasted a total of 3 years, one of those years diapering two babies simultaneously. While this diaper looks like a BG, don't be fooled. It is not the same. I recommend spending the extra $2 and getting a higher quality diaper.

Revised 9/2012:
Rating: 3 out of 5

* Affiliate link, if you buy products from Kelly's Closet using that link I get, like, 1 cent or something.

Me and plastic

This weekend, Little Lady smashed yet another glass dish by grabbing it suddenly from a distance I didn't think she could reach, and dropping it onto the tile kitchen floor. It's the second one in the last 2 weeks. You might say, "Jenny, you have two children under two - what are you doing with glass ANYTHING?".

I am trying to protect my kids from the evil toxins in every plastic, that's what! Nevermind that glass is becoming increasingly perilous. I am consumed by guilt every time I read about other moms who have gone plastic-free. I can just FEEL the hard-to-pronounce death-chemicals leeching into my kids' food from anything that contains plastic. It's going to make them all stupid in the head or give them some kind of horrible disease or something. I realize that.

But I will be honest with you. I am nowhere near giving up plastic.

You might have noticed that my bento boxes are plastic. There are stainless steel ones available, but they start at $12 apiece for the smallest possible size. Yeah.

Baby bottles. I found out that you can buy stainless steel ones, but neither of my children have taken anything but the Born Free (or Tommee Tippee) bottles, which are BPA-free plastic.

Ziploc bags. I use them. I have some great Snack Taxi cloth nylon bags that I love but again... $5-$8 apiece. Unfortunately, you can't use them to freeze things because they aren't airtight. How do people freeze things without ziplock bags? And don't tell me glass tupperware, because that is way too expensive for me to fill my entire freezer.

I am working on slowly transitioning from plastic tupperware to glass, I wrote about it in one of my Friday posts. Again, not cheap, so it will take time.

You know what I would LOVE? These Kidishes by zoé b organic.
Check out this video!



Not really in the budget right now for me, but if they are in your budget, please let me know how you like them!

So...yes, plastic is probably bad.

But, every time I have to lock the kids in the living room while I painstakingly sweep, swiffer, and then mop the floor to get rid of any possible glass shards in the kitchen... I rethink the "evils" of plastic.

How about you?

7 Quick Takes Friday #24

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Because I know you all care, here are this week's bentos.
Mother's Day Out yesterday. This is a BIRD, with trees and clouds. I don't think anybody but me gets that it is a bird.

Today's snack for Little Sir and I to take to the arboretum for our family photo shoot. Can't wait to see the pics!

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The two balls in the snack bento are not meatballs, those are Peanut Butter Oat Balls that my mom made for me. I am hoping to make them myself soon. Here is the recipe, I am not sure where it came from so I hope it's not copyrighted or something:

Peanut Butter Oat Balls

2 Tb butter

2/3 c. pb (crunchy or creamy)

1/4 c. powdered sugar

3 TB honey

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 c. rice krispies

1 c. quick oats

1/4 c. raisins or cranberries

1/4 c. mini choc chips (could also be white chocolate or any other mini chips)

1/4 c. finely chpped dry roasted pnuts or coconut flakes

Melt butter and mix all but fruit, bits and chopped peanuts.  Let cool.  Mix in fruit and bits. Refrigerate or freeze to chill dough into firmness. Form into balls about 1".  Roll in chopped nuts or flakes, pressing slightly to make them adhere.  Store in airtight container.  

They are super delicious and filling!

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I can't believe how much a simple cold knocked me out this week. I hardly got anything done.

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Little Lady failed at going to Mother's Day Out this week, they called me after 3.5 hours to let me know she wasn't going to make it and I had to pick both kids up. Additionally, both the evening events I had planned for some "me" time this week fell through. By last night I was about to lose my mind. Christian watched the kids while I went out to some stores alone and that was nice. Meanwhile, Little Lady screamed her head off and sobbed in her sleep for 2 hours after she finally fell asleep.
* sigh *

A friend reminded me that since Little Lady is 7 months and already eating solids, hopefully it won't be long until she can go longer between feedings which would allow us to get away a few more hours. Still, it looks like at this point there's no way we could leave her with grandparents overnight since she won't take a bottle from anyone and she still wakes up multiple times to feed.

I am just about to lose my mind sometimes from the attachment of it all.

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I have not made meal plans or shopped for food in probably 2 weeks. The theme of this week's Quick Takes is: Jenny does not have her stuff together right now.

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Unrelated to that, I have to face the fact that my beloved Petunia Picklebottom Touring Tote works great for one toddler but is not nearly big enough for two babies. I will have to find something else. This is what I am drooling over right now.

Source: etsy.com via Jenny on Pinterest

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In order to get that bag, I'll probably need to sell another Petunia Picklebottom purse I have, a Crosstown Clutch in Devonshire Dandelion. If anyone is interested, let me know. Otherwise, I'll be putting it on eBay this week some time.


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Well that's all for this week, be sure to visit Conversion Diary for links to more 7 Quick Takes Fridays.

Not happening

I am just going to admit that Cloth Diaper Thursday is not going to happen today. I have had a cold and the kids have been sick, teething, having nightmares, and potty issues... As a result I am pretty far behind on my paid work, which is going to have to take priority today.

Have a great day and I'll try to get something up for 7 Quick Takes Friday tomorrow!

Dallas film: Seasons of Gray

UPDATE: The Seasons of Gray run has been extended through at least Thursday, September 29 and will also be showing at Cinemark West Plano starting Friday, September 23!

Last Friday night, the movie Seasons of Gray, produced by Watermark Films*, was released at the AMC Valley View theater for one week. Due to the overwhelming success and multiple sold-out shows, the Seasons of Gray run has been extended for at least one more week (through Thursday, September 29).

Although we haven't been able to go ourselves due to childcare issues, we have heard from very discriminating friends that it's a well-done film. It's not a film that preaches (as in, it doesn't present a gospel of any kind specifically), although it is based on the story of Joseph out of the Bible. If you're not familiar with that story, it's about forgiveness - so that's what the movie is about.

I'd love to encourage any of you who are in the Dallas area and are able to check out the film while it's in theaters! If you do, or if you have already seen it, please leave comments on this post so we can all hear about it! Thanks!

*NOTE: Watermark Community Church does not benefit financially from the run of this movie. The reason it's called Watermark Films is because money from Watermark members and the general fund at the church was used to finance the film. They've explained to us that it would have to run for something like 2 years to recoup their investment, but that's not what they're looking to do. It's just something they felt led to do.

Bento insanity

I am actually too lazy to do an entire 7 Quick Takes Friday post, so instead I am just going to include photos of the two bentos I built this week.

In case you do not follow my Facebook page or missed last Friday's post: I am slightly obsessed with bentos right now. As if I need one more thing to do in the evenings! One thing that keeps me in check is that I don't have a lot of cookie cutters or ways to make eyes and faces right now. I am drooling over this bento face set but am unfamiliar with the vendor and reluctant to purchase from somewhere online that I don't know anything about. Also, this bento stuff can suck you in and cost a ton of money! So I need to reign it in a little bit and work with what I have for right now.

Mother's Day Out bento this week.



Picnic bento for today, Little Sir and I shared it.


I took this photo of how I used a sandwich container inside the larger container to form a second level.


 

So, that's all I've got for now. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Cloth diaper Thurs: BabyKicks 3g Bumboo Pocket Diaper

Due to all the great diapers I received at the #HauteGreen party at BlogHer this year, I have about 6 new brands I've been able to try! I am going to review them every Thursday for around 6 weeks.
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Lest anyone ever think that all I do is give positive reviews, I will point you toward this one. I really hate to say I don't like a cloth diaper, but this one is pretty much useless to me. Perhaps I am doing something wrong? Feel free to let me know in the comments.

BabyKicks 3g Bumboo Pocket Diaper - Natural Hemp Fiber cloth diaper

What I love about this diaper is that it is ALL natural fibers. Unfortunately, that's also what seems to cause the problem. Although the manufacturer's site says the outer shell of the pocket diaper is PUL, it doesn't look like any PUL I've seen - there's no waterproof material, that I can see.  Therefore, when the insert soaks through... the pocket shell is next. My toddler peed right through the Joey-Bunz insert plus the shell in the first hour he wore it (yes, I washed it multiple times beforehand, as directed). I added an additional cotton/hemp insert to help with absorption but that made the pocket very tight-fitting and it still wicked some moisture into the air flow vents which are touted as being helpful in preventing diaper rash.

The other weird thing about this diaper is the way it snaps. As I've mentioned, we're still getting used to snaps. The snaps on this diaper are the opposite of other snap diapers - usually you pull the back over the front, like you would with a disposable or with hook-and-loop. But this diaper, you put the front over the back...

Can you see the design difference a little better in this pic?

I realize that this design is attempting to circumvent the issue of tab hangout that happens with snaps. I hate that too, so I wish it worked better in this design.  Unfortunately, it's a huge "husband hangup". He can't figure out how to use them and it's intimidating - part of the reason many people skip snaps altogether.

I really wanted to like this diaper, but I think I'll probably end up giving it away to someone who likes this brand better. If you're a fan of this brand and would like a free {gently used} diaper, you can have it for whatever the cost of shipping. First come, first serve - whoever leaves a comment or emails me first!

Rating: 2 out of 5

NOTE: I was given the BabyKicks 3g Bumboo Pocket diaper for free at BlogHer 2011 the Haute Green party. All opinions are my own, obviously, since I'm sure this won't be their favorite review ever...

Toxic Shock Syndrome & You ARE Loved

 

If you are a biological woman like me, when you went through puberty and selected the products you would use to manage your monthly cycle, tampons were presented as just another harmless option. You might have read something in small print on one of the boxes about Toxic Shock Syndrome, or TSS. Maybe you remember seeing the warning on the back of a box in your bathroom. If you are like me, you assumed that this mysterious disease really doesn't apply to you in the modern world. I, for one, had never personally heard of any cases of TSS. I also had this vague idea that it was associated with poor bodily hygiene or not changing the tampon frequently enough.

When I blogged about switching to cloth pads recently, I was contacted by an organization I had never heard of -- You ARE Loved. The name doesn't really indicate what they were about, but the ARE is the initials of Amy Rae Elifritz, a 20 year old woman who died suddenly from TSS on June 13, 2010 {read Amy's story}. The organization was started by Amy's mother Lisa to help raise awareness of this disease.

What they told me was surprising. Did you know that 1 in 700 women will contract TSS? And that it is often deadly? It is frequently misdiagnosed and mistaken for the flu until the toxicity levels are lethal. I had no idea! I'm glad to be working with this brand-new nonprofit to help them raise awareness of the symptoms and future avoidance of this disease.

First of all, here are the symptoms to watch out for while you are using tampons (view the brochure here):

Symptoms of TSS 

• Sore throat. 
• Aching muscles 
• High temperature; over 102F 
• Vomiting 
• Headache 
• Watery diarrhea 
• Red rash 
• Confusion 
• Dizziness 
• Very low blood pressure

Only one or two symptoms may occur.
They do not necessarily occur all at once and may not persist


Did you catch that? This disease could be easily missed!

How can you prevent TSS?

• Only use tampons made of organic cotton.
• Use the lowest absorbency needed at each stage of your period.
• Avoid using tampons continuously during a period. Alternate with sanitary pads at night so the toxins have time to dissipate.
• Use a pad at the end of your period.
• Change tampons every 4 to 6 hours.
• Don't use tampons if you've had any unusual discharge.
• Wash your hands before and after use and handle the tampon as little as possible.
• Alert your family and friends to the symptoms and emergency action required.
• Read and keep a TSS information leaflet or the leaflet inside the tampon packet.

The reason traditional tampons cause toxicity issues is the viscose. Organic cotton tampons avoid most of this risk.

Dr. Greg Smith, Director of Education for YAL provided this information:

Only women who use traditional tampons (brands like Kotex, OB, Playtex, & Tampax) are at risk.  We would like every woman to be aware that she has additional options that do not carry the same risk for TSS.  If women opt to continue using traditional tampons then we would hope they do so with a real awareness of TSS and especially its symptoms.  If symptoms develop, early treatment can be life saving.   Women who continue use should know that tweens, teens and those in their early 20s are at greatest risk.  Also, they should review the brochure for basic steps to reduce risk.

At issue is one ingredient: viscose rayon.  For women who prefer tampons to other feminine hygiene options, there are a variety of choices that are 100% cotton/organic (brands like Maxim, Natracare and Seventh Generation).  Dr.  Philip Tierno, a world renowned TSS expert and Clinical Professor of Microbiology and Pathology at the NYU School of Medicine, has been researching tampon related TSS for over a generation and is on the record as saying that to the best of his knowledge there has never been a case of TSS in any women who exclusively use cotton tampons.

There is also no risk of TSS with any pad: disposable or reusable.  There is no known association with any Cup: disposable or reusable.  The largest manufacturer of disposable cups, Instead Softcup, proudly claims 100 million sold with no association with TSS.

What can you do?
My takeaways are, obviously, to do the things listed above in "How Can You Prevent TSS".

But also, make sure you are looking out for the symptoms in yourself and others. Print out a pamphlet (PDF) and keep it somewhere nearby so that if you or someone you know is admitted to the hospital during the menstrual cycle and have been using tampons, you can alert medical personnel.

YAL also needs our help in donations toward printing brochures. Since they are a new nonprofit, they have no staff or overhead yet. All they need is to print brochures and pass them out! You can donate any small amount by clicking their Donate button and it will be appreciated!

I want to thank YAL for contacting me and I hope this information can help women!

7 Quick Takes Friday #23

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I've got a really important post about women's health scheduled for Monday (it was originally supposed to go this week but I never had time to fully write and edit), so please make sure to check back next week. What do you know about toxic shock syndrome? I didn't know anything but it turns out it's really important!

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If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook (and you should!), you'll know I've been working on building bentos for Little Sir to eat at Mother's Day Out, since their regulations specify he can only have things he can feed himself without help. I made my first one this week and it was MUCH more difficult than I thought. I ended up using a shot glass to cut the lion's head...








The teacher said he really liked it, but he didn't eat ANY of it. Which sucks, but isn't too surprising because he is on a hunger strike right now. Those were all his favorite foods and he wouldn't touch them. Oh well, we'll try again next week...

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I confess that there was a time when I thought that women who build bentos were insane and had too much time on their hands. Then I went to Japan and learned it was a cultural thing there. Then I had kids. And now I do things I said I would never do every single day.

Along the same lines, feel free to follow my bento board on Pinterest if you are similarly obsessed!

--- 4 ---

The 10 year anniversary of 9/11 is on Sunday. I am not sure yet if I'll be doing a special post. I did one at the 5 year, I think. We'll see. I was not in NYC but one of my friends was. I still think about that sometimes.

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Make sure you are following Dallas Moms Blog, I'm an official contributor there now - I'll be posting on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays!

--- 6 ---

My friend Ashley convinced me to finally get a mani/pedi last weekend, and boy am I thankful. I tried a gel manicure for the first time and so far I am impressed! It's been almost a week and the polish looks barely worn! The downside is that the colors are limited to the special gel polishes, and I don't know if they contain phthalates or not. Anyone else know?

--- 7 ---

Finally, I feel like my email is OUT OF CONTROL lately. I am not even talking about mass emails. People are emailing me all the time! It's crazy!

Well, I don't know where I was going with that. It's just a fact.

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Well that's all for this week, be sure to visit Conversion Diary for links to more 7 Quick Takes Fridays.

Cloth diaper Thurs: itti bitti d'lish and bitti tutto

Due to all the great diapers I received at the #HauteGreen party at BlogHer this year, I have about 6 new brands I've been able to try! I am going to review them every Thursday for around 6 weeks.
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I have two versions of itti bitti diapers:

the bitti d'lish (in size Small)

and the bitti tutto

First of all, I had never seen a minky diaper before I was given these itti bitti's! For those of you not familiar with "minky", it means the outside of the diaper is made of the kind of fuzziness that stuffed animals' fur is made of!  When my son first saw the itti bitti tutto, he carried it around hugging it for a while because he thought it was one of his stuffed animals.

The minky-ness makes a little girl baby look soooo cute!

I have to say that I have only tried both of these on my little girl, and neither on the toddler. I didn't think the blue-green of the tutto would look great on him and the d'lish is waay too small for him.


The biggest difference in these diapers is not the minky, but the insides. They are really kind of All-In-2's because theoretically you could remove the snap-in inserts when they are dirty and reuse the outsides. Theoretically, because unless you have an extremely light wetter, and no poo at all, that would not happen. I am not a fan of All-In-2's for this reason. To me, you should just call them All-In-One's because you are going to wash the whole thing, every time.

But, I digress. Take a look at the insides of the bitti tutto:

So... yeah. All those pieces snap inside the diaper, somehow. The bitti d'lish has 2 pieces as well, they just look a little different. The baby's bum is not against a solid piece, but against 2-3 difference snap-ins simultaneously. I thought it was really weird at first, but it seems to work fine. I have never had a leak with itti bitti!

Pros:

• CUTE! Hugable! Seriously, you would not believe how cute a baby in a minky diaper is.
• Very absorbent
• Customizable with the snap-in soakers
• Customizable with the waist and leg sizing (bitti tutto only)
• Very soft soakers
• Virtually no staining - the soaker material must be really stain-resistant because we've had some solid-food-poop messes in them and they never even discolor!

Overall, I really like this brand of diaper. My only complaint is how confusing the soaker inserts are (I am always wondering if I've "done it right"), and the fact that they are All-In-2's.

You cannot beat the hugability of these diapers!!

Rating: 4 out of 5

NOTE: I was given the itti bitti diapers for free at BlogHer 2011 the Haute Green party and from a friend who let me have one to try. All opinions are my own, I'm the one who has to clean up the poop, people!

Vlog Talk: If I Didn't Blog

We had a great, relaxing Labor Day with amazingly beautiful cool temps here in Dallas! As a result, I did not get really any writing done this weekend and I'm behind in posts even though I have some great things to share with you all.

Somehow, I suspected this might happen and I pre-recorded an answer to the weekly Vlog Talk prompt.

I am answering the question:
What would you do with your days if you didn’t blog anymore?

7 Quick Takes Friday #22

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When I wrote about my Typical Day last week, I really did not expect so many people who also have multiple kids to respond saying that my typical day looked exhausting. I just assumed that everyone with more than one child under the age of two did pretty much what I do but now I am second-guessing myself all over the place. Am I doing something wrong? Are my kids high maintenance? Am I making them that way? If you are one of the moms who also have two kids and you felt like my day was more exhausting than yours is, why is that? Is it because your kids sleep more? Because you don't work part time? I really do want to know, so feel free to tell me in the comments!

--- 2 ---

In another stress-inducing post, I talked about my weight on Wednesday. I am glad to hear that there are others who have this issue. I also wanted to let everyone know that my mother tells me this is somewhat genetic. She is small and thin also. She has also tried to gain weight over the years. But I do thank the people who asked about my thyroid - next time I go to a doctor I might have them check that just to be sure.

I also want to remind everyone that this is not about how much or how little we weigh but about the fact that we don't need to judge each other about our weight, among other things. We do not know other peoples' stories.

--- 3---

I never thought I would be excited about planning a birthday party but I think we are considering a Yo Gabba Gabba theme for Little Sir's 2nd birthday if we can figure out where we could hold a dance party. Any ideas on where to hold a dance party in DFW? A gym? Our house is way too small for more than 3 adults and 3 kids.

I admit that the main reason we were drawn to this is so that Christian could dress up like DJ Lance Rock. He already has the sideburns:

--- 4 ---

I might point out that this is all subject to change. I am really big on dropping anything that gets too overwhelming at this point in my life. So we might just have a really boring party with family in the end. We will see.

--- 5 ---

I heard it is supposed to be in the 90's or even below some time next week. I am too scared to believe that rumor. I have forgotten what it feels like not to sweat constantly. When it was 100 degrees the other day I thought that was awesome, like a cold front, almost.

--- 6 ---

Anybody else using the new Blogger dashboard interface? It looks just like WordPress now, only different fonts. And they moved the buttons that on the left side in WordPress interfaces to the right on Blogger. Like that matters - I can see what you are doing, Blogger!!

--- 7 ---

Although Divine Consign was last weekend, there are still a few big kids' consignment sales coming up! Buying used kids' clothes is not only a great way to save money, but eco-friendly, too. Don't forget JBF Dallas/Mesquite and Three Sisters! I'll try to post more info about those on the Conscientious Confusion Facebook page.

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Well that's all for this week, be sure to visit Conversion Diary for links to more 7 Quick Takes Fridays.

Cloth diaper Thurs: Charlie Banana

Due to all the great diapers I received at the #HauteGreen party at BlogHer this year, I have about 6 new brands I've been able to try! I am going to review them every Thursday for around 6 weeks.
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I had heard a lot about Charlie Banana diapers before BlogHer 2011 and was excited to try them. I was even more excited about this design:

Sorry it's blurry, but can you see what it says?

"goodbye disposables hello cloth"SO ADORABLE!

I received two of the One Size diapers. These diapers are designed to work as either all-cloth or a hybrid of disposable and cloth. All you need to make them hybrid is these disposable inserts. I haven't tried the disposable inserts, only the cloth.


A word on sizing
One thing that I found really weird about this diaper is that, although it purports to be one-size-fits-all, it can't be sized up and down in the rise, or tailor-fit in any way other than fastening the snaps to close it. So, are they just assuming that one size rise will fit all babies and toddlers without any adjustment? That is a weird assumption to make. It did fit my toddler pretty well - no leaks - but it appeared smallish on him. The 16 lb baby, while looking super cute in that picture, actually must have been a little too small because it leaked for her. It did look pretty huge on her.

I guess I am just accustomed to one-size diapers having snaps that allow you to size them up or down in the rise.

Also, the 2 inserts that came with the diaper were a little confusing size-wise. One looked slightly larger than the other, but not significantly so (maybe 1 inch difference). I was left confused as to which to use for which child. And since the diaper didn't size down, if I used only the smaller insert, what happens to the extra inch of uncovered space inside the diaper? Maybe that was the cause of the leak for the baby.

All of this style comes with snap closure, which I know many people love. I am still getting used to snaps, myself. This diaper has helped me in my journey by being ridiculously cute so I am forced to use it.

The pros of this diaper are:

• Very soft on the inside! Much softer than what I am accustomed to. Like a minky blanket, almost.
• Very soft insert! A lot of times the inserts are thinner or even rough (like when they're made of hemp), but these inserts are super plush. I wanted to hug them.
• Opening for the insert in the front - this is supposed to be to keep you from having to touch poop. I don't think there is anything that can keep poop completely at bay, but it's a nice touch.
• Cute design! And other colors and prints, also cute.
• The hybrid option is a definite plus. 

Overall, I still like this diaper and we use it regularly on the toddler. I wish someone would explain the sizing issue to me, but whatever - it works and it's so cute!

Rating: 4 out of 5

NOTE: I was given the Charlie Banana diapers for free at BlogHer 2011 the Haute Green party. All opinions are my own, I'm the one who has to clean up the poop, people!