Cloth Bottom Baby Winner & Free Shipping!

Thanks to all 80+ people who entered the giveaway for a $25 gift certificate to Cloth Bottom Baby. There were over 600 entries!

The winner is;

As a thank you to all who entered, as long as you are a cloth bottom baby fan on Facebook, you will get a free shipping code sent to you. The owner will be sending them out!

Send an email with subject code "Free Shipping Code" to customerservice@clothbottombaby.com after you like the page and the code will be emailed to you. For those who have already "liked" the page, you can send an email now!

Cloth Bottom Baby plus Giveaway

Recently a co-worker from college reached out to me regarding her new cloth diaper clothing line. When our kids were young(er) we messaged specifically about our cloth diapering and other natural-parenting choices we share. I appreciate that she values my opinion :-)

She wanted to send me some of Cloth Bottom Baby's new clothes to try out with baby J. So glad G is potty trained and need not participate in this review.

a happy Cloth Bottom Baby selfie

Cloth Bottom Baby started because famous name brand clothes are no longer made with cloth diapered babies in mind. Sure, many years ago it was the norm for babies to be in cloth diapers, but nowadays it's still pretty rare except with us hipsters, frugalistas, or crunchies. Thus, clothing companies have changed their patterns and styles to fit over thin disposable diapers that are so popular. Which leaves us CD-parents with two options (okay three, if you count using cloth diapers as bottoms themselves, which isn't realistic in Kansas winters).

Cloth Diapers Update {23 months in}

I started my blog, originally, to blog mostly about cloth diapers, then I changed to be about all things G, then it become just all things parenting / my life.

I can't believe, however, that's it's been SO long since I posted about cloth diapers. I figured I should do an update, seeing as how I've got nearly two straight years of experience (From newborn to toddler) using a variety of of cloth diapers in a variety of situations.

Thirsties Duo AIO winner

Another successful cloth diaper giveaway has ended. Thanks to the 187 people (3099 total entries) who entered, it is great to see so many people entered in the new all-in-one offered by Thirsties.

The winner is:

Seven Quick Takes 22

1. 

My husband is off work tomorrow. I might be OVERLY excited. It makes Mother's Day weekend even more special when we have TWO days in a row together. We have plans to hit up the lovely Farmer's Market that G and I have been going to the past few weeks. We will eat lovely grilled food, I'm sure; and relax in the glorious California Sun. Being so far from family sucks, but it sure is a lot easier to handle when my husband is home with us.

2.

My husband basically told me what my Mother's Day present is going to be...and I have to say it's pretty BIG! I can't believe I'm getting it, but I think it's really sweet he's using money we should/could be saving on a super awesome present for me. No offense to him but he usually goes down the cheap/frugal path for my presents. I don't mind, because I know it's the thought that counts--but this particular thought is very sweet :-) Yeah, we are on a budget, and I complain about money more than I should...but the truth is he's making a bit more than when we were in Kansas. We aren't able to go on a fancy vacation, or buy a house...but he is buying me a new camera for Mother's Day!!!
I.AM.SO.EXCITED. Taking pictures is one of my favorite things to do, because I love preserving memories. I never want to forget anything and I truly believe a picture is worth a thousand words...especially with a kiddo. My current camera was my birthday present a few weeks after we got married (so it is 3.5 years old and is a simple Kodak point and shoot).

FuzziBunz Perfect Size Diaper Review

FuzziBunz was one of the first brands I read about when decided to cloth diaper. When starting our stash, I bought a few prefolds and covers, a few fitteds, a couple newborn size diapers, and two FuzziBunz. I bought one small and one medium, because as is common advice, I wanted to figure out what worked best for us before preferring one brand over another. My dear friend bought an entire stash of the FuzziBunz one size diapers and they've worked really well for her. I also really like FuzziBunz diapers because they are cute, easy to use, and moderately affordable. I have two of the new elite style diapers, 1 small perfect size and 2 medium perfect size. Check out my review of the perfect size below!

Thirsties Duo All-in-One Review & cloth diaper #Giveaway

I think it's safe to say that I've tried every diaper option Thirsties currently sells. As you've probably read in my other Thirsties reviews, they are my go-to brand because they have something for everyone and every occasion! If you are having night time issues, add a Thirsties hemp prefold for super absorbency power. If you are a pocket dipe lover, look into their Duo Diaper. I could continue listing their great options, or you could just head over to their website, ThirstiesBaby.com and look around for yourself. All of us eco-conscious diaperers can appreciate Thirsties' commitment to using local products when possible and their efforts to reduce the company's carbon footprint. Thirsties warehouse is 100% wind powered. You can read more about their sustainability efforts on their website.
The latest in diapering options from the Colorado based company is a Duo All-in-One diaper. When I heard they were coming out with an AIO, I imagined it to be like the Fab Fitted, but with a tried and true Thirsties Duo Wrap attached to the outside for the waterproof feature. I was almost right. Check out my review below and be sure to enter the great giveaway to win your own Thirsties Duo All-in-One cloth diaper.

Moving across the country: diaper edition

When we found out we would be moving from Kansas to California, we had about two weeks notice. There were a lot of things running around my head; moving check lists, address changes, settling our lease terms, finding a new place to live, how to physically get to California with a baby... but I never even blinked when it came to diapering. We'd obviously continue our cloth diapering.

A year ago, I would have been scared to even think about moving with cloth diapers; but our experiences in cloth have brought us to a point where we trust them and prefer them over disposables. (I do hate to say that I did briefly blame cloth diapers for G's night-wakings about 2 weeks ago). I used to fear traveling with cloth because of the smell and hassle of changing--not to mention trying to find a place to wash them. Thankfully both of G's grandparents used cloth and are okay with me doing laundry at their houses. We've never stayed in a hotel longer than 2 days, so we've been able to skate by on our good size stash. The smell is contained in our awesome travel wet bags (one planet wise and one itti bitti). The 'hassle' of changing a cloth diaper versus a disposable is just something I've gotten used to, and pocket diapers that are pre-stuffed make changing G pretty comparable to using a 'sposie.

I wanted to share how moving across the country in cloth worked for us, incase you ever find yourself in a similar predicament.

#BFBBP WINNER Thirsties Cloth Diaper Pack

Thank you to the 144 people that entered the Thirsties Duo Diaper & Hemp Prefold giveaway as part of the Babies First Birthday Blog Party!! There were 3454 total entries :-)

I appreciate everyone reading my review & hope you consider adding any or all of the amazing Thirsties cloth diaper products to your stash. I really can't recommend a better company in the cloth diapering world. They have something for everyone! Perhaps I'll be able to review their new Duo All-in-One diaper sometime soon!

Without further ado, the winner of the recent Thirsties giveaway on my blog is:

Congrats to a fellow Catholic Momma blogger!

Please consider entering the last BFBBP giveaway for Happy Baby organic toddler food, it ends on 3/30!

Confession.

The almighty cloth diaper queen has fallen. Two days ago I bought a package of disposable diapers. Sad Face.

Baby G woke up FIVE times Sunday night, so no one really got a lot of sleep that night. She leaked through five diapers and we ran out of sheets. We resorted to covering her mattress with a large blanket and tucking it under (I know, not the safest in the world). The only diaper that hasn't leaked at night is my trusty Thirsties Fab Fitted/Hemp Insert/Duo Wrap cover and the only nap time diaper that I've trusted is my Mother-ease Sandy's fitted with Stay-dry insert and Londonware fleece cover. Other than that, everything has been leaking. My hemp solutions are not working as they had before moving to California. I don't know if it's the water here, or if baby G has turned into an even heavier wetter than before.  I have no idea what is going on, but I even tried "stripping" my diapers yesterday.

I'm on a mission to fix it, but for now...disposables at night time if the Fab Fitted is dirty :-(

SOS!

My new clothes line's first use #WW #linky

One of the best things about having a house / yard: I can now really utilize the sun as an energy-saving  alternative to a dryer. In our old apartment, I could occasionally use an indoor drying rack out on our small patio to sun a few diapers. I wished for more space and sun to dry more things "naturally."

I've finally have that now and Tuesday I put our new clothes line to the test!

My husband did some extensive research on a clothes line we could take with us when we move (read, wouldn't have to cement into the ground of a rental house). He ultimately decided on this Tripod Portable Clothes Dryer

If you have a photo posted on your blog today, please link up!

BFBBP: Thirsties Duo Diaper & Hemp Prefold

I was thrilled when Thirsties offered my family the opportunity to try another one of their cloth diaper products. In case you haven't read them; please check out the blog I wrote about the Fab Fitted, Hemp Inserts & Duo Wrap, and my review of the Fab Wipes, Booty Luster, & Booty Love. The Booty Love is still my favorite cloth diaper accessory; it's a CD safe ointment that keeps G from getting even a hint of rash. As part of the Babies First Birthday Blog Party, Thirsties sent us a Duo Diaper to review. It's a pocket style diaper & very easy to use. While the BFBBP is geared toward one-year olds, this diaper is perfect for any diaper stash!

BFBBP: Londonware Etsy Shop - diaper cover & leg warmer giveaway

I have been using cloth diapers for over a year, which is crazy to say! I can't believe baby G is a year old. Ten months into our cloth diaper journey, Wendy of Londonware contacted me to review her fleece diaper covers. I knew many pocket diapers use fleece as a liner, but I had never considered using it as a cover. I was a bit apprehensive about how it would work for us, but I ended up loving it! I've since found that many tried & true cloth diaper moms love the combination of fitted diapers and fleece covers as the most absorbent option around. Check out my review of her handmade items below & be sure to enter the giveaway to her Etsy shop as the Babies First Birthday Blog Party continues!

How cute is baby G in her Londonware cover and leg warmers?!

Seven 100% positive things about my life right now (7QTF)

This week's 7QT are going to be all 100% positive. I wrote a pity party blog about G's sleep this week but I don't want my readers to think I am a debby downer--because IRL I am actually quite a positive/optimistic person.

--- 1 ---

Baby G's birthday invitations have been mailed, most of the supplies have been bought, and I've got the party favors planned (personalized & useful things...none of the cheapo-lameo stuff!). I just need to find a cake recipe I like. The frosting will be buttercream colored to decorate the Winnie the Pooh mold I am using; so just focus on picking a cake recipe.

Yummy Chocolate Cake 
Melt in your mouth method Butter Cake
Simple White Cake
or...
half chocolate half / half one of the other 2 (I'm not quite sure how I would get the mold to be half and half, but I'm thinking that'd be a fun option)

what are your thoughts?

--- 2 ---

Baby G has started saying MOMMA!!! Pretty much all of the time, she means me :-) and Dadda means my husband. I don't want to write them down as first words, though, because occasionally she will say them but not mean us. The first time I heard momma, I about melted. {I'm not talking about the maaaa-maaaa babble; I mean full fledged, momma!}
SO EXCITING. I can't wait to hear her say "I love you momma!" Even if that is years away.

First LFM Guest Post: You'll have to Touch Poop!

I asked for guest posts last Friday, and had several mommas respond! I'm excited to share the first one with you today. It comes from Kira of Musings of a New Momma. I just love when other people call themselves Momma :-)

She is a fellow cloth diaper parent & today she shares how people responded to her choice to use cloth diapers on her baby--she then debunks a common reason not to cloth diaper!
I actually received similar remarks, and have still persevered through the negativity. Check out her great post below, especially if you haven't fully decided to switch to cloth diapers. Thanks Kira!!

Swaddlebees Cloth Wipes Review & Giveaway

The switch to cloth wipe event continues! Prior to these wipes, I had never tried any Swaddlebees cloth products, but I had swooned over their top quality cloth diapers and accessories. I was super excited when they agreed to be part of Letters from Momma's switch to cloth wipes. I was able to review both the bamboo wipes and the baby cloth wipes--in addition to receiving a wet bag! Check out the review below.

Guest Blog at The Cloth Diaper Whisperer

My most recent submission to The Cloth Diaper Whisperer was posted yesterday. I have been taking a blog-break for my husband's birthday but had to pop on here to pick a new winner for the Bummas giveaway...and saw my blog had posted over there!

I hope you'll check it out! It's about traveling with cloth diapers.

Weaning to Cloth Completely

If you're visiting from the CDW, I hope you'll stick around :-)

I often have cloth related giveaways (a swaddlebees wipe one is coming up soon!); I blog about cloth diapers and other kinda crunchy parenting topics!

98% cloth wipe using household!

I'd say the 'switch to cloth wipes' is complete! We now use cloth wipes about 98% of the time. I will occasionally finish up with a disposable wipe at night to make sure G is completely clean, because we only turn on a tiny night light for midnight poopscapades (because they are white so if I wipe and it's still white, I know there's nothing left). We may also use a few when out and about (although I'm getting good at taking cloth). We bought what I hope is our last big box of disposable wipes at Target two weeks ago. I am forcing us to stretch that until G is potty trained.

Bummas Cloth Wipe Review & Giveaway

Swap your commercial wipes for some eco-friendly, soft, terry cloth diaper wipes that will last beyond the days in diapers. -- Bummas website

Through the research I've done during our switch to cloth wipes, I found one company that makes only cloth wipes--Bummas. Because they specialize in awesome resusable wipes, I just had to try some--and share them with you, of course! I love that they are made in the USA (California) and come rolled up in a bundle displaying all of the edge colors. Bummas also reduced their price for 2012--instead of $16.99, they are now only $15!

Forgotten cloth diapers

No, no...I haven't stopped using cloth diapers, I literally forgot about some when we left for Christmas with our families.

When we travel, I always leave the diaper pail empty. I do laundry right before we leave and take the few dirty diapers with us. Who wants to come home to a smelly bathroom and days old diapers? Not this clean freak, that's for sure.

Well this past Tuesday, that's just what we did. We left town the Thursday before Christmas, and it took me about an hour to remember we forgot the dirty diapers in the pail. It was almost worth turning around to get them, but my husband isn't the type to go back. He has even left his cell phone at home for a weekend, despite only being 2 minutes away when we realized it.