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.

Baby on a Budget, guest post

Today I have a guest post at Catholic Newlywed. I wrote an intimate piece about having a baby on a budget.

I'd love to hear what you think, either comments here or there.

Baby on a Budget: Happily a One Income Family

Hope you enjoy reading, because I really enjoyed writing it!

Menu Plan Monday

This week's meal plan is brought to you by my Taste of Home cook book. I had little to no inspiration while making my grocery list. The recipes are also on their website, so I've linked to them for you.

Irony. {or, and example of our sleep chaos}

The past 24 hours have been very, and I do mean very, ironic.

My daughter woke up from her nap yesterday at 12:30 pm, which is earlier than normal. We went about our afternoon of grocery shopping, getting the mail, and going for a quick walk.

We ate dinner (applesauce, cheese, puffs, and a tiny bit of chicken--nothing new), took a bath, and she was asleep by 7:05 pm. That is on the early side for her typical bedtime of 7:30 pm, but she was really tired since her nap ended so early.

While getting ready for bed ourselves, my husband and I discussed how it was finally time to start night weaning. We decided that if when she woke up before morning, he would go calm her down, if necessary...but under no circumstances would I go in the room. We've tried this approach before, but G screamed hysterically until I went in there, and I had always caved. She is almost 11 months old, though, and really does not need to be eating at night. Comforted? Maybe. Eating? No.

Seven Quick Takes (vol 6)

--- 1 ---

Fun things the baby has done lately:

The other day we were on the floor playing with G, I gave my husband a mini-back massage. She came up to him and started trying to rub his back too! She gave him a few pats. It was too cute. I wish I had gotten a picture of it.

I've been trying to teach G how to blow kisses, or at least to make kissy faces. Yesterday I was pretty close to her face making smacking noises with my lips pursed, and she leaned in and gave me an open-mouth lip kiss!! I died laughing it was so precious!

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!

Driving Mr. Winnie #WW #linky

My daughter is hilarious. Lately, her favorite thing is pushing a variety of items around while crawling or kneeling. About two weeks ago, my husband captured G pushing her Winnie the Pooh rocking horse.

If you are my facebook friend (personal, not blog), then you have already seen this gem of a video. I wanted to share it with everyone else, so here it is! The best part is about 20 seconds from the end...I laugh out loud every time I watch it!

Link Up!

December 2011 Statistics

Is it really January?? December is my favorite month of the year, and I can't believe it's over. It was a really full month for my family, birthdays, holidays, travel, etc... I'm surprised I kept up with the blog like I did. I think my biggest flaw is dedication. It's a double edged sword because it's good because people can rely on me, but it's bad because sometimes I can go overboard and other things get pushed to the side. When I commit to something, I go all out...but last month I started feeling like my personal life has taken a back burner to Letters from Momma. I am not okay with that. Yes, I enjoy blogging--I like bringing you information about cloth diapers, recipes and meal plans, parenting opinions, and great giveaways--but not at the expense of my sanity and quality time with my family. That's why I took a few days off around Christmas, and I have been less rigid about my posting schedule. Hopefully you agree this is a positive move. I don't know how "huge" mommy bloggers do it...do they ever sleep?

Anyways, here are last month's stats:

Menu Plan Monday

I did not have meal plan last week. I wouldn't say I was "stressed out" about cooking, but I was far from organized in the kitchen. We got back into town Tuesday afternoon and scrounged around. Wednesday I made chicken pasta. Thursday we ordered pizza (first time in probably a year). On Friday evening, friends came over for an impromptu dinner (I wasn't sure what I was serving until that morning--my mom's rigatoni recipe). Then, Saturday we went to my husband's cousins for finger foods on NYE. We ate leftovers last night.

It's time to get back into the swing of things, including having a menu for the week.

my chicken & dumplings are an art

Monday: homemade Chicken & Dumplings, I use a secret personal recipe. It's kinda similar to the instructions on this blog, but not really.
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Crab Salad & Crackers, veggies & dip
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Taco Macaroni Skillet
Saturday: meat, potatoes, carrots
Sunday: Homemade Pizzas (our Sunday night shows return!)

Thanks for joining me for OrgJunkie's Menu Plan Monday!

New Years Resolutions

Happy New Year to you all!!

I hope that 2012 is a blessed and prosperous year for all of my family, friends, and readers.

Letters from Momma is sure to have a great year, and I have several professional goals for the blog.

For now, here are my personal new year resolutions.

1. Read my Small Steps for Catholic Moms book. My friend gave it to me for Christmas. I'm really excited about it.
2. Run a 10K or half-marathon by May. If the entry fees are too much, I'll probably just map out a course and have my husband time me... definitely not the same as a race, but I can't justify paying an arm and a leg to go run.
3. Continue meal planning, and keep our food budget less than $350 a month.