fun finds: must-have valentine's day gifts for moms

okay, dads....we get it; valentine's day is sometimes not an easy holiday to shop for. this year we have made it a piece of cake by giving you 16 fabulous, hand-picked, unique items that any woman would be thrilled with. now, don't wait until last minute and get shopping! xo- heather and genelle

1. heart ring dish

2. heart necklace

3. eco-friendly xoxo accessory bag

4. valentine red wood adjustable statement ring

5. how does she do it bag

6. mr. & mrs. burlap pillow shams

7. initials gold bangle

8. mg collection bag

9. i love you painting

10. hayden reis bag

11. large arrow nesting tray

12. custom family portrait

13. set of two nesting hearts

14. this girl loves her husband tee

15. one-of-a-kind custom handwriting necklace

16. heart fingerless gloves

mommy 411: cloth diapering

i'm going to be totally honest. neither heather or i used cloth diapers with our kids. the idea of cloth diapering seemed completely overwhelming and, let's face it, i just couldn't handle one more load of laundry. now as i look back and i have one last baby to get through the diapering process, i wonder if i could have done it all along. i will never know but, luckily, i have some good friends who are cloth diaper gurus and can share their knowledge of this cloth diaper mystery. my sweet friend, esther, took the time to share all of her cloth diapering knowledge with us today. from all of us stunned by the unknowns of cloth diapering, we say, "thank you."

cloth diapering basics

you can find a ton of great, practical information through blogs, forums, in stores, and from vendors on everything cloth diaper related. from types, styles, sizes, detergents, discounts... you name it. it can be a little overwhelming! so - i hope to help those of you considering cloth - whether you're expecting, in the middle of diapering a newborn, or are just curious to get an idea of what this is all about, by unpacking my initial question when I first heard about cloth diapering. 

how does cloth diapering work? 

i mean, we all have changed a diaper at some point and understand what the "system" is. buy a pack of diapers at the store that go in your changer/diaper bag, you put a new one on, and take the old one off and put it in a diaper genie or trashcan.

but when my husband mentioned the idea of using cloth diapers to me when we were expecting our first baby, i thought - how does that even work? i can't even guess what that system/process would look like. so! If you're wondering the same thing i was wondering - i will demystify it all by walking you through my system in pictures. 

#1 where to buy cloth diapers

i buy my cloth diapers at a variety of locations.

• cloth diaper retailers (online): kellyscloset.com, cottonbabies.com
• locally: the baby grocery store, the milky way [charlotte], sweetbottoms baby, the green pea [raleigh/cary/apex], soft and cozy baby [baltimore]
• wherever you can find a discount/coupon: amazon.com, diapers.com, target.com, zulily.com
  
  
  

#2 the changing station

• this is where it all goes down at my house. on the floor :). but this looks pretty much the same as any other way you'd change a diaper, right? 

#3 diaper on

• i prefer cloth diapers that snap - but I also have velcro fastened ones  (also called aplix). a velcro cloth diaper fastens in exactly the same way as a disposable diaper. 

#4 dirty diapers

• dirty diapers go in a diaper pail (mine is literally a trash can) with a pail liner, or a wet bag which is a laundry bag that has water proofing. if you use pocket-style cloth diapers (as shown in my pictures), you need to pull out the inserts before dropping the dirty diaper in the pail or bag. 

what about the poop?

• the question everyone wants to know - what about the poop? i didn't take pictures (for a variety of reasons, one of which was that I didn't have any on hand to illustrate, actually :)) - but I have a few answers, depending on the stage of your baby's development:
  • nothing..if you have an exclusively breastfed baby. breast milk poo is completely water soluble and rinses out in the wash, so you can just put a poopy diaper directly into the pail. if that grosses you out - think about what you would do if (when!) you've had a blow out in a disposable. do you just wash your child's clothes? or did you rinse first? you can do whichever you'd prefer! 
  • dump - if you have a toddler who has been on solids for a while, you can simply dump the poo in the toilet, and toss the diaper in the wet bag/pail. The small amount of residue cleans off in the wash without any problems. 
  • spray - if you have a formula fed baby, a baby transitioning to solids, or a child who just ate too many raisins, you may want to spray off your poopy diaper if you can't simply dump the poo in the toilet. there are these awesome contraptions that attach to your toilet that allow you to hose off your diaper into the toilet:
    
    
    
    photo credit: kelly's closet
    toilet spray attachment for cloth diapers
    
    
    hosing poo might sound dangerous - so, thankfully someone has also thought of a solution to the potential hazard of spraying poo across your bathroom - enter the spray pal: 
    
    
    
    
    
    
    i have used my sprayer only a handful of times in the last 19 months - so this is by no means a regular part of my routine.

#5 washing diapers

• this is pretty much the same as doing any other load of laundry. shake/dump the bag out in your washer, tossing the bag in the wash also. wash with diaper safe detergent (i use "rockin green") and then dry on medium heat in the dryer (*i let my pail liners, wet bags, and some covers air dry, as shown). 
  • my wash routine on my HE front loader: 3 tablespoons of "rockin green classic rock, with the following settings: bulky load, pre rinse, hot water, heavy soil, water plus and/or extra rinse.

#6 "folding" diapers

• this is the part most people love to hate. "i already do enough laundry!" you say, "why would i want another load to fold?" it's really as easy as 1, 2, 3 - dump your load, sort, and stuff (if you use pockets, as i do). 

guess how long it took me to do 1, 2, 3? 

8 minutes, total elapsed time. including taking the pictures for this post. 

there you have it. cloth diapering. not as strange as you'd think!

what about cloth diapers is mysterious to you?

mom 2.0 summit whiplash

this last weekend, chach and i had the privilege of attending an amazing conference, mom 2.0 summit, held at the ritz carlton in laguna niguel, ca. not only was the weekend a chance for us to visit and spend some quality time together, but it was also the perfect opportunity for us to connect with other talented bloggers and some of our favorite brands. top that all off with a location that is nothing short of spectacular and the weekend was close to perfection. 

the view from the hotel. seriously.

we had the best time. we slept uninterrupted. we ate delicious food. the ritz carlton delivered us white chocolate and a plate of cookies at night. we had turn down service each night and fresh towels every morning. we laughed often, conversations flowed freely and we had perpetual smiles on our faces. 

so gorgeous. 

proof that blogging has its perks...

all too soon, the weekend was over and we were heading home. after a weekend away, it feels like we should be able to ease back into our normal lives...slowly...to keep from pampered whiplash. a slow re-acclimation to reality wasn't on our agenda. our first stop was chach's house. we had shortly gone to sleep on our first night back to reality when chach's poor three year old woke up sobbing. after looking at his sweet feet that night, we found that, while at a birthday party that day, he had run on a deck barefoot and had nothing less than 40 splinters covering his little piggies. it was a long hour of tweezing those bits of wood out of his tiny feet. 

nellie's midnight tweezing session...poor baby!

after my (nellie's) flight was cancelled and i was redirected to get home to my babies, chach returned to her two boys only to be woken in the wee hours of the morning by projectile vomiting. both boys threw up for the day and chach got to play zone defense...this is the result.

i wish i could compare this with one of our weekend shots...one of these things is not like the other. she managed to take care of her sweet boys and is in charge of teacher appreciation week for their preschool. have i mentioned she's a rock star? don't let the picture fool you. 

meanwhile, on the other coast, i was happily hugging my babies and trying to recover from my rerouted red-eye flight. after a day recovering, life came jumping back into full swing.

first on the agenda: ducklings...two of them...for a kindergarten class project. nothing says, "welcome home" like cleaning up baby animal poopies. still, they were pretty adorable and my kids loved them so it wasn't so bad. i told chach they were actually pretty fun. her response? "one person's 'fun' is another persons 'nightmare'. love her.

sweet things...

my amazing husband was worn out after a weekend with the kids. he is also a super hero and decided to surprise me by steam cleaning all of our carpets. so, on the night we were going to sit and watch a movie together, this is what happened...

our version of "alone time"

cap it all off with chaperoning a field trip today with several classes of first graders and we are back to parenting...with bells on. 

at least we can look back at our pictures of last weekend and bask in the glow of the weekend that was...and laugh at the pictures of what our reality sometimes is. one without the other wouldn't nearly be so sweet. until next year, mom 2.0. thanks for the memories.

the best things about giving birth...

i have just recently had my fifth baby. yep, you read that right, five pregnancies, five labors, five deliveries, five hospital stays. i've given birth on both coasts and in south america. i think i'm almost an expert at this point. i'm not quite a *duggar*, but i've had my share of birthing experiences. so, here's my *letterman* top ten things about giving birth...only it ended up being 15 things...oh well.

15) losing cankles: i got to the point where i retained so much water that my feet were unrecognizable. in the hospital, i started to see the bones in my feet again. what bliss.

14) increase in bladder size: i am always amazed that as soon as that baby is out, i am able to go more than an hour in between each trip to the bathroom. it's amazing what normal bladder capacity really is...amazing!

13) you're expected to be in your pajamas...all day: there's no guilt. no one thinks you're a slob. in fact, most people will think you're an overachiever if you get *out* of your pajamas during your stay. when is that ever going to happen again? enjoy it. two to three pajama days in a row with no judgement...i'll take that!

12) meals will be brought to you in bed: again, when does this ever happen in real life? i may get a meal on a mother's day or your birthday brought up to your bed but chances are, i'll eventually get down to the kitchen where some of the mess will be waiting for me to clean up. not in the hospital. someone will bring you a hot meal, you'll get to eat it in bed and then someone will come and pick it up for you. no cleaning, no prep, just food. i don't care how bad the hospital food might be, i consider it a little gift.

11) you can request things, and someone will find a way to bring it to you: i always requested an after giving birth meal from my husband. i didn't get to eat during labor and delivery and i'm always starving. cost and inconvenience is pretty much not a factor after i've pushed a baby out. i go for it. usually when placing an order, my husband will mention that i've just had a baby. we get lots of desserts for free.

10) friends will come and hang out...and sometimes bring starbucks: when was the last time you had hours of girl time to chat? when was the last time you had more than one girlfriend come by and see you in one day? here's your chance. you can sit and chat to your heart's content. if they know you well and can bring you some liquid caffeine, all the better.

9) nurses are on call 24/7: post delivery nurses are pretty amazing. i'm pretty low maintenance with them in the hospital (again, not a novice here) but still, i know what to ask for. need to take a shower? a nurse will take your baby. need a little sleep? a nurse will take your baby. need a refill on your gigantic water bottle? a nurse will run and get that for you. they are like highly skilled and knowledgeable magic fairies.

8) gigantic water cups with straws: i don't know why i love these so much but i do. they are huge and oh so handy. if they made them so they would fit in the cup holder of my car, i'd be carrying one around everyday.

7) unlimited shower time: did i mention that a nurse will take your baby so you can shower? there is no time limit. i've never run out of hot water in the hospital. you can sit there forever. not only that, but after your shower, you have time to blow dry your hair...and put on make-up. you probably won't have that luxury for a very long time once you leave the hospital. don't miss it while you are in there. bring an extra deep conditioning treatment. exfoliate. shave both legs on the same day. go crazy.

6) internet access: most of the places where i've delivered have had wifi. this is fabulous. want to post your new baby to facebook? go for it. want to catch up on current events? it's right there. wanting to watch a show? pull it up on your laptop. again, this leisurely time is limited in the future. might as well enjoy it in the hospital.

5) catching up on all the shows you want: there is a lot of time spent lounging in the hospital. i usually hit a redbox on my way in and get a couple of movies to watch. i also pay for hulu plus for that hospital stay. all the shows you want are just a click away. when do moms ever have a chance to sit and watch tv shows? in the hospital you can watch as many as you may want...all day long.

4) napping in the middle of the day: go for it. you can nap at any time of the day and it is expected of you. there is no need to think about all of the things you could be doing while the baby is sleeping. nope, while the baby is sleeping, you get to sleep. when the doctor comes and takes the baby to check out, you get to sleep. any time of day, it doesn't matter. now that's something i could get used to.

3) taking, uploading, and sharing photos...all in one day: i hate to admit it but i've gotten worse with the photo taking with each child that has gone by. the only time this isn't the case is when i'm in the hospital. i can snap away at my little angels, load the pictures onto my computer, post them, make albums, share with my family. i'm like a picture taking guru laying in that hospital bed.

2) drugs: i take drugs. i take them during labor, they stay in there during delivery. i take some more after delivery. this last baby, i took a two hour nap while i progressed from 4-10 centimeters. thank you, drugs. thank you.

1) time to hold your baby: the number one best thing about giving birth? without a doubt, it's getting to hold my baby. at home, things pull me away from my little angel. like it or not, i have to put them down and get some stuff done. the survival of the other kids depends on it. in the hospital, i can hold my baby as long as i want. none of the other things compare.

what did i forget? how about you? what was the best thing about giving birth?

once upon a class project

let me first just say that i really appreciate public education. before i had my gaggle of kids, i taught high school. as a general rule, teachers are underpaid and under-appreciated. they work tremendously hard to teach and help raise our kids and i truly am thankful for all they do.

that being said, i now must share a frustration for mothers across the world over. for some strange, incomprehensible reason, teachers feel the need to assign class projects to school kids that only a parent can complete. i am currently in the process of creating a catawba indian wigwam diorama for my third grader's class. let me just tell you how much fun that is. don't get me wrong, my son is working with me every step of the way, cutting out papers, helping glue, painting, gathering sticks...still, there is no way he could get this project put together without the help of a grown-up.

what ever happened to coloring a picture? does he really learn more sitting for hours creating a three dimensional project instead of just drawing a wigwam and labeling the parts? he could do that on his own and i have a hard time imagining that he learns more doing a longer, harder project. i, on the other hand, feel like i've retaken third grade social studies. i know more about an indian wigwam than i think i ever learned in elementary school. while i appreciate the extra knowledge, i'm pretty sure i completed third grade many moons ago. i really have no desire to repeat it and the thought of doing this same project five times as each of my kids eventually hits the third grade is enough to push me over the edge.

i know i can't be alone in this frustration. maybe we should organize a revolt...a mommy strike, if you will. who's with me?

quilted, oh no they didn't!

i don't know about you, but when i actually get to sit and watch something on television, it is like a little mini vacation. time watching tv means the kids are in bed, the house is manageable until tomorrow and i actually did it all with a few moments to spare. as far as i'm concerned, tivo and dvrs are little gifts to mommies so we won't have to waste time on commercials when we actually get a moment to spare.

unfortunately for me, the other day i didn't get a show recorded and actually had to watch live tv. to my dismay, not only did i have to watch commercials, but this one is the one that was playing. have you seen it?

really? do we want to get real about what happens in the bathroom? i can think of about a million things i'd rather do than to listen to some stranger talk about getting herself clean after she's been on the toilet. what's worse is the flashing words along the bottom saying, "when wet". then, just when i thought i'd seen it all, they started to mention "break through." so much for my bowl of rocky road ice cream and my glass of lemonade.

when did we become okay with discussing our post toilet cleanliness on television...and why was it all females in the commercial? after cleaning the underpants of multiple males in this house, i can tell you one thing, it should have been men talking about needing to be clean and not the females. and what about those poor women who have that commercial on their resumes? if i was an actress, i think it would be right up there with having to list my commerical appearances for hemorroid cream or erectile disfunction medication. there are just some paychecks we should say no to, ladies.

beyond all of that, who was the genius that decided that the best way to promote toilet paper to their target audience was to talk about "what really happens in the bathroom?" don't they know that we moms have a first hand knowledge of what happens in the bathroom and we really don't want to talk about it when we finally get to sit and watch tv? i for one have enough of changing diapers, scrubbing toilets, wiping bottoms, and washing underwear during the day. at the end of the day, can we please not bring in images of breakthrough to ruin my evening snack? i don't think it's too much to ask to keep the potty talk off of the tv and in the potty. anyone?

mommy wars

does anyone else feel it, or is it just me? you know what i mean....the crazy competition that begins the moment that you conceive, really.

 everyone seems to have an opinion on the "right" way to do things.... the debate between working mommies vs. the stay-at-home mommies, store bought baby food vs. homemade, organic vs. not, breastfed vs formula, epidural vs natural birth.....don't even get me started on the kid milestones (who is walking, talking, crawling, etc.).

 why does everyone care so much about what everyone else is doing? why do we feel the need sometimes to be "right" about the way that we are raising our kids? is it because we are all afraid to admit that we are all just figuring it out as we go along, that we know we will make countless mistakes by the time our children are raised and we just need to know that we are not screwing it up in the beginning? mommies with older kids, does this crazy competition thing with other moms continue as your children grow?

this video is funny. seriously funny....and sort of sad at the same time, don't ya think?

come on. we all know one mom like this, right? maybe you can even admit that you are "that mom". has anyone had an encounter like this?

why can't we all just respect that everyone has different needs, every child is different and that we all make our own individual choices based on what works for us or what is important for us. is there really a "right" way to do things?

 i think we should all take a moment to stop.

 go on (yes, you).

 now take a really big breath.

 exhale.

now give yourself the permission to accept that the choices you have made for you and your family are wonderful for you.....and equally fantastic are the choices someone else has made for themselves.

it's okay.

nothing more to see here. move along.

after all, wouldn't this world be a pretty boring place if we were all the same?