Happy Halloween!

This is how Jackson ended his night...sick and on the couch. Yes, that is a 15 inch cake pan. No, I've never used it and figured I'd be safe to let Jackson use it.

But the day started out just fine and dandy, with the Mario Brothers and Toadstool happy as clams as we prepared to go to a party.

Toadstool was just adorable...I made his hat with a circle of cardboard, 1/2 a yard of cheap white fleeve, and a LOT of hot glue :)

Luigi, aka Jackson, was very upset when he got sick at the party and was told he would be unable to go trick or treating when we got home...but then he watched Casper the Friendly Ghost while laying on the couch and fell asleep.

Mario, aka Brennan, was so sweet and would respond to people's question of "Where's Luigi?" with a sweet, "My brother's home sick and can't come."...that won him twice as much candy, which Brennan poured into one big bowl to share with Jackson...had they both gone, I think we'd be in a "good" candy meltdown b/c they wound up with a lot of candy (sure, Ethan did go TorT at a few house, but the rest is all Brennan)

So, how was your Halloween? Did your children get as much candy as in years past? Was there more "crappy" candy? Ours wasn't junkie...we didn't even get that many suckers or tootsie rolls...I guess the middle of Omaha is doing alright in these "hard economic times". :)

Adventures in Cloth Diapering...#9, Monkey Snuggles Review

"I just got my @MonkeySnuggles fluff mail." is a phrase I read more then once on twitter from friends.
"What are MonkeySnuggles?" I asked.
Then, I went to @Mom2chunkymonky's house one day and SAW two of them.

And my mind started reeling.
Those two diapers were by far the thinnest I'd ever seen, and Megan (who's currently got lots of giveaways going on, btw) swore to their absorbency.

"But Megan", I asked, "how can they be absorbent? They are so thin!"

Well, my friends, Ethan got to test out a SUNSHINE YELLOW (yeah, the link takes you to a pink one, but you get the idea) diaper and let me tell you...I am now sold. Hook, line, and sinker.

It's not that the diaper itself is anything special. I mean, sure it's got an adorable monkey on its tag and two rows of snaps to avoid droop, and she has got some cute prints, too, but it's the inserts that give it that something special that makes them so popular with my twitter friends.

The inserts are made of bamboo fleece and super absorbent yet very thin...thin enough Ethan was able to wear his baby GAP jeans that were apparently made for babies with no booty. Yep. He wore a cloth diaper with tight blue jeans! Some CDing mama's avoid blue jeans altogether, but if you know me at all, you know blue jeans are a stable in my home.

She also sells fitted diapers, separate inserts, and some of the cutest wool longies I've ever seen...monster faces on baby butts makes me smile is all I have to say :)

I am loving my Sunshine Yellow MonkeySnuggle diaper...Ethan wears it every Saturday to help support the LSU Tigers and as often as it is washed the rest of the week.

On my list of "wants", a second, third, maybe fourth MS diaper is HIGH on my list! Is it wrong to give a kid a diaper for his birthday? I don't think so! (If only she sold zebra prints...that would be perfect for Ethan's big birthday coming up!)



***This review is based soley on my opinion and nothing else. The diaper was provided by free by Monkeysnuggles.***

Sniffly, Busily Working Along

(See my laundry in the background? Yep, it's a lot)

This week is a very full week. I've got some shirt orders (yeah!), Halloween costumes to finish (I'm about 95% done), work to do, a cake order for Saturday, parties, cloth diapers to stuff (at least they are clean), the sniffles, and a fever.

I'm sure I will be fine soon, but for today, I am taking it easy, doing the easy stuff, so that when it is Halloween celebration time and we go door to door begging complete strangers for free food, I will be there, DSLR in hand. (Maybe my new Flip, too? Shouldn't it be here already? I am getting impatient waiting!)

Great Offer at my etsy shop!

For those of you who don't know, I opened an etsy shop recently. It's called Little Dude Duds and it features the initial tees, though I am working on doing just an ornament (it's going to be ca-UTE!) and a few other variations. I also have fleece longies out there...oh, my heck, Ethan is so cute in his p.j's/longies! If you have an idea of what you'd like, just ask and I will see what I can come up with.

Eventually it will be full of wonderful things little boys love, but for now its main focus is holiday tees.


For this week only...if you place an order (whether through etsy for those I don't know or in person for those who live around me) and pay me by Halloween, I will include something free with your order. All you need to do (b/c this is for blog/twitter followers only) is include in the email to me or the etsy convo to me that you heard about my lagniappe and wanted in :) (All orders must be paid for before creation begins anyway, so it's not like I am making up a new rule or anything...I'd hate to make seven shirts with the letter Z on them only to have the order get canceled)


If it's for a girl, it might be a hair bow (made by me!) to coordinate with the shirt or a cute little bottle of nail polish to glam it up. If it's for a boy, it might be a little hot wheels car or binky clip (only if your little one uses one!) or something merry and bright...boys are a wee bit harder to do all handmade for, in my opinion. A Christmas tee may be accompanied by a new ornament for the tree. If you order a pair of longies, maybe it will be few flannel diaper wipes. Who knows...the sky is the limit...maybe you will be super lucky and score free shipping or my leftover Halloween candy (j/k...or am I???)!!!!


So, go check out the store, pick your favorite fabrics, and I will get busy creating your little ones shirt and coming up with something great as lagniappe for you! (wikipedia it if you don't know)Love just the initial...it really popped on this shirt...and if you want the same fabric, let me know. I did not list it in my shop but the person who ordered this provided the fabric and let me keep the extras.

Or you can even do a numbered shirt...with (or w/o) a custom party hat. How cute is this chunky monkey in his shirt (shirt only pictured above) and matching hat? LOVE IT! This is not listed in the shop yet but would be $28, including shipping...I will try my hardest to match the theme of your party and if not the theme, then the color scheme!

So, what are you waiting for? Go pick out your favorites and order today!!!! Feel free to share this offer with others via email or twitter or whatever. The more free advertising for me, the better.

Adventures in Cloth Diapering, Part 8...the big brother changes a diaper

I wish I'd had my camera handy (or my new FLIP video camera that is coming in the mail this week!) to capture this moment.

I was about to change Ethan's diaper when Brennan comes up.

"Mom, can I do it?"

Me, thinking about it...this could be messy, it could be cute. It is definietly a skill he needs to learn to be a good husband one day.

"Okay Brennan, sure."

I mean...seriously, who says NO to a free diaper change?

Brennan pulls off the snaps of the Blueberry, removes the diaper, wipes Ethan up (with guidance on where to wipe. Bren says, "But he's not dirty!"), and puts the dirty diaper in the wetbag.

Then, Brennan (with me holding Ethan's hinny in the air) gently puts the new diaper (this one a BumGenius with velcro) under his bum. Once he feels it is positioned just so (and just in the knick of time...Ethan was getting restless with his body raised in the air), he covers the front, pulls the velcro tabs and declares himself done.

Not bad for a six year old, I only discreetly tightened one side a tiny bit.

Brennan has grown up so much this past year. He's always been a good big brother but lately he is turning into a GREAT one. And one who likes cloth diapers, I might add.

Now, if only I could train Jackson to stuff clean diapers, I'd have it made!

My Last Firsts

Ethan turns one in less then one month.
It will be my LAST first birthday party.

Sure, my dad says, "No, have more." But in my heart, I know our family is complete.

So, we've started experiencing the last of the firsts.

Ethan took his first steps last month. He's getting better, but he's pretty wobbly still.

He also has figured out how to clap (finally). He loves to cheer for the Tigers with his daddy...the last first time I'll get excited over someone clapping.He'll (one day) get a first haircut. I hope he can wait until we visit Louisiana in the summer, because I'd love my last first hair cut to be with Nicole, same as Bren and Jack...

The funny thing, at the other end of things, Brennan is my first first. He's my first to lose teeth (he lost the first top middle one Monday during FHE on skype with my parents!), first to go hang out at a friend's house after school, first to read, etc.

Before you go feeling sorry for Jackson for being the second first...let me tell you, he's had his fair share of first firsts, too...he was the first to cut his own hair, first to get seriously sick (pneumonia) and the first to eat a hot dog. He's got his own little collection of them, and he seems pretty proud of himself...so please, sure he's the middle child but he gets to try new things, too.

I love experiencing my children's firsts with them. I am so grateful to be able to be home with my children and be part of their every day life. I know it is not always possible for some to do this. Thank you Bart for working so very hard at a job you can barely stand so that I may experience these firsts...It means a lot to me and I love you!

Pediped Stars for A Wish Make-A-Wish Foundation Fundraiser

This was copied straight from the email I received about it, but this week I am very busy and figured they said it best, anyway. If you can donate, please do~

HENDERSON, Nev. (October 22, 2009) — pediped® announces an extended date of their Stars for a Wish online auction of autographed pediped® baby shoes to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Due to the popularity and excitement of the fundraiser, the auction will now run through November 5, 2009. The event will kick off on October 25 on Charity Buzz at http://www.charitybuzz.com/auctions/Pediped.

Celebrities who signed pediped® baby shoes for the auction include:

MOVIES Jessica Alba, Halle Berry, Pierce Brosnan, Andy Garcia, Molly Ringwald, Rachel Weisz

TELEVISION Tim Allen, Courtney Cox Arquette, Marcia Cross, Jennie Garth, Whoopi Goldberg, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Heidi Klum, Charlie Sheen, Jon Stewart

MUSIC Clay Aiken, Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill, Jason Aldean, Ed Roland, Sugarland, Martina McBride

SPORTS Jerome Bettis, Anna Kournikova, Shaquille O’Neal, Mark Teixeira, J.D. Drew, David Ortiz

Recipients will receive the shoes attractively displayed in a cherry-finished shadow box or clear acrylic box complete with an engraved plaque.

The Stars for a Wish fundraiser has a minimum goal of $25,000, which will help grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. One-hundred percent of the funds raised through the auction will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

“We were overwhelmed by the willingness of so many celebrities, many of them already familiar with our brand, to generously help us support this cause,” said Angela Edgeworth, President and Co-Founder of pediped® footwear. “Now it’s all up to the public to bid high for these shoes so they not only receive a beautifully presented keepsake from their favorite celebrity, but more importantly, so they will be helping children facing life-threatening medical conditions.”

To learn more about the Stars for a Wish fundraiser and to view a complete list of participating celebrities, visit www.pediped.com/stars.

It takes a boy to find the hidden talent

As Brennan walked down to the car this afternoon, he was "arm farting"...this is a new "skill" he's learned at school this year. I do not approve of this very boyish skill.

When he got into the car, I gave him a "stern look" and said, "Brennan, you should not do that. It is not polite nor is it funny."

His response: "But, Mom, everybody has some sort of special talents."

Little Red Barn...not worth the trip, but lunch was fun

The Little Red Barn is located a few miles west of Omaha...my mom's group went there for a special Friday play date. After being there for about twenty minutes, Jackson was done. He kept begging to go.

He rode a pony, which he liked a lot and talked about all weekend, and petted a rabbit, goat, and donkey, but was overall unimpressed. Ethan liked the straw, but was not really interested in anything else...it did make for a fun photo op, though.

The owners were really nice...it was just a smaller then I expected venue. I am glad I decided to not keep Brennan out of school to go.

After The Little Red Barn, we headed to Camille's for lunch with friends. Their chicken salad sandwich is super yummy and I really wish I'd ordered a bowl of soup to go with it. Oh, well, there is always next time.

After TLRB and lunch, my friend Megan and I decided to go check out a few quilt shops to see if we could find some fabrics we were looking for. The first shop we went to (well, the only one) had exactly the print we needed, plus a few others. The employees were so nice and helpful, too...I am sure we will be going back, taking lessons, and signing up for a Friday night session as well. Go check out Sew Creative today. Their selection is small but the prints they have are great.

And...go check out my new etsy shop...full of Christmas prints and a growing collection of boys only prints for tees.

That reminds me...I didn't add the prints I got at Sew Creative to my shop! I better go do that now.

Appliqued Tee Shirt Winner!

In lieu of random.org, I used Bart.com (AKA, my DH) and had him yell out a number...he picked #59 for the winner of the appliqued tee shirt...Sarah!

He picked the # 59 because the Patriots scored 59 points today...in the snow!

Congratulations Sarah, you have 48 hours to contact me or else Bart gets to pick another random number.

And guess what! I've opened an etsy shop for those holiday tees! It'll be for BOYS ONLY during the rest of the year but it'll also be full of holiday applique tees. So head on over to Little Dude Duds (Bart came up with the name, too) and see if you see a fabric you like...I've got about five or ten more Christmas prints to list and I am still searching for the perfect "winter" print, too. Be on the lookout for another giveaway from my shop once I have it all set up and full of stock...right now it only has a few items but I already got my first order...a Mickey Mouse birthday banner to be sent to the Netherlands! Cool, right? Thanks Megan for celebrating my "big sale" with me.

Head over to Newly Wed, Newly Bred to enter all of Megan's fantastic giveaways...they just started and will continue for 15 days total...she's got LOTS of cloth diaper giveaways, a baby sling, a hat, Rockin' Green soap....and...and...a top secret prize that you will have to wait to find out how great it is. It is so great, in fact...that I am buying my own instead of risking it waiting to win her giveaway!

Why all the giveaways? Chunky Monkey is turning ONE and what better way to celebrate with all her bloggy friends then giveaways!

Happy Snow Day? Wait, what? It's OCTOBER!

These pictures were taken Thursday night. It was a tiny bit chilly, but not cold...I mean, Jackson had on no shoes and he was fine.
Then, Friday came and the weather was just dandy. I walked to Brennan's school that afternoon with no problems.
Then...Saturday.
I was awoken to Jackson declaring "THERE's SNOW MAMA!"

Yep...it had snowed.

Bizarre.

Bart took the boys sledding and let them play in the snow some. Me? I stayed inside with Ethan, where we were nice and warm.

It snowed some this morning (mixed with rain) but now it is just chilly. They say it will warm up a bit again before winter comes. I sure hope "they" are right.

What kind of weekend did you have?

Brennan Posts Again!

i can eat 20 pieces of gum in one day.

i can make a lego ship.

the weather today is snowny.
i sow a leave alive in the snow.
i can count past 800.











i can count to 1000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

Adventures in Cloth Diapering, part 7, bedtime

I have been very hesitant to jump on the cloth diapering at night train. I think it is funny I've held back, considering my friend started CDing just for night time and loves it. I tried and got horrible results.
Leaks, smells, a cranky baby awake way before the first signs of dawn.
It was not for me.
Then, my friend Diana sold me some Kushies brand diaper covers.
Oh. My. Goodness.
It was all I needed to get over the dread that I still needed to buy Huggies nighttime diapers (Ethan is a heavy nighttime wetter) even though I was trying so hard to CD 100% (Bart is still at 0% put on rate...just wait until we run out of those last three diapers...that will happen this weekend...stay tuned) just for the economic implications.
I stuff Ethan's diaper pretty well (no, I can't tell you name brands b/c usually it is just a prefold with a blueberry diaper that has a built in insert already) then put the diaper cover over that.
BAM! No more leaks, wet babies, cranky moms, etc.
And now, I am happy to say, I am almost at 97% full time cloth diapering! Yeah me.
I am not against disposable and will use it if no sleek diapers are clean and I want Ethan to wear a pair of jeans (though I am very excited to review for free a monkeysnuggle diaper and see how trim they are! Is that good enough for you FDC?).

Okay, so if you haven't shared with me before...feel free to share your CDing night time routines.

And stay tuned because VERY soon Bart will discover that there really is nothing scary about cloth diapering (except maybe the poop part, but I am fine with dealing with that...it's not a huge issue to me, except when there is corn. vomit.)

Don't forget to enter to win an initial tee shirt made by ME! Super fast and easy to enter.

Mostly Wordless Wednesday (Westroads Mall Play Date)

All the cuties with their shirts made by me...I learned a little each time I did one...which is why my boys used to have yellow initials and now have orange...sorry you are the odd man out Hudson.
H. and E. playing
Jackson being silly
Such sweet brothers

Did someone say MILK?


Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win an initial tee made by ME...ends 10/18! If you just want to buy one, I'll do it for $15, plus $2 shipping...if you are in Omaha and provide your own shirt and fabric, $10.