More Gro Baby Love!

So I'm sure you've seen my post about my BIG LOVE for Gro Baby diapers for E & G. They truly are a revolutionary style of diaper that makes cloth diapering quick and convenient even in my crazy household. Well, here is proof that good things can get even BETTER!
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The Natural Baby Company is now offering BIODEGRADABLE (disposable or flushable!) soaker pads to make taking Gro Baby on the go even simpler! (I cannot thank you enough for this development!) These environmentally -friendly pads simply stick in to the Gro Baby shells and can be flushed (simply tear, shake out contents into the toilet, and throw away the rest), composted, or tossed (they break down after only 50-150 days compared to centuries!) after use. They also use a much healthier amount of gel crystals (3g vs up to 20 in commercial sposies!) to keep them super absorbant without fearing for my kiddos safety. I was lucky enough to be a tester for this product* and I could find absolutely NOTHING that I would have wanted changed. The pads provide excellent coverage and leave no areas of the shell exposed. They contained all messes and even worked out for overnight for my then-one-year-olds. Perfect for travel or just busy days!

If you are on the fence about trying cloth diapering or if you want to be more environmentally responsible without putting poo in your washer (yes, this is the STILL the biggest question I get about cloth diapering) give Gro Baby a whirl.

*The Natural Baby Company is offering a FREE set to bloggers who write about this product. Would I have posted this rave review without this offer? ABSOLUTELY! This is just another example of The Natural Baby Co. showing gratitude for all their loyal customers. They truly are the cream of the crop for supporting those who send their dollars their way.

Rainy Days

One rainy day after a series of sunny ones feels like a relief...a time to just relax and laze around the house and accomplish nothing. BUT rain, rain, rain, and more rain makes us all GO CRAZY!

We made hats.

Greco-Roman Baby Wrestling Matches

Climbing the walls...

(glad this one is a little blurry since there is a bare butt!)

Cart Races

Who needs a playpen? 7*22*09

Nuff said.

They put themselves in there while I was busy shopping for adorable, squeezable toys at squishable.com A little spendy for mass-produced cuteness, but they do support a different charity each month. They also have the "Understudy" toys that are produced under the Fair Trade Act & feature some handmade in the good, ol' USA items. Yum!

Speaking of toys...I can never say enough good stuff about Cars from Papa. Lovingly crafted in Oregon by Papa himself & made with non-toxic materials...what's not to love?

Start Swagging 7*21*09

You may have noticed that I added a funky new tool to my blog's sidebar. (Or maybe not...I guess it depends on how observant you are!) It is the Swagbucks widget that keeps me in the swagging loop. I can use it to perform searches right from my blog, keep up with The Swag Guy's blog, check for codes, oh! and it brushes my teeth! Okay, it really doesn't brush my teeth, but it does earn me money. I know there are alot of scams out there involving search & win sites, survey offerings, and other "quick money" schemes but Swag Bucks is not one of them. So far (I think I got started in March?) I have earned $10 in Amazon.com gift cards and I am $5 (swagbucks that is!) away from my next $10 set. That is $20 free from doing honestly what I would be doing anyway. Sure, you can spend alot of time trying to get the most codes and participate in all the many offerings they have (Twitter, Facebook, Trivia, etc...) and you really might earn a ton, but I just use it to search when I remember and it is still working out well for me. Also, they run special sales on different gift cards so don't think you are stuck with just Amazon....they even offer Paypal! Yes, that's right folks....you can actually get paid real money just for searching the web! This is just another facet of our great "scale down and have a better life" plan and it is one that I highly recommend.

And this is why I do it.

Hat Head 7*20*09

My silly man, Super G.

This morning Super G inspired me to blog about my little guys' personalities. He picked up that shirt from the laundry basket and spent a good bit of time entertaining me by making it into various hats. (Who knew he even knew about the kippah ? Must be all that PBS he watches.) Anyway, we had a blast and he LOVED being the one to make me laugh. Sometimes when I am chatting with people I get caught up in how "serious" he is...especially compared to our future class clown/powerful politician E. I forget to tell the stories of all the comical things he does. I focus instead on "contrasting" him with his twin. Well, his personality is much more complex than that...all the boys' personalities are more complex than the stereotypical characteristics I tend to fall back on when the conversation turns to my kiddos. I know there is no way to really convey what they are really like to anyone who doesn't spend many hours a day with them, but I'll do a little breakdown of how I see them.

Big C is my love. He is as sweet as sugar always wanting to please people and full of joy. He is a huge ham and loves to be the center of attention even when proclaiming that he is "a little bit shy". He is full of wonder and has an incredible imagination. He amazes me daily with the things he knows, says, and dreams up. I always say that I think he should have his own television show. I think he'd get great ratings.

Little E is my tough guy. I have a feeling that he will be the child that I don't ever really "worry" about. That kid can take care of himself. He takes no guff. He is extremely social and winningly friendly and always looking to get a laugh. Overall, maybe b/c he is the "middle child" or maybe b/c he is just convinced that he deserves everything, he takes what he wants, fights for what is his, and isn't afraid to play dirty. I am so impressed with his confidence.

Little G is my mystery child. When he was born, I would look into his eyes and want to know what he was thinking. I still have no idea. He is a hard-core momma's boy with a super sweet core. He loves to share things with everyone and give hugs and kisses, but you would never know by just looking at his expression. He can run hot and cold and you just are never quite sure where you stand with him. I am quite sure he is going to drive his girlfriends insane. As you can tell from today's picture, he obviously has a super silly side too and is so happy to make people laugh.

Maybe I have a houseful of future comedians? I don't know. I do know that I am so lucky to have them.

Screaming Demons! 7*19*09

This was last year. Unfortunately, much like this year.

Okay, I am going to challenge myself to do a 365 blog.

Starting today.

It might get a little boring...or who knows? It could be tons of fun! I think my first mistake was trying to start a 365 blog last year...you know, just a few short months before my twins were born. Hmmmm...try and figure out why that might have been a bad idea. Anyway, we'll see what happens this time.

Last night was another night of horrible-ness. (Is that a word? It is now.) Little E just cannot sleep in his crib for some bizarre reason. He is honestly waking up more now than he was at this time last year. We are truly clueless.

Clean, dry diaper? Check.
Nice, full tummy? Check.
Teething tablets or Tylenol? Check.
Comfy jammies? Check.
White noise from the fan? Check.
Favorite blanket and duck? Check.
Nightlight on? Check.

So there we stand. (Seriously. Because it's not like we are sleeping or anything.) With a grouchy daddy, a cranky mama, and a super unhappy toddler. Little G mostly sleeps through with just a few wake-ups here and there if his brother is making too much of a ruckus. The other part that sucks is that E has the super deluxe crib with the barely used cushy mattress and he cannot for the life of him stay in that thing for more than a couple hours while G slumbers away oblivious in his "baby jail" crib with the "not so great" mattress. (Sorry G! We love you really & will get you a brand new mattress too.) UGH!

Here is a pic of the boys' room featuring G's "baby jail". That is the crib you can see the best here.

Tiny Bubbles

Yes, it is me...blog slacker...back in action! LOL! I just had to blog today about The Natural Baby Company's awesome new laundry detergent. I am always in a huge predicament when it comes to laundry detergent b/c I have to use "free" products that won't irritate anyone's skin (although Big C seems to be lucky and has inherited Momma's steel-coating) but I also want ones that are less harmful to the environment. I was so.stinking.excited when I read that The Natural Baby Company was releasing one for me to try! I am a huge fan of their Gro Baby diapers and I really appreciate the time, energy, and thought that they put into creating their products. I am sure this will be another winner!

Get it here!