Jeep Wrangler Unlimited "g" Edition Stroller Extra Entries Opportunity

Tomorrow I have something wonderful in store for you all. A chance to win a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited "g" Edition Umbrella stroller! This stroller retails for $139.99. It is an eco-friendly model. The fabric is made from recycled plastic bottles. So awesome!

I have created this button for you all to grab and put on your blogs. By having this giveaway button on your blog you will receive 5 extra entries in the contest! You must have the button up on your blog no later than October 7th and keep it there until October 31st to receive the extra entries. Please leave a comment on THIS post to let me know you did this, leaving the URL of where it is posted. This is MANDATORY and anyone who forgets to leave a comment here will not be qualified for the extra entries. After doing this you can go leave your 5 separate comments on the actual giveaway post saying that you have my giveaway button on your blog, don't forget to leave the URL where it is at.

I am giving you ANOTHER chance to win extra entries! Blog about this giveaway (Including this button in your post and linking back to my blog) and receive an additional 5 entries! Your blog post MUST be made on or before October 7th for the extra entries to be credited. Again, please leave a comment on THIS post to let me know you did this, leaving the URL to your blog post. This is MANDATORY and anyone who forgets to leave a comment here will not be qualified for the extra entries. After doing this you can go leave your 5 separate comments on the actual giveaway post saying that you Blogged this giveaway. Don't forget to leave the URL where it is at.

This is 10 extra entries you don't want to miss out on!

I will have a few other extra entry opportunities that will be announced with the actual giveaway, but these extra entries are special and are for those of you that help get the word out!

Thank you, and good luck!

<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.happilydomestic.blogspot.com/"><img src="http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/af214/HappilyDomestic/jeepbuttonlast.jpg " /></a></center>

This Button will be displayed at my right side bar for the whole duration of the contest for you to grab.

Wordless Wednesday #7

NEW DISCOVERIES

My son has discovered his nostrils!
Here he is in the airport a little over a week ago. Most everyone on the plane got greeted with a finger up the nose too. Silly boy!

Blog Awards

Today I received a blog award from Chandra at Rambles, Rants, and Raves blog. Click here to read more about it.

Here is my award.

I was also given an award from Annie at Mama Dweeb blog a couple weeks ago.
Click here to read more.

Here is my award.

Thanks ladies, I really appreciate it. I am so pleased that you enjoy my blog and I hope that my blog continues to be a blessing to you.

NautrOli Soap Nuts Giveaway Winner!

CONGRATULATIONS TO
JUSTINE!

She was comment #79 and left this comment...

Justine M. said...
I follow you blog publicly #2

September 24, 2009 2:57 PM

Winner has been notified and will have 48 hours to claim her prize or a new winner will be drawn.

Thanks to all who entered the NaturOli giveaway. Remember you can always shop NaturOli to purchase soap nuts for yourself. If you sign up to their newsletter they will email you their currents sales, etc.

Don't forget to enter my Snoozer Body Pillow, Exergen Temporal Scanner, and Diaper Sprayer giveaways. These are some pretty amazing products!

Up Next: Jeep Wrangler Unlimited "g" edition umbrella stroller. This retails for $139.00 and is an eco-friendly model. Fabric is made from recycled plastic bottles! You are NOT going to want to miss this one. I will be giving opportunities to earn extra entries for this giveaway as well.

I have quite a few reviews/giveaways lined up for the coming month. You can get a sneak peak of the products by visiting my sponsors sites. Click on their company logos on my left sidebar.

Dinner Menu week of September 28th

Monday~ Dinner with friends.
Chicken, Baked Beans, Potato Salad, Green Salad, and Pumkin Pie

Tuesday~ B.L.T. Sandwiches and Soup

Wednesday~ Chili Cheese Dogs

Thursday~ Oriental Garlic Chicken with Vegetables and Rice

Friday~ My Birthday Dinner at Red Robin (turning 31, Ahhhh!)

Saturday~ Church Function- Dinner at Church

Sunday~ Meat Loaf, Mixed Vegetables,
Mashed Potatoes and Whole Wheat yeast rolls
~

I made another menu plan! Of course it was easy this week with 3 dinners away from home. I am so proud of my grocery shopping trip yesterday. I spend a good deal of my morning clipping coupons, figuring deal scenarios, and making my list. I then shopped and it took me a couple hours. But, I saved $129.00 off my bill. The total was $333.00 and I managed to drop that down to $204.00. We normally do not spend that much but I hadn't done any major shopping in over 2 weeks.

Some of the great deals I snagged are: Free Glade scented oil candles, 2- four packs of yogurt for only .39 cents a piece, Huggies All Natural Diapers for only $6.00, several boxes of Kashi cereal for only $1.25 a piece, free grapes, 1 quart of Organic Valley milk for only .29 cents, Chocolate Chip cookie mix for .49 cents, etc.

I really scored with coupons! With my coupons alone I saved a little over 50 dollars and then over 70 dollars in store club card savings. :-) I love deals!

Juice Can Lid Toy

One of my son's most favorite toys is one I made myself. It is made mostly of recyclable materials, so is very inexpensive.

All you need to make this is:

- One empty nut can (preferably one with a solid colored lid)
- 10-15 Concentrated juice lids
( use only the tops, not the bottom off the juice can and never a cut lid off a regular can. Concentrated juice lids have no sharp edges and so are safe for baby)
- Stickers
- Paper (I used scrapbook paper)
- Some type of adhesive

Remove label off nut can. Clean nut can out. Cut a slit side enough for the juice lids to go through on top of lid (Like a bank). Glue your paper on your can. Decorate with stickers. Put stickers on each juice lid. ( Okay, this is pretty self explanitory...but I am anal so I thought I would say exactly how to make it. ) That's all! Hours of fun for babies and toddlers and little to no cost to you...especially if you already have stickers and paper at home.

Here is my latest creation. I made this for my friend's baby.

This can be very educational as you can teach your baby about animals, the sounds they make, counting, etc. Make several with different themed stickers to teach a variety of subjects.

Have fun!

The Diaper Sprayer Review and Giveaway

*THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED*

For those of you who cloth diaper your babies and DO NOT own
a Diaper Sprayer, your life is about to change! No more swishing those yucky diapers in your toilet. The Diaper Sprayer will be your new best friend.

I have been cloth diapering my son for 17 months.
I had been telling my husband for months that I wanted a Diaper Sprayer.
He said that he doubted it would work and that it would probably spray poo all over the bathroom.
I was up for the challenge of proving him wrong!

When the opportunity to try out a Diaper Sprayer for
review was given to me, I was thrilled!
I received a white Diaper Sprayer along with an instruction pamphlet.

My husband installed the sprayer right away. It took him literally only a few minutes to install. You do not have to be a plumber to figure it out. Every part you need is included. No making special trips to the hardware store for parts with this sprayer!

The Test: Would my skeptical husband become a believer???

Well, it just so happened that a few minutes after installing the sprayer our baby boy made a little surprise for his daddy.

Success! He was amazed at how well the Diaper Sprayer worked. It was powerful, worked great and cleaned the diaper up in seconds. Humble pie was eaten and hubby was convinced.

Since then, we have been enjoying the convenience of the Diaper Sprayer. It has made life with cloth diapering much easier. *Tip- When using the Diaper Sprayer, hold diaper fairly low in the toilet bowl to prevent water splashing onto the toilet.*

More reasons you'll love the Diaper Sprayer:

• Comes complete with all attachments needed to quickly and easily attach to a standard 3/8 inch compression water valve (valve behind toilet). Each unit comes packaged with a hand sprayer, a flow control t-valve, 4 foot reinforced white NSF Approved PVC hose, built in check valve in sprayer (one way valve), step-by-step picture instructions, and a matching wall bracket including screws & plastic anchors.
  
• Takes only 5-10 minutes to install.
• Comes with a 90 day money back guarantee
  
• The Diaper Sprayer is protected by Microban. Microban technology is built-in antimicrobial protection for solid products, coatings and fibers. Microban antimicrobial protection gives products an added level of protection against damaging microbes such as, bacteria, mold and mildew that can cause stains, odors and product deterioration.
  

Buy it! Don't try to be clever and make your own sprayer. Save yourself the hassle and ensure that you are getting a quality Diaper Sprayer. These Diaper Sprayers are only $38.99 with free shipping to the US and worth EVERY penny! Click here to go shop.

Win It! The Diaper Sprayer company has generously offered one Happily Domestic reader a Diaper Sprayer of their own!

How to enter:

First Mandatory entry: Visit The Diaper Sprayers website and tell me one thing you learned about the The Diaper Sprayer not mentioned in my review. *Remember to leave your email address in your comment!*

After you have completed your first entry you are eligible for additional entries. *See my giveaway instructions here for more information. * Remember to leave a separate comment for each additional entry and include your e-mail address.

Emi at The Cloth Diaper Report is also having a giveaway for the Diaper Sprayer. We have teamed up to give you 3 extra entry opportunities. Now you will have double the chances of winning for entering BOTH giveaways! Here's what you need to do:

• Follow BOTH Happily Domestic AND The Cloth Diaper Report publicly through Google friend connect. Counts for ONE extra entry. Leave a comment saying that you follow BOTH blogs. This counts for current followers of BOTH blogs too!
• Enter BOTH Happily Domestic's AND The Cloth Diaper Report's Diaper Sprayer giveaways and earn TWO extra entries. Leave separate comments stating that you did. Example: "I entered The Diaper Sprayer giveaways at both HD and TCDR #1" and "I entered The Diaper Sprayer giveaways at both HD and TCDR #2"

Additional Entries:

• Follow my blog publicly through Google friend connect (can be found at my right sidebar.) - current follows count too! Counts as 1 entry. This comment is in addition to the following both HD and TCDR ones.
• Subscribe to my blog emails via Feedburner. Sign up box on my right sidebar. Counts for 2 entries! Leave separate comments saying that you do this.
• Blog about my giveaway between September 25th and October 1st and gain FIVE entries!!! link back to my site- leave the URL where you blogged. Please leave separate comments for each entry. Example "I blogged about your Diaper Sprayer giveaway@ #1" then "I blogged about your Diaper Sprayer giveaway@ #2",etc.etc. Blogging about the giveaway after the 1st of October only counts for one entry.
  
• Grab my button! (found at right sidebar)- Leave the URL where it is posted.
• Follow HappilyDomestic on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (counts as 1 entry)- after this you may "tweet" daily and gain an extra entry each day that you tweet-limit one per day. Leave your tweet status.
  
• Vote for me at TOP 100 MOMMY BLOGGERS, link button is found at my top left sidebar. Leave a comment saying that you voted for me. This only counts for new votes.
  
• Enter any of my current giveaways, leave a comment and tell me which giveaway you entered. Counts as 1 entry per giveaway entered. Please leave separate comments per giveaway you entered.
• Become a fan of THE DIAPER SPRAYER on Facebook. Leave a comment that you did.
  

Giveaway ends Friday, October 9th, 2009 at 8:00 p.m.(MST). Winner will be drawn by the random number generator at Random.org and will be notified by email. Winner will also be announced on this blog. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn.
*This giveaway is open to USA residents ONLY. Must be 18 years old or older to win.*

*THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED*

Exergen Temporal Scanner Review & Giveaway

*THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED*

I am all about making life more simple. As a mom of 3 (about to be 4) children, we deal with a lot of sickness in our house.
Nothing is more unpleasant than trying to take a wiggly,
fussy child's temperature.
You want to know FAST what is going on with your little one and you want the best accuracy possible.

I recently discovered the Exergen Temporal Scanner and had the privilege of trying this wonderful thermometer out. It is hard to believe I have dealt with cheap, inaccurate thermometers this long!

The Exergen Temporal Scanner accurately takes your temperature within 2 seconds with only a gentle forehead scan. Amazing!

How it works:

As you gently stroke the thermometer across the forehead crossing over the temporal artery, the sensor in its probe performs two processes:

First it scans like a video camera, capturing naturally emitted infrared heat from the arterial blood supply at about 1000 “frames” per second, locking in the highest temperature it senses and;

Second, at the same time, a patented system measures the ambient temperature of the site where the temperature is being taken. The patented "arterial heat balance" (AHB) software then synthesizes the two separate readings to accurately determine and display body temperature.

How to use:

The Exergen Temporal Scanner is very easy to use. Simply place the probe on the center of the forehead, press and hold the scan button and lightly slide the thermometer to either the left or right side and stop at the hairline. You release the button and the temperature is displayed.

The Exergen Temporal Scanner gives a more accurate reading than oral, ear, under the arm and rectal temperature checks, making it the easiest and less invasive way to obtain an accurate body temperature!

Buy it! You can purchase an Exergen Temporal Scanner at any of these retailers...Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Costco, Babies R' Us, and Sam's Club. For online retailers click here. Cost is approximately $40.

Win It! Exergen Corporation has generously offered one Happily Domestic reader a Temporal Scanner of their own!

How to enter:

First Mandatory entry: Visit Exergen's site and tell me one thing you learned about the Temporal Scanner not mentioned in my review. *Remember to leave your email address in your comment!*

After you have completed your first entry you are eligible for additional entries. *See my giveaway instructions here for more information. * Remember to leave a separate comment for each additional entry and include your e-mail address.

• Follow my blog publicly through Google friend connect (can be found at my right sidebar.) - current follows count too! Counts as 2 entries, leave separate comments for each entry. Example "I follow you blog publicly #1" and "I follow your blog publicly #2".
• Subscribe to my blog emails via Feedburner. Sign up box on my right sidebar. Counts for 2 entries! Leave separate comments saying that you do this.
• Blog about my giveaway between September 24th and 30th and gain FIVE entries!!! link back to my site- leave the URL where you blogged. Please leave separate comments for each entry. Example "I blogged about your Exergen giveaway@ #1" then "I blogged about your Exergen giveaway@ #2",etc.etc. Blogging about the giveaway after the 30th of September only counts for one entry.
  

• Grab my button! (found at right sidebar)- Leave the URL where it is posted.
• Follow HappilyDomestic on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (counts as 1 entry)- after this you may "tweet" daily and gain an extra entry each day that you tweet-limit one per day. Leave your tweet status.
  
• Vote for me at TOP 100 MOMMY BLOGGERS, link button is found at my top left sidebar. Leave a comment saying that you voted for me. This only counts for new votes.
  
• Enter any of my current giveaways, leave a comment and tell me which giveaway you entered. Counts as 1 entry per giveaway entered. Please leave separate comments per giveaway you entered.
  

Giveaway ends Thursday, October 8th, 2009 at 8:00 p.m.(MST). Winner will be drawn by the random number generator at Random.org and will be notified by email. Winner will also be announced on this blog. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn.
*This giveaway is open to USA residents ONLY. Must be 18 years old or older to win.*

*THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED*

Fluff Talk Thursdays #6

Fun Cloth Diaper Accessories and the purposes they serve

Once you have dived into the world of cloth diapering and have gotten the basics down, it is time to move into some fun and very helpful accessories.

Here is a list of a few options you may want to try:

Wet Bag- A wet bag is a waterproof bag (usually made of PUL, just like your cloth diapers).
These are a MUST HAVE if you plan to do any cloth diapering on the go. These bags can hold anywhere from 1-10 diapers (depending on the size you purchase). They hold in wetness and stink. Most wetbags can be tossed in the washer with your cloth diapers. Some brands you may want to try are Generation Baby, Planet Wise, and Whamies. All three of these companies wet bags have been awarded the iParenting Media Award.

Diaper Sprayer- This is a sprayer that connects to the plumbing on your toilet. It anchors to the wall and has a hand held sprayer making it quick and easy to spray "poopies" off your cloth diapers. This is one of those accessories you will wonder how you ever cloth diapered without it. I will be having a giveaway for a Diaper Sprayer starting this Friday. Be sure and enter!

The Diaper Duck- For those of you who use primarily prefolds and diaper flats, you may want to try out The Diaper Duck. The Diaper Duck provides a way to rinse and wring out prefold and flat diapers without getting your hands wet! Just hook the Diaper Duck over the toilet seat and it will hold the diaper for rinsing. Then to wring the diaper dry, pull the diaper through the Diaper Duck. You can purchase a Diaper Duck for under $10. Many cloth diaper stores carry them.

Snappi- The Snappi Diaper Fastener is a safe and easy to use fastener that offers a practical and reliable way to fasten a cloth diaper, replacing the diaper pin. It is made from a stretchable non-toxic material, which is T-shaped with grips on each end. These grips hook into the cloth diaper fabric to ensure a snug-fitting diaper with enough natural movement for the baby. You will need one Snappi Diaper Fastener at a time to diaper your baby.

Odor Remover Spray- This spray works to remove odors on your diapers before they turn deadly! Simply spray each diaper and insert before tossing in pail. The only brand I found for this is Bum Genius Odor remover.

Diaper Pail Deodorizers- Got a stinky pail? Maybe it is time to try a pail deodorizer. There are many options for deodorizing your pail. You could try a powder such as Fluff Dust, a disc that will deodorize for up to 3 weeks such as the Deo-Disk, or maybe a deodorizing spray such as the one they sell at Nature's Baby organics.

Cloth Diaper Stain Removers- You were probably told that using stain removers on cloth diapers is a NO NO, but did you know that there are a few safe alternatives??? Imse Vimse has a stain fighting soap that you can rub on diapers to remove stains. Bio-Kleen has a stain and odor remover spray that is safe for cloth diapers as well.

Cloth Diaper Safe Rash Creams- Again, you were probably told that diaper ointments are not good for your cloth diapers. But...there are many great companies that have come out with cloth diaper safe rash treatments. Most babies who use cloth won't ever encounter rash issues but for some, rashes still remain an issue. Here are some brands to try: Grandma El's, The Natural Baby Company "Magic Stick", and Lu Sa Organics "Booty Balm".

Please note: I have not tried any of these products (except the diaper sprayer) and am simply guiding you to products I feel would be a good choice. These are not personal recommendations. I am sure these are all great and helpful products and I aim to try most of them sometime during my cloth diapering journey. I hope this has been helpful to you.

NEXT WEEK:
Brag on your favorite cloth diaper store

Have you found a great cloth diaper shop (or several)? Please share with us. Maybe they offer great sales, free shipping, clearance items, unbeatable prices, host giveaways, etc. We want to hear about it!

Don't have a favorite?

• Link us up to any current cloth diaper or cloth diaper related giveaways.
• Link us up to any of your previous cloth diaper related posts.
  

Please remember to use my "FTT" banner when participating in the assignment.* The banner with code can be found at the very bottom of my blog. Also, don't forget to leave the link to your post so that we can all visit and see.

To see last weeks Fluff Talk Thursday Post click here.
Instructions for Fluff Talk Thursdays, click here.

Fall Festival

Chari at "Take Time To Smell The Rose" blog is having a Fall Festival. Lot's of fun fall giveaways, recipes, crafts, etc. Sounds fun to me! Fall is my favorite season. I just love this time of year!

Go check it out. You get SEVERAL extra entries for grabbing her event button for your blog and for blogging about the event. :-)

Planet Wise Pail Liner Winner

And the WINNER is....

JACKIE
she was comment #34 and left this comment

Jackie at 3littleones said...

i follow your blog publicly 1

September 7, 2009 8:12 PM

CONGRATULATIONS!

Winner has been notified and will have 48 hours to claim her prize or a new winner will be drawn.

For those of you who didn't win... please remember that Nicki's Diapers offers free shipping on all Planet Wise products. Spoil yourself and go buy a pail liner! I highly recommend them.

*Don't forget to enter my other giveaways! Right now you can enter to win an 80 load bag of NaturOli soap nuts and also a $100 value full size Snoozer Body Pillow. Many more great giveaways to follow, please check back.*

Snoozer Body Pillow Review & Giveaway

*THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED*

Sometimes in life you come across a product and have to ask yourself, "why, oh why, did I not purchase one of these sooner?!?!" Seriously...I cannot express this fact enough. Here I have gone 3 whole pregnancies with HORRIBLE sleep. I tossed, I turned, was uncomfortable, and had to shift several pillows around at night for comfort.

With my current pregnancy (I am now 33 weeks along), I was given the opportunity to try out one of Snoozer's full body Dream Weaver Pillows. This pillow is made from premium synthetic down, shaped to caress the curves of your body and provides the support of three pillows in one! I literally can go half the night without the need of turning over, which is saying ALOT when you are pregnant. I have experienced greater comfort and a better nights sleep with this pillow. I HIGHLY recommend Snoozer body pillows for anyone in need of a better and more comfortable nights rest.

More reasons you'll love Snoozer Body Pillows:

• Homeopathic soulution for back pain, arthritus, and injury recovery.
• Doctor Recommended
• 100% Hypoallergenic
• Enhances Muscular Relaxation
• Promotes Healthier Circulation
• Promotes Proper Spinal Alignment
• Reduces Head, Neck & Back Strain
• Provides Ideal Nursing Suport
• Great Bed & Couch Lounger
• Snoozer body pillows come in several sizes and qualities. Something for everyone!
• Every Pillow comes with it's own 100% Cotton, premium quality pillowcase.
  
• 100% Machine Washable *Nautral Goose Down filled pillows must be washed by a professional cleaning service*
  

Click here for even more reasons why you should own a Snoozer Body Pillow.

Buy it! You can purchase your very own Snoozer Body Pillow directly from Snoozer's company. Click here.

Win It! Snoozer Body Pillows has generously offered one Happily Domestic reader a Dream Weaver Heavenly Down, Full Size Body Pillow (pillowcase included).
This pillow is a $100 value! *This is the same exact type of body pillow I tried...your going to love it!*

How to enter:

First Mandatory entry: Visit Snoozer Body Pillows website and tell me how you could benefit from owning a Snoozer body pillow. *Remember to leave your email address in your comment!*

After you have completed your first entry you are eligible for additional entries. *See my giveaway instructions here for more information. * Remember to leave a separate comment for each additional entry and include your e-mail address.

• Follow my blog publicly through Google friend connect (can be found at my right sidebar.) - current follows count too! Counts as 2 entries, leave separate comments for each entry. Example "I follow you blog publicly #1" and "I follow your blog publicly #2".
• Subscribe to my blog emails via Feedburner. Sign up box on my right sidebar. Counts for 2 entries! Leave separate comments saying that you do this.
• Blog about my giveaway between September 23rd and October 14th and gain FIVE entries!!! link back to my site- leave the URL where you blogged. Please leave separate comments for each entry. Example "I blogged about your Snoozer giveaway@ #1" then "I blogged about your Snoozer giveaway@ #2",etc.etc. Blogging about the giveaway after the 14th of October only counts for one entry.
  
• Grab my button! (found at right sidebar)- Leave the URL where it is posted.
• Follow HappilyDomestic on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (counts as 1 entry)- after this you may "tweet" daily and gain an extra entry each day that you tweet-limit one per day. Leave your tweet status.
  
• Vote for me at TOP 100 MOMMY BLOGGERS, link button is found at my top left sidebar. Leave a comment saying that you voted for me. This only counts for new votes.
  
• Enter any of my current giveaways, leave a comment and tell me which giveaway you entered. Counts as 1 entry per giveaway entered. Please leave separate comments per giveaway you entered.
  

Due to the value of this giveaway, this contest will run for 4 weeks. Giveaway ends Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 8:00 p.m.(MST). Winner will be drawn by the random number generator at Random.org and will be notified by email. Winner will also be announced on this blog. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn.
*This giveaway is open to USA residents ONLY. Must be 18 years old or older to win.*

*THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED*

Back Home and Busy Week

Hello everyone! Wanted to let you know that I am back home. I arrived a whole day late due to weather conditions and postponed flights, but all is well and I am home safe.

There is much coming up this week on my blog. My Planet Wise giveaway ends tomorrow night. I will be posting my review/giveaway of the Snoozer Body Pillow tomorrow, Thursday (as always) will be "Fluff Talk Thursday" and I will also be posting my review/giveaway of the Exergen Temporal Scanner, and Friday the Diaper Sprayer review/giveaway will be up.

Lot's to look forward to, make sure you come back often this week!

Out of Town

Wanted to let you all know that I will be out of town as of this evening until Monday night. Please don't panic if you don't see any of your comments or giveaway entries posted. They will be safe in my mailbox and I will publish them all when I arrive home.

~Beth

Fluff Talk Thursdays #5

Dad's on Cloth Diapering

(This photo is a re-enactment and not to be confused with
the actual diaper from my story.)

The Diaper Dilemma

If you read my previous Fluff Talk Thursday post, then you got to read about my amazing husband and his thoughts on cloth diapering.

Now, although he is pro-cloth he isn't pro-poo. Who is really?
Cloth diapers are the better option, but let's face it.. sometimes you get those REAL bad diapers that makes you question why in the world you decided to go cloth.

~

One day (not that long ago) my wonderful hubby had gotten the privilege of changing "one of those" diapers. He was in the bathroom with diaper in hand and scratching his head in wonderment.

He calls out to me, " What the heck am I suppose to do with this? It won't even come off the diaper!!"

I reply, " Figure it out!" (slightly annoyed)

Time passes and I figure he took care of the messy diaper and so I go about my business. Later that night I go into our bedroom and what do you think I find sitting on top of the changing table??? THE DIAPER. Not just the diaper but the full contents as well.

So THIS was his idea of figuring it out??? For shame!

Needless to say mama got the job of taking care of the lovely diaper. HUSBANDS!!...gotta love em'. :-)


NEXT WEEK:
Fun Diaper Accessories and the purposes they serve

*Some clarification here...A cloth diaper accessory is anything you use in conjunction with the a cloth diaper that is NOT the actual diaper. Wet bags, pail liners, diaper sprayers, diaper duck, snappis, diaper safe creams and powders, deodorizers, etc.*

Here is some options as to what to do:

• Write about your favorite diaper accessory. What you have tried, what works, which accessories were a flop, etc.
  

Haven't tried any accessories?

• Link us up to any current cloth diaper or cloth diaper accessory giveaways.
• Link us up to any of your previous cloth diaper related posts.
  

Please remember to use my "FTT" banner when participating in the assignment.* The banner with code can be found at the very bottom of my blog. Also, don't forget to leave the link to your post so that we can all visit and see.

To see last weeks Fluff Talk Thursday Post click here.
Instructions for Fluff Talk Thursdays, click here.

Wrap-N-Mat Winner

Congratulations to "M"
She was comment number 19 and left this comment:

~M said...

I like that it converts to placemat, eliminating the necessity of using a plate because gluten-free bread makes quite a few more crumbs!

September 14, 2009 2:20 AM

The winner has been contacted and will have 48 hours to claim prize or a new winner will be drawn.

Don't forget to enter my Planet Wise diaper pail liner giveaway and NaturOli Soap Nuts giveaway!

Coming up next: Snoozer Body Pillow- This body pillow is excellent for pregnant women or anyone who is in need of a good nights sleep. Made with synthetic down and very luxurious. Retails for $100. YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THIS GIVEAWAY!!!

I have quite a few reviews/giveaways lined up for the coming month. You can get a sneak peak of the products by visiting my sponsors sites. Click on their company logos on my left sidebar.

Wordless Wednesday #6

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY
GROSS OUT EDITION

Okay, so you are probably wondering what the heck you are looking at.

This is Mr. Sprouty.

My husband discovered him growing on a dirty dish rag we had sitting by the kitchen sink (obviously too long).

My kids especially got a kick out of this. How ironic too because my children are learning about plants in science! They decided that this should be an experiment and were very eager to find out what it would grow into. They watered it with such care and checked on it everyday for signs of progress.

I am sad to say that Mr. Sprouty passed away a few days ago.

Mr. Sprouty was buried in our kitchen trash and will be sorely missed.
So long old pal.

I admit it... I have fallen off the Menu Plan band wagon! I have had little to no appetite with this pregnancy and so trying to plan meals has been a big challenge.

I don't even feel queasy anymore. I usually love cooking and planning menus. I love trying new and exciting recipes!

I honestly have not made a menu plan since my last menu plan post. Horrible I know! I still have been doing my grocery shopping, but throwing stuff together each night. :-(

I thought I would show my family some love this week and pull myself together!

Here is our Dinner menu for the week:

Monday: Swiss Steak w/Noodles, Vegetables
Tuesday: Potato Soup with Flower Pot Bread
Wednesday: White Chicken Chili w/fried tortillas and cheese
Thursday: Three Cheese Baked Spaghetti and Salad
Friday: Leftovers
Sat. & Sun.: Out of Town

NaturOli Soap Nuts Review and Giveaway

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED

Have you been searching for a truly all natural laundry detergent and cleanser? What could be more natural then using soap nuts? Soap nuts are actually not a "nut" at all. They are a fruit that grows on the Sapindus Mukorossi tree that is native to Northern India and Nepal. The fruit is dried thus giving it a hard shell, making it similar in appearance to a nut.

How do they work? The soap nut "shell" contains and releases the saponins (soap) when it comes in contact with warm or hot water. For the soap nuts to release the soap only heat and agitation are required. The saponins then circulate as a natural surfactant. They are low sudsing and great for front loading, HE washers and carpet cleaners. *Note: Suds do not equal cleaning power. Suds actually indicate commercial chemical additives.*

How to wash using Soap Nuts:

• NaturOli Soap Nuts come with a small muslin bag. In this bag you will add 4-5 nuts. Tie bag securely. *You may want to poke a few small holes in your bag for even greater cleaning results.*
• Toss bag in washing machine machine before adding clothes.
• Remove from washer at the end of the wash to dry (leave nuts in bag).

For cold water washes:

• Soak your 4-5 nuts in muslin bag in a cup of hot water for 3 minutes.
• Pour water & bag in wash.
• Soap nuts may be re-used 3 to 7 times. You will know when your soap nuts have run their course when they become soft, mushy, light tan or gray in color and become thin.
  

Laundry Tips:

• For hard water: use 5-6 soap nuts instead of the usual 4-5. Adding white vinegar to the wash water will assist in the cleaning power.
• No need for fabric softener. Soap nuts soften your clothes naturally!
• Soap nuts have a light vinegar-like smell when dry and a stronger smell when wet, but amazingly your laundry will smell completely clean & fresh. They leave no scent whatsoever.
• If you prefer a scent, you can add approximately 10 drops of your favorite essential oil on the cotton bag before tossing into the machine, or on a cloth in the dryer.
• Soap nuts do not remove heavy or very greasy stains. As with any detergent, pre-treat tough stains with a stain remover.
• If you like super whites, you can add oxygen bleach to the load.
• Most importantly-Make sure you have adequate water flow in your washer! Over loading your machine will cause less agitation of the clothes, therefore lessening the cleaning power. That goes for any detergent. Proper agitation is a must for proper cleaning to occur no matter what!

More reasons you'll love NaturOli soap nuts:

• Soap nuts are so gentle, you can use them on your fine, delicate fabrics and silks.
• Hypoallergenic and fragrance free
• Free of synthetic chemicals, fillers, toxins, dyes and perfumes
• Imported only from Fair Trade, CO-op suppliers
• NaturOli soap nuts are inspected and hand-sorted in the USA

Soap nuts put to the test:
I gave my soap nuts a thorough testing. It took a bit of troubleshooting to achieve optimal results but in the end I was quite pleased with their performance on my laundry.

1. I tested them on a load of my husbands dirty, smelly work clothes. No odor left and everything was clean.
2. I tested them on my towels. They came out soft and odor free.
3. I tested them on a small load of horrible smelling dirty dish rags. Again clean and no odor!

Soap nuts are very intriguing to me. They have many uses besides laundry and I am learning more about them. Isn't it about time to start cleaning our laundry and homes with something God created for us to use?!?! Want to learn more? Click here.

Now that you know what soap nuts are and how they work, I bet you are dying to try them yourself...

Buy some! NaturOli is an award winning company that prides themselves on offering their costumers only the absolute finest soap nuts on the market! Visit them here.

Win some! NaturOli has generously offered one Happily Domestic reader a 8 oz. (80 load) bag of soap nuts.

How to enter:

First Mandatory entry: Visit NaturOli and tell me an interesting fact you learned about soap nuts (that I didn't already mention) or a fact about the NaturOli company. *Remember to leave your email address in your comment!*

After you have completed your first entry you are eligible for additional entries. *See my giveaway instructions here for more information. * Remember to leave a separate comment for each additional entry and include your e-mail address.

• Follow my blog publicly through Google friend connect (can be found at my right sidebar.) - current follows count too! Counts as 2 entries, leave separate comments for each entry. Example "I follow you blog publicly #1" and "I follow your blog publicly #2".
  
• Blog about my giveaway between September 14th and 20th and gain TWO entries. link back to my site- leave the URL where you blogged. Please leave separate comments for each entry. Example "I blogged about your soap nuts giveaway@ #1" and then "I blogged about your soap nuts giveaway@ #2". Blogging about the giveaway after the 20th of September only counts for one entry.
  
• Grab my button! (found at right sidebar)- Leave the URL where it is posted.
• Follow HappilyDomestic on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (counts as 1 entry)- after this you may "tweet" daily and gain an extra entry each day that you tweet-limit one per day. Leave your tweet status.
  
• Vote for me at TOP 100 MOMMY BLOGGERS, link button is found at my top left sidebar. Leave a comment saying that you voted for me. This only counts for new votes.
  
• Enter any of my current giveaways, leave a comment and tell me which giveaway you entered. Counts as 1 entry per giveaway entered. Please leave separate comments per giveaway you entered.
  
• Sign up for NaturOli's newsletter. Click here to be directed to their sign up page. Come back and leave a comment that you signed up.
  

Giveaway ends Monday, September 28th 2009 at 8:00 p.m.(MST) Winner will be drawn by the random number generator at Random.org and will be notified by email. Winner will also be announced on this blog. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn.
*This giveaway is open to USA residents ONLY. Must be 18 years old or older to win.*

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED

Itzy Ritzy coupon code

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Itzy Ritzy has offered a special coupon code exclusively for my readers!

Enter coupon code: HAPPILYDOMESTIC

Receive 20% off your entire purchase
Expires: December 31, 2009

Go shop: Itzy Ritzy here.

A Little Confused

While we were driving in our van listening to the classical station, my 9 year old son says to me, "Hey Mom, they were playing Oprah music." I laughed, "I think you mean Opera music."

Not quite the same

Kids are funny creatures!

Fluff Talk Thursdays #4

Dad's on Cloth Diapering

(Click on picture to enlarge)

I love my husband, I can not imagine having a husband who refuses to change diapers. After all, the baby is not mine alone. My husband has been a good sport about it from the get go. He changes diapers when he is home, no questions asked. He has taken care of the sloppiest, most disgusting diapers when I could not stomach it. He has done the out in the store or restaurant poopies. Best of all..he doesn't even complain to me about it.
HE IS AWESOME!!! I thought that when we switched to cloth, I would now be doing most of the diapering. That was NOT the case. My husband learned right along with me. And here is what he has to say on the issue...

Thank God for wives. I start off by saying that because if I didn’t have a wife I would rather lose an arm than use cloth diapers. The thought of using cloth diapers over disposables (which you still have to deal with the disgusting anyways), didn’t exist.

I don’t mind a little hippy here and there but I thought a cloth diaper was pieces of cloth that you pin onto your fragile wonderful baby. I can climb mountains, put together any new furniture I buy, do some programming on the computer, but I do not know how to fold a piece of cloth and pin it together so it would be a diaper and still work. I would have given my child a belly button ring. I would have felt like a geek changing their diaper in public somewhere. I would jam the 2” long safety pin through their skin and be thrown in jail. No cloth diapers for me!

But I was not thinking of progress. VCR now DVD, Nintendo now Play Station, cloth diapers now cloth diapers, that adjust and snap. I should have known that diapers had advanced like everything else. They are easier to use, no pins, colorful, and the money saved in this adventure makes it my choice. The benefits of no garbage waste and no more diaper rash is pretty cool too.

I am glad we switched to cloth and with more beautiful and wonderful lives on the way I will learn new tricks of how to make this old school diapering method easier. I love saving money and until they invent a beamer (like star trek) that will beam the baby’s poop from their intestines to the toilet I’m going to use cloth diapers.

NEXT WEEK: Same as this week- "Dads on Cloth Diapering"

Here is some options as to what to do:

• Have your husband write about what he thinks about cloth diapers. The good, the bad, and the ugly!
• You write about your husband and cloth diapering. Funny stories, gross stories, whatever!
• Post your favorite or funny picture of your husband using or changing cloth diapers on your children.
• Be creative! We want everyone to get some good laughs out of this...I KNOW you all have funny stories to tell.*

Please remember to use my "FTT" banner when participating in the assignment.* The banner with code can be found at the very bottom of my blog. Also, don't forget to leave the link to your post so that we can all visit and see.

To see last weeks Fluff Talk Thursday Post click here.
Instructions for Fluff Talk Thursdays, click here.