Weight Watchers: Week Four

Another week, another 2lbs bites the dust!

Woot! 

:)

6.6lbs total lost since joining Weight Watchers!

It's time for this momma to reward herself with a Lush bath bomb! 

Squee! 

Next goal - 10lbs

Reward - I'm thinking a new 'do'! A color and a cut. Yay! 

<3

More donations

I am so grateful! 

I have received some VERY generous donations for my 'Share the Love' location. 

This first one is straight from Cotton Babies. 

50 Flips covers. 

50!

Wow!

I also received this donation from a local momma. 

6 contour diapers

1 Kawaii pocket 

1 newborn Kissaluvs 

1 microfiber insert

A couple diaper pins and some CD friendly cream. 

So awesome! Thank you!

With a few more donations, I will be able to approve my first application. 

Yay!

<3

If you have any cloth diapering related items you would like to donate, please let me know. 

I have an immediate need for:

Prefolds

Fitted diapers

Contour diapers

Flat diapers

100% cotton receiving blankets

Flour sack towels

Flour sack towels are probably the EASIEST to find and the CHEAPEST option. You can get them for $1/each at Target or Walmart. 

Any help is much appreciated! :)

2nd Avenue

Today we visited one of my favorite thrift stores, 2nd Avenue Value Store at Franklin Mills mall. Every Sunday and Monday they have a sale on certain colored tags. Today, it was orange, green and yellow. 

I scoured the store for goodies with orange, yeIlow and green tags. I added item after item to my shopping cart. Orange. Yellow. Green. Oh, the beauty of a good bargain. 

All and all, it was a good run. I scored 5 dresses and 2 skirts for big sister. Little sister scored a pair of overalls, 3 outfits, 2 pairs of booties and some super soft fuzzy socks. All new or gently used.  

$25. 

Momma likey. 

Donation

Lookie, lookie what just arrived in my mailbox!

Binky Ds!

Woot!

But, these Binkys are not for my baby.

They are a super generous donation for my 'Share the Love' site from a wonderful momma in the UK!

Yes, she shipped these diapers from the UK!

I am so grateful!

<3

Speaking of donations, I have an applicant needing diapers for 3 babies.  She is currently choosing between diapering her kiddos and putting food on the table.  Please, please consider making a cloth diaper donation to help out this needy momma.  

I can gladly accept:

Prefold diapers

Pocket diapers

AIO diapers

AI2 diapers

Fitted/hybrid fitted diapers

PUL covers

Wool covers (or shorties/longies)

Fleece covers (or shorties/longies)

Flat diapers

Inserts (synthetic or natural)

Flannel receiving blankets

Baby washcloths

Microfiber towels

Flour sack towels

Old t-shirts

Flannel shirts/PJ pants

Snappis

Diaper pins

Or, any other cloth diapering related items.

Any donation would be much appreciated and would help a needy family.  

I cannot accept cash donations.  I am happy to point you in the right direction to score any of these items for donation.  Items can be new or used.  

Thrift store finds are awesome!

If you are local to the Philadelphia area and are able to help out in any possible way, please let me know.  I can certainly use all the help I can get to get the ball rolling on this host site.

Please contact me for more information.

Weight Watchers: Week Three

I am super late getting to this post because I really don't have much to report this week...

Weight loss this week:  0
Total weight loss:  4.6lbs

I'm okay with that.  No loss means no gain.  I'm still nursing the little so I know my body isn't wanting to let go of this extra weight without a fight.

Fingers crossed that I meet my first goal, -5lbs, next week.

5lbs lost means momma gets a Lush bath bomb!  Woot!

Carrots

Yesterday, I decided to help myself to some baby carrots. Noticing the abundance of veggies in my produce drawer, I decided to get started on my baby food making. 

I took said carrots and steamed them until soft. 

I then transferred them to my magic bullet and added roughly 3oz of breastmilk (or formula) to them to form the consistency I was looking for. 

Within a minute, we had baby food! So easy peasy!

I took an ice cube tray and distributed the puréed carrots into each of the sections. 

There was a little bit left, so I decided to take the plunge and give them to the little. 

Big sister helped. 

Overall, they were a hit! 

And, we have plenty put up for later. :) 

<3

The Grand Finale

Alas, the Grand Finale of my epic fluff mail week... 

Three beautiful Snappy Greens hybrid fitteds. Unicorns and dinosaurs and elephants... Oh my!  

Love! <3

30 day challenge

For the next 30 days, I am putting myself up to this challenge...

I'm pretty excited to see the results! :) 

Must buy all the Windpro!

You may remember this photo from last night...

Well, I am still in shock but that thing was none stankin' dry this morning. On the outside, that is. The diaper itself weighs a ton! I can't believe it! We have found the solution for our night time super soaker. 

Now, momma must...

Yay Binky D Windpro!!! :) 

Binky mail - take two

Months ago, I placed a co-op order for a couple Binky D diapers. Today, they arrived in my mailbox. 

Squee!

Heartstache went on the babe immediately! 

And, a few short minutes later... She pooped in it. 

Isn't that how it always seems to go with new cloth diapers? 

The red diaper is a Windpro. Supposedly bullet proof for overnight use. 

We will just see about that. This kid is a pisser. 

:) 

Weight Watchers: Week Two

Another week, another 2.2lbs gone!!!

I am so excited and somewhat shocked!  I dove into quite a few of my weekly points this week with some splurges and still managed an awesome loss!  I was so nervous getting on the scale especially after having sushi for lunch with the hubby yesterday.  My rings are noticeably tighter than usual probably from soy sauce induced water retention.

In any case, the numbers are going down and I am one happy momma!

.4lb away from my first goal, 5lbs!  I hope to achieve that next week and enjoy my Lush bath bomb reward!  I've never used one but I hear they are quite divine!

I better keep this one short and sweet.  My little nursling is itching to eat and go down for her nap.

There is an abs and squats challenge I am starting today.  I'll post the info shortly.  Time to get this booty in shape!

<3

Binky mail!

This is the fluff mail that forced me to download the USPS app so I could easily track its squishiness until it arrived at my front door. It departed Orlando, FL with no further updates for three long days! Three days!!! 

Sigh. It's so pretty. 

Some info about this diaper... It is a hybrid fitted made by a highly sought after WAHM at Binky D diapers, Ashley Pavlic. I first heard of Binky D Diapers through a co-op. I joined the BST (buy, sell, trade) page and dove right in. The mommas that participate on that page are rather awesome. Some buying. Some selling. Some trading. Some chatting. All speak very highly of Ashley and rave about the product she offers. 

Scoring a Binky D is no easy task. The hyenacart shop is stocked Every Sunday at 5pm. Mommas recruit help by lending out there login information to increase their odds of scoring a diaper. They sell out in seconds. Then, there is always a chance of an oversell. A hyena cart glitch that allows more than one shopper to check out with a diaper. Oversells are rare but they do happen. Other times, the traffic caused by stocking causes hyenacart to totally crash. It's pretty intense. 

In addition to Sunday stockings, Ashley opens the occasional group. Groups are pretty random. Ashley may or may not give a heads up as to when the shop will be stocked so you have to keep on top of it. That is how I scored this pretty. Luckily, two mommas were nice enough to help me get it. I am not near fast enough to score. 

All OS Binky D diapers come with FDR (fold down rise). 

FDR makes it much easier to get a snug fit on an itty bitty. It also provides a much cleaner look than SDR (snap down rise), in my opinion. 

Let's look inside... 

Each Binky has two snap in snake style soakers. 

If you are not using the FDR and need more absorbency towards the front, you can snap a soaker into the FDR for added protection. 

Getting your Binky on the bum is easy peasy. Put baby on Binky. Adjust soakers.

Pull diaper up over the soakers. For smaller babies, fold the excess. 

Snap the hip snaps with a snug fit on the thighs. 

Then, just snap her on up! 

Lastly, try to contain your baby's excitement. 

Little miss has been rocking her Binky D for about two hours with no signs of wetting through. That's pretty good for us because this kid is a rather exquisite pisser. 

*GIVEAWAY* Bamboobies

Staci over at Luker Family Tales is hosting a giveaway for Bamboobies!

Enter for your chance to win!  :)

Get 20% Bamboobies with promo code LUK20

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bamboo fitteds - part 2

Fail. 

I will be washing my sheets for the second time in as many days. 

My kid can pee through anything. 

That is all. 

Bamboo fitteds

Fluff mail!!! Oh, how I love fluff mail! These pretties arrived today...

I have long awaited their arrival since I ordered them from a Facebook co-op back in November. I hope they are worth the wait. :)

I picked up 4 of these babies in hopes that they would be a good overnight solution for my 3 month old super soaker. For an itty bitty, that kid sure can soak a diaper! And, my sheets. 

These bamboo fitteds were highly recommended for overnight use. They are supposed to be super absorbent, but like any other fitted, they are not completely waterproof. They should be worn with a cover or a fleece or wool soaker. Ginger Ann's wool longies have been waiting for this moment! 

Let's take a look at the inside...

Each diaper comes with two bamboo inserts. One snaps directly onto the diaper. The second is yours to do as you please. Laid flat, it provides all around coverage or you can fold it in half and use it towards the front or back of the diaper depending on your baby's sleep position. 

The diaper features crossover wings which were perfect for my itty bitty. I did not have to fuss around with the diaper much to get a good fit. The diaper and inserts are squishy and soft and feel nice on the skin. They are not terribly bulky as far as fitted diapers are concerned. Obviously, there is some added bulk since these are a OS diaper and my girl is in the smallest setting. The bulk should decrease as she grows into the diaper some. 

I am super excited to see how these diapers perform overnight! 

Fingers crossed that they are well worth the wait! And, the time and wash cycles used to prep them today. 

<3

Weight Watchers: Week One

This time last week, I joined Weight Watchers. 

This time this week, I am down 2.4lbs!

The best part of losing 2.4lbs?

Eating MORE than I was pre-Weight Watchers. 

Yes, MORE!

It turns out this momma was not taking in enough calories for my size AND to nurse a little. 

I am shocked. Happy shocked! :)

Don't get it twisted, I am still being very mindful of what I am eating, trying to ensure that I am making good, healthy choices and using my 'extra' breastfeeding points is almost as difficult as just cutting calories alone. 

Oh, and my Weight Watchers leader kicks ass! She is a feisty 68 year old woman that has lost 60lbs on the Weight Watchers program and kept it off for 30 years!!! 

An added bonus...

More calories = more milk!

Yes!

Joining eMeals has been a great help with planning and keeping things interesting! For lunch, I just finished a bowl of vegetable soup from dinner the other night and currently have a pork roast in my crock pot making my house smell DELICIOUS!

Hopefully more weight loss success will follow in the coming weeks. Stay tuned! 

eMeals

Thanks to a mommy friend of mine, I stumbled upon a Groupon deal for eMeals and decided to give it a go! 

And, I am so glad I did!

For $29, I get dinner for a YEAR sent to my inbox! Once a week, eMeals sends me my meal plan and shopping list. I can even customize it based on which supermarkets we shop at! So awesome! 

I took my shopping list to the market with both kiddos this afternoon and was in and out in a breeze! I got us all home in time to start putting together one if the 'super fast' meals for the week... Hot brown sandwiches with baked apples and pears. 

Oh boy, was it delish! Half way through dinner, Ginger Lou looked at me with a huge grin on her face and said, 'This is delicious! Thank you, mommy!' My heart just about melted. 

Those of you that really know me KNOW that I am certainly no Betty Crocker! eMeals makes it easy! They do all the planning for you! They have several different meal plans. I opted for the 'Simple Gourmet' plan. Some of the other plans they have available include low-fat, paleo, vegetarian, and classic meals. There really is something for everyone!

I highly recommend checking eMeals out! Save time, save money and eat yummy foods! :)

She sleeps

I am writing from my iPhone. 

In my living room. 

While both of my babies sleep. 

In their own beds!

I can't believe it! It's just me, a Skinny Cow ice cream sammich and Full House. 

Dishes are done. 

The floor is swept. 

Laundry is folded. 

I am just sitting. And, it feels so dang good!

It's only a matter of time before wee miss wakes up for her milkies, but I can certainly get used to this 'me time.'

<3

PS - Skinny Cow Snickerdoodle ice cream sandwiches are to DIE for! Nom! 

Fenugreek

My milk supply is just barely enough to feed the babe on most days. There have been times that the wee miss needed a nice, warm bottle of formula to fill her tummy. Not a huge deal, but my preference would be to EBF. It's easier for me, less planning and no bottle washing.

I tried drinking more water. My supply remained the same. 

I tried increasing my calories. No change. 

Tried pumping. Nada. 

In a desperate attempt to lighten my diaper bag load and perhaps put some of my nifty milk storage bags to good use, I tried the supplement fenugreek. 

Honestly, I sucked at taking it for the first week or so never really being able to fully commit to taking the recommended 3 capsules, 3x/day. My MIL was here and it was crazy busy over Christmas so I just kept forgetting about it. I didn't see any change. 

I decided to get on the ball with my more milk mission. I took the supplement religiously. Morning, mid day, night. Three capsules each time. Nine capsules/day. 

Did it work?

No. 

It did, however, succeed in making my baby a crying, whining, miserable mess for two damn days. 48 hours of screaming. 48 fucking hours of constant shushing, swaying, nursing, refusing to be out down, patting, walking, holding a baby on my lap while I take a dump...

I nearly lost my mind. 

I cried. 

Repeatedly. 

We are now fenugreek free. 

My baby is normal again. 

Her poor, little belly is not churning. 

She is not spitting up. 

She is smiling. 

Well, not right now... 

Right now, she sleeps. <3