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Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Seriously I need more baby stuff??

Welp I kid you not I had to go out and buy another stroller...that makes 3 total for me and 1 for my parents. OK I know you are thinking What the F#$%@ is wrong with her?! Hear me out.

We decided to not go with the whole "travel system" when we were registering..frankly I was scared of it, it was so much money, there were so many parts, and so on. We went w/ the cheapy clicky frame that connects to the carseat. Easy peasy. And it was SUPER great, especially when he was little and sleeping all the damn time.

Fast forward a few months and he's like a caged animal in that thing, No he doesn't want to lay down..No he doesn't want to be strapped in...and NO he doesn't want to not be able to grab stuff. So this stroller has become more of a headache and less of a help.

Enter Jogging stroller....Gods great creation to Mom's everywhere. I straight up LOOOOUUUVER mine. It's a super soft ride so he's isn't feeling every crack in the road, also durable enough to go to pumpkin farms where everything isn't paved, and he can sit up in it and see everything, also has a weather shield so if it's cold or windy or rainy he doesn't feel the effects...I do..but he doesn't :)

However it's a little enormous...AND Heavy...like HOly shit I'm going to pee myself heavy...but it's supposed to be so I understand, it folds up reasonably so considering how big it is so it works for the most part...

Recently since he's had such a problem with the carseat clicky stroller I have had to use the jogging stroller to run into a store real quick or just to have something to put him in while I'm looking for something in the garage and that's where the problem lies. For little shops it's a little big to be pushing that thing around so I need something smaller but has more "freedom" for little man.

Well umbrella strollers are everywhere and the cheaper they are the shittier they are...well duh. I wanted something that wasn't $20 because the kid is a maniac and will probably like bend the steel or something, but I also didn't want to spend $100-200 on one either. Yes they make em for $200! And they are super sweet but with me staying home I feel as though I can use that $$ to something better...like a pair of shoes..for me...LOL Who am I kidding?

Convenietly the stores only carry either the $20 or the $140 and beyond strollers so I had to hunt online and there is where I found this little beauty. Mine is lime green if you wanted to know :)


For $80-Free shipping might I add. It folds up in two quick motions, has a canopy, a shoulder strap for carrying, a 5-point harness, little storage area in the bottom, and comes with a bag if you need to go through airport security or something. And it handles really well, o and also reclines so if for some ODD fricken reason Drew actually naps in a stroller, which he hasn't done for months he will be able to..HA! Yea right.

So I am HOPING this is the last major baby item I will need since I am running out of space in my house...like for real..

~Candace

#chiccostroller #umbrellastroller #joggingstroller

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

A Week Into Cloth

It has officially been a week since I have switched to cloth diapers and I have to say I feel pretty good about it! Not only has my garbage not been overflowing w/ stinky smelly diapers but I am also digging not running to the store to buy another box of disposables to fill a landfill.

It has been an adjustment..to say the least. I have found out really quickly what I need and how much I need to get us through a few days so I am not doing laundry every day.

I unknowingly bought a bag of inserts not the brand of diapers we were using to try and realized they sucked..so now since I cannot return them I will use them as a additional night-time soaker solution..and I have to admit I have not been using them at night...because I am scared..ya know that feeling when they just fall asleep and you step on a toy while exiting their room and are freaking praying they will still sleep?! Yah that's how I feel...he JUST started sleeping again through the night...What was going on last week?! Well you probably noticed I didn't blog at all..Yah Mommy was tired. WHO KNOWS. Always something with this kid.

I also got a great tip from a friend on a store in Orland called Cutie Poops and Bottoms and they sell all cloth diaper shenanigans and also have classes! How cool is that a class that can tell you how to spray the poop off the diaper before putting it in your washing machine! Also they have gently used diapers...which maybe you are grossed out BUT this is a great way to try a brand before you buy considering how expensive they are to have one not work out. They also answer all your questions, and have stuff for diaper rash that is safe with cloth diapers.

Today is the first day my parents are tackling the cloth diaper task so we will see how they do..they will probably use up every last diaper, insert I gave them since they are obsessed w/ him being dry all day long..well when you drink 4-8oz bottles and have water in between it's a little hard!
And I have to thank all my cloth-diapering-friends who answered every text I had when I first started since I had no idea :)
Happy Diapering!
~Candace
Follow me on Twitter @cantalope319

#clothdiaper #cutiepoops

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Changes and more Changes!

I'm sure my husband is sick of me coming up with new and exciting things for us to do/try but hey I am at home all day w/ a little dude and sometimes my mind just wanders!

I recently averaged out how much we spend on diapers and figured out that on average we spend $800/yr not including nighttime diapers which are more and wipes and diaper pail liners. Hmmm that seems like a lot right? So I decided to do some research on reusable diapers..YUCK I know that's what you are thinking...but $800 that just fills up my garbage can and sits in a landfill, I think I can find a few other things to do with that money.

After a few hours online, talking to a few cloth-diapering friends and general advice I decided that we should have started this sooner! With me being at home I usually do 2 loads of Drew's laundry a week, so I figured lets add 2 more in that for a total of 4 loads per week..we have a very energy-efficient washer/dryer and also it has a sanitation setting so I am not worried about the germ factor. Or the Energy factor.

Pricing it out it seems that for the 1st year we are potentially saving $500...since I am spending about $300 on all the reusable diapers, inserts, wet bag, and toilet sprayer. Damn I should have registered for this shit! Then the 2nd year which odds are he will still be in diapers we will save a little less than $800, although I really don't see our energy costs skyrocketing. Then of course if we decide on a 2nd child we will also use them for him/her and save.

The big issue is that again every baby is different...soooo since Drew is a massive Pee-r we really need some absorbent shiznit. Also I wanted a diaper to grow with him since he's already at the halfway point. I also didn't want to spend a million dollars per diaper since I really am hoping it will work out but again if it doesn't I have to be prepared for that. I found BumGenius 4.0 diapers, which I also had two referrals from other moms.



These diapers are actually about $18/each which is on the low-end for a diaper that goes from Newborn to 35lbs! The snaps are heavy duty, the colors and feel of the diaper are nice and the inserts are SUPER absorbent, you actually snap the inserts also (according to size of baby) so it's like a double insert on the one end and I put that where his little wiener is since that's where the pee comes out of..DUH! I also tried a Gbaby insert and he peed right through that bad boy so I'm going to have to double up on those badboys.

I also haven't tried them at night because I'm nervous, he is already sleeping like crap lately..possibly teething AGAIN. So I really don't want to mess with it. But I will keep you posted.

So I had about a million questions that I kept pestering my friends with...maybe you have them also? How many do I need in a day roughly, Do I change the cover every time or just the insert, Do I just throw the poopy's in a bag and into the washer,

Well I have some answers for ya...first off they are a little bulky so the only complaint is that for girls it's kind of hard to fit in with skinny jeans or tight pants...fyi. Also you do not change the cover every time just for poops, the pees you just change out the insert and put it back on and I was suprised how dry the cover actually is even with the insert being soaked so it makes sense. That being said you will need as many covers as your child poops. Breastfed babies poop very often so at least 5-6 I would say. The poopy's are fun, you get a diaper sprayer installed off of your toilet in your bathroom, when you get a poop you spray off the poop before putting the soiled diaper in a wet bag and flush the little turdies down. My one friend suggests actually installing a kitchen sprayer instead because they are better quality. You need to purchase a wet bag so you can throw your diapers/inserts in there on a daily basis, one that hangs off the door is probably the easiest option, and also laundry detergent made for the reusable diapers.

Read the care instructions on your diapers, mine said to wash w/ their detergent...of course...but once a month throw a cup of bleach in there. So no need to bleach every time :) Then you might want to think about wipes, they have a bunch of options for that too, they make spray that you can just spray and wipe w/ a dry cloth or they have a warmer where you make a solution and put the wipes in there, etc. I am going to stick to the disposables for now...baby steps ya know!

Next week I will update you on also trying Peapod for the first time and seeing if it puts my impulse-buys at bay :)

~Candace
#reusablediaper #bumgenius #clothdiaper

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Date Night!

We finally got to have a night out..it's been at least a few months. And much needed! Sometimes I loathe the single life but then I remember you only tend to remember the good things about memories; which is pretty crappy. So when I think back when I was single I only think about: Spontaneous plans with my friends usually focused around drinking heavily, late night Taco Bell runs, driving to Chicago for a night out, meeting new people, going on dates, just driving around, and who could forget: Living at Home...haha

Truthfully before I met Matt I was living at home so I never really got to experience the "single and having my own dwelling" part of Sex and the City..LOL However the things I tend to forget are: the loneliness when there is nothing going on, spending way to much $$ on alcohol and food, working a shit-ass job and barely keeping up, having to answer to my parents, bad dates, wanting to get married, and wanting to move out and have a family.....

Ironic right?! Well the saying "the grass is always greener" isn't popular because it's wrong..AND this is what I want...I'm just in a weird funk right now..so a Date Night is exactly what I needed!

Time to do whatever we want and act like children..YAY!


So we dropped the boy off w/ grandma and grandpa and headed off for drinks, a little shop shop, dinner, and a movie...go BIG right?! I had so much fun...being able to eat and drink without someone staring me down and demanding a bite of EVERYTHING. Sidenote: I found out I can eat cottage cheese since he doesn't like it..YES! Also deciding on a whim what we want to do, not having to lug around our whole world in a giant duffel bag, not having any poopy diapers..yea it was pretty much paradise. AND since this was a sleepover visit I got to sleep in my own bed and not listen to the monitor. I slept like a fricken baby, well not my baby but whoever coined this phrase that had a sleeping baby?!

As much as I missed Drew and couldn't wait to pick him up on Sunday I feel like breaks are a necessary part of human nature. In fact I'm not sure that Duggar chick is real...I think she's a robot because I can't imagine having that many children and spending every waking minute with at least one of em! Holy Cannoli's.

Needless to say it was a blast and he didn't sleep pretty much at all at Grandma and Grandpa's...Poop. So we took alot of naps on Sunday :)

~Candace

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Swim Class-Continued

Starting something new with a child is always Anxiety-ridden. It's always a million questions going on in my brain..What will the place be like? What will the bathrooms be like? Will I bring enough stuff? What will the people be like? Will he cooperate? Will I have to shit? And the list goes on and on...I am learning better ways of coping with these times..definitely a lot of deep breaths, fake smiles, and keeping my mind off it with other distractions.

Mondays Class was interesting. I found myself putting people into categories...The Dad who is trying to hard and his kid hates it. The Dad who has no clue on what he is doing. The Mom who got forced into this and hates it. The Kid who absolutely hates the water which makes me wonder if they take baths. The Kid who is way too old to be in this class and is bored. And last but not least the Mom who is taking this wayyyy too seriously.

So where do I fit in? Nervous Mervous praying I don't drop my baby in the 5ft deep water? Yea I think that is my category. Anywho this was fun..I sure do love people watching. We had a Mom who wore a latex bathing cap, complete with a wetsuit..I find myself wondering how in the hell did she get that thing on with what looks like a 4mo old with her. I was barely able to keep Drew on the changing table while I changed HIM let alone myself? I just wore my suit to the class...that battle was for another day.

Then there's the Dad who is throwing his kid around and shouting things like "KICK KICK KICK" "YOU CAN DO IT" etc. Ummmm this Dad knows it's Water Babies and not Competition Swim right?! I felt bad for that kid you can tell this isn't what he signed up for in his mind.

So the first day went swimmingly..HA Pun! Drew loved it, he did his whole "EEEEE" excited noise and splashed alot...by the end he was limp in my arms while I floated him around soooo relaxed I was jealous. When is it MY turn??

Wednesdays class was a little more eventful to say the least. AGAIN I thought I was going to try to be more prepared since changing him in the locker rooms was NOT ideal. I put his suit on as we left my Mom's. We pull up and I hear a "Grunt".....THAT can't be good. Maybe it was a toot? Hell no who am I kidding. REALLY DREW?! As I am realizing this I am imagining the items in our "swim bag"...Diapers? No. Wipes? No. Change of clothes? No. WHAT DID I BRING? Shit how am I going to swing this?

I make it into the changing room and put him on the table. Grab the hard-ass papertowels, put some water on them...Then I assess the damage. And boy was it a doozy. God-forbid it be one of those hard stools right?! I do the best I can to clean him up along with rinsing out the remains out of his swim diaper...YUMM The smell alone could knock you on your ass. I feel bad for the poor soul who used the room after us..there was nothing I could do...I was totally unprepared.

At least the pool is heavily chlorinated so the odds of anyone smelling us is out thank god. So I guess from now on I will bring a huge bag of stuff along with not changing him into his swim diaper until we are about 30 seconds from entering the pool..Sheesh.

And in case you were wondering this IS how we look in swim class, my perfectly toned bicep and my hair and makeup done...HA yea right.



~Candace



Wednesday, April 9, 2014

9mo Check-up and Swim Class!

Oh jesus I know I have been M.I.A. for AWHILE. Apologies readers sometimes Life takes a hold and doesn't let go! Any way I am getting back in the saddle..got my new desk and it's all put together in the bedroom..away from the Kitchen Table so I can focus on what really matters...JUST KIDDING, what really matters is my KID DUH! But yea so I'm hoping it will push me to write a little bit more since it's so close to the bed! The last thing I want to do at night is sit at the kitchen table typing away.

Well SO much has been going on. So much that I totally forgot about Drew's swimming class starting on Monday..So Sunday night when my parents were over for dinner I thought "Oh yea I gotta look up when I need to sign him up for that thing...Oh April 7th"..."When's April 7th" "Oh shit, it's tomorrow!" I ended up calling the park district in a panic to get him in since the next one starts in June and we are already way too busy to put a swim class in there. They were able to get me in..Phew that was a close one.

WAIT! I don't have a freakin' bathing suit! Ahhhh! So my Monday consisted of...Get him up and fed and down for a nap at 10am. I assumed he would sleep til 1045-11 and we could be out on the door to the mall....get a bathing suit and shoes for him...eat lunch there then head to his doctor appt at 2..be back home for dinner then swim class from 6-7...NOPE!

Man Who am I kidding when I think this kid is on any type of schedule?! He ended up sleeping until 1145! So then I gave him his bottle, packed us both up and headed for the mall...Tried on like ten different suits and liked 1. Man this body sucks..I thought my body before was bad?!

We head over to the food court where I get a FREE Jamba juice...yea my good looks! Just kidding! Their CC machine was down and she saw the tears starting in the corner of my eyes since I was realizing that it was this or nothing for lunch...and nothing for lunch...while I am used to it now kind of sucks esp seeing how I was hella busy the rest of the day. So she offered me one for free..Thank YOU kind lady you have saved my stomach from eating itself...oh wait maybe I shouldn't have!

I give him his baby food in the stroller..which I was praying he would take it that way..looked at the clock and realized it was 115....Seriously where does the time go. I really had to pee...but again NO TIME! I slurped up my jamba and headed to the car, time for a quick diaper change which is somewhere along the lines of fighting a Suma Wrestler and a limited-mobility 80yr old man at the same time...NO Your Leg goes there! Off to the doctor.

First time at this doctor and I didn't realize I would be running in a 5K today...I had to park in
Bum-fuck and carry Mr. 20lb sack of dirt all the way into the building, elevator to the 3rd floor and thank my lucky stars the LAST office at the end of the hall...keep in mind I still have to pee..Thank god I've been working out otherwise I prob would have wet myself. I huff and puff while handing her my insurance card and my eyes wander to the chairs...hurry I need a rest!

Well I GET to sit down..as soon as I do Drew wants to take off again..man this kid never stops, at least there is a book shelf w/ books on it because of course he isn't interested in anything I have brought for him. So I let him wander over there while I catch my breath. The door opens and in comes a little boy probably 4mo old. Well time for me to get up...Drew sees him and starts his excited "YEEEEE" crawl over to the boy...he loves kids and I'm not sure why? They exchange little baby hellos. Then he gets called into the office.

Finally we get called in which means it's work time for me again. Get him all undressed. Of course we need to change Mr. Peepants again. Take him over here to get weighed and measured. Explain to the nurse why I am such a good parent..HAHA. Then wait for the Doc...he starts shredding the paper which is pretty normal at this point and anything to keep him content right?! She comes in, I then explain to her why I am such a good parent and she pokes and prods him while he shreds paper. Nurse will be back with two shots and a finger poke..he continues to shred. She comes back I hold him while she does all 3 above items and console him when he lets out a single yell after the first poke. OH no insane sobbing? GREAT!

All done, now get him dressed, get all of our shit amongst the paper shreds. Checkout with the checkout lady. Then carry him all the way back down the hall, in the elevator and out into the cornfields where I parked. The greatest moment was getting to sit in the car...AHH...damnit I still have to pee!

Get home, get him and all our crap out of the car..put cartoons on for like ten minutes so I can pee and catch my breath...Finally! So we kinda chill out until dad comes home and eat some food and pack our swim bag, he didn't really nap since he did little ones in the car to and from the doc and to swimming so I really didn't get a mini rest like I normally do.

Anywho we get to swimming and I realize how IMPOSSIBLE it is to get those little swim diaper plastic things on...HOLY SHIT I needed like a tube of petroleum or something so I could slip him into there. Thankfully I was already in my swimsuit...that battle was for another day. When we get out by the pool he is so fricken excited it actually makes me soooo happy that we did this. Although I could have passed out at any moment seeing him like that was totally worth it! Needless to say after swimming we were both ready to pass out, he got to sleep on the car ride home and I did not.

I have more details on the swim class but that's for another day since this post is super long already! Stay tuned!
~Candace