Big News!

Welp fans there you have it!

Suck it: "A Baby Story"

There is not much I can remember in general, from what I had for breakfast to certain points in my childhood that I probably should remember but I just don't have the mental capacity for such fond memories; which is definitely sad..some of my friends remember their first day of Kindergarten...UM WHAT?!

I do in fact remember the day before and the day of when Drew came into our lives. And just when I am thinking about all the fun times we have had from that day forward, the horrors also come with them. I espeically recall them when I see "A Baby Story" on TLC. Oh the wonders of television...making a 6hr labor seem like 10 minutes of a woman laying in bed smiling, bleeping out all the curse words, or panning away from the father ready to pass out. How I wish I remembered it like that, so blissful, so cut and dry and to the point. Afterwards the woman wiping the one bead of sweat off her face and holding her brand new baby and smiling from ear to ear. The ones I especially like are the ones where the woman is adamant about getting an epidural and come to find out it's too late for it and she's gotta strap on a pair and deal with it, that's more reality I guess...

And let me back up, I had an EASY time..and by easy I mean no C-Section, got an epidural, and no problems with the little one. And let me tell you it still sucked. Like I wonder if I can do it again..I hear maybe the 2nd time is easier?! Here's the breakdown of my labor.

July 4th...everyone is out celebrating and lighting off M80's. I am at home, Matt is at work...I felt kinda crappy come late morning..had some contractions but the timing wasn't on so I took the dogs for a walk and laid on the couch pretty much all day feeling useless. I actually told Matt that day that I thought I was done working...that's how shitty I felt.

Midnight...having slept a few hours I woke up with more sharp contractions and started timing them. First ten minutes apart, then 8 and finally 5. I called the doc around 1am, he told me to wait as long as I could, walk around the house, take a shower etc. Try to relax and when I thought I was ready we could go to the hospital (because they thought I was still 5 days from my due date and I was full of shit).

3am I told Matt we need to go NOW! I was in a lot of pain and the contractions were lasting longer and were every 3-5min.We got to the hospital in about ten minutes and were admitted the smallest room ever for evaluation AND she made me lay flat on my back while she took my vitals and strapped the heart monitor to me and asked me a million questions. That KILLED my back.

4am I am at 1.5cm. WTF! The nurse tells me to start walking around and they will monitor me, if I don't dilate anymore I would have to go home.

4:15am-6am walking the halls with another lady, she is either in alot more pain then me or just expressing it alot more than I am, walking feels good, I grab a handrail when a contraction comes and we are all good in the hood.

6am they check me, I am at a 2, they debate on sending me home, I walk one more lap my mucus plug drops (I thought it was Drew..haha) they check me to make sure he's good and he is. I walk another lap and my water breaks which was like 20 gallons of water I swear, I run to the bathroom embarrassed and tell Matt to get a nurse. She checks to make sure it isn't amniotic fluid and they finally admit me. They again force me to lie on my back which is causing me IMMENSE pain. Back labor is finally here. I grab the wastebasket thinking I'm going to lose whatever is in my system from yesterday but I don't, I just feel like shit. I told Matt next time to get my ass up and get off my back!

7am the nurse asks if I want any meds, I take local...local is putting me to sleep in between contractions, it's awful, I am having weird psycho dreams within a 2 minute time period and it's doing nothing for the pain. Why am I on my back...

7am-10am I don't fricken remember I was in so much pain...my parents came in to coach me and were asking me questions I just sat there with my eyes closed and breathing (when I am in pain I am silent which I am sure the nurses appreciated)

10am I can't take it anymore give me the fricken epidural! A nurse comes in to "empty out my bladder" with a catheter...really? can't I just go to the bathroom?! 2 people come in to give it to me and seem to be having a difficult time...I can't really recall I just remember Matt asking them if they were almost done..turns out I have a mild form of scoliosis and they had poked me like 6 times to find the right spot.

11am-12pm I am still in pain but it's a little better w/ the epidural, little did I know I could ask for more..I just thought I was supposed to feel some things! Silly me.

12pm-3pm Pushing...pushing...pushing..passing out in between pushing..

3pm Doc comes in and decides I need an episiotomy...Oh REALLY is that why he isn't coming out?! Jesus I just pushed for 3hrs for what?! I feel the anesthetic she shoots up my hoohah, makes the snip and out comes Drew! I immediately burst into tears...partly from relief that the marathon is over and partly because my little boy is here! I feel her stitch me up and working on getting my placenta out. Finally when that is over they take my catheter out and stuff me full of gauze which is awesome!

Come to find out my epidural was either in the wrong spot or I didn't have enough considering I pretty much still felt everything it just took away some of my back labor which I could have done if I would have just gotten out of that damn bed! Oh well you live and you learn and like I said at least I didn't have a C-section and Drew was 100% well! Well except for his conehead for a few weeks :)

Tell me your stories and one could end up on here!
~Candace

Store Grand Opening!

Thank you all for the support during the Presale! We are officially open for Biz!

I am kicking it off with our Halloween bib for only $8.00 (normally 10.00) 

Also we will be taking online polls on our Facebook page for the upcoming fabric choices to choose from, so make sure you follow us there!

Thanks again everyone!

www.drewbearscloset.com

#drewbearscloset

#halloweenbib

PRESALE going on now til Friday

Hey all! Although my store doesn't officially open until October 1st I decided to have a Presale since I had some people contact me already for orders. Visit my site and use coupon code PRESALE at checkout to save 20% off your order! Halloween bibs will ship immediately! Thanks everyone for your support!

www.drewbearscloset.com 

Store Scheduled to open- Oct. 1st!

Wish me luck I've got some finishing touch-ups on the website and my products and then we will be live!!
I will have some Halloween bibs premade so those will be ready to ship Immediately for the holiday! Only limited supply available so get your orders in!
Preview:

 And my latest project-Oil-Cloth, no need to wash, just wipe clean! Great for Toddlers and self-feeding babies!

YAY! Can't wait to start selling!
~Candace

Cling-on Mom

So I encountered a new breed of moms a few weeks ago...BEWARE of the Cling-on Mom!

Drew and I went to our local splashpad one hot Saturday afternoon, I was mentally preparing myself for a buttload of little screaming kids along w/ a bunch of parents not paying any attention to their kids....well was I wrong!

There was only 1 other kid and 1 parent...Holy crap! Where was everyone at...well then I figured it out, they must have some kind of Mom Call-Tree that they have in place and when this particular parent is on the field they let everyone know to stay away!

As SOON as we walk up, I didn't even have time to set down my 20lb diaper bag, she was on to me..."OH HI!"...not expecting any sort of communication I had to quickly clear the frog out of my throat and think of something to say.

She proceeded to tell me EVERY FRICKEN DETAIL of her life..Oh and her daughters life...who is 3. So much to say about someone who has only been on this planet for 3 years. I surprisingly didn't have to say much because she just went on and on and in between all her fears of BPA plastics and her child I am trying to make sure mine doesn't kill himself on the jungle gym.

Mental Note: 3 years out of work might be TOO long...

I am exhausted just thinking back on this day...needless to say as soon as Drew showed any sign of fatigue I grabbed our shit and hauled ass outta there!

PLEASE DON'T LET ME BE LIKE THAT! I just kept chanting on the way home...

So anywho thought I would share that quick tidbit in between my countless hours cutting and sewing fabric...have a great week everyone!

~Candace

A glimpse....

Things to never say about your child

We all have those proud moments where you think things are getting easier, or your childs' accomplishments are above standard but I am warning you...Don't ever say them outloud! As soon as you put the period at the end of that sentence that shit flies out the window and your child is no longer sleeping through the night, or saying "mama" etc. Other things we think are great accomplishments end up biting us in the ass later on in life when we realize those accomplishments have now made our lives harder.

Here's my top ten of things to NEVER say outloud, shit don't even think about them or write about them or anything!

1. My son/daughter just started sleeping through the night!
You might want to leave town after announcing this. And leave your child at home....they will no longer sleep through the night anymore, or ever again after this one!
2. My son/daughter can now sit up on their own!
Now it's a constant struggle of laying them down while they want to sit up, bottles become increasing difficult to give along with obv sitting up in their crib when they are supposed to be laying down/sleeping.
3. My son/daughter only like healthy food!
Cue the Mac n Cheese (only the highlighter yellow one will do) cookies, cupcakes, juice and fries. Your child will no longer just eat blueberries and oatmeal for breakfast...what were YOU thinking!
4. My son/daughter can throw a ball!
Start practicing your ducking abilities and hiding everything that is heavy and would impale you while being thrown at your head. This is fun isn't it?!
5. My son/daughter has NEVER had a diaper rash thank god!
Don't be so thankful yet, in fact proceed straight to Target, get about 2-3 tubes of diaper rash cream, do not pass GO and do not collect $200.
6. My son/daughter can walk!
With walking comes running which comes chasing and ends in you being freaking tired all day every day...let them crawl as long as possible.
7. I hope my child gets some teeth soon!
No you don't, holy hell teething is the Devils' younger son who wants to haunt your dreams. And who cares if they have teeth, they will learn how to eat EVERYTHING without them so enjoy it as much as possible.
8. My child just falls alseep in the car.
Yes when they are young they do or did because now that you said it! But then there comes a point when they get bored and are throwing that heavy ass Vtech toy at your head while you are on the highway. Now I can't even eat in peace in my car cuz I swear my son can smell the food.
9. I'm not feeding my kid any solid food until 6months.
That's totally fine, it's your prerogative...however if at 3-4 months old your kid won't leave your plate of food alone I have a feeling you will change your mind.
10. I'm not sure if I'm going to vaccinate my child.
First off don't ever say this outloud...Esp around other moms or get ready for a throw down. 1st off us moms FREAK out the first time our kid gets sick..even if it's a cold..don't even talk about a child getting Measles or Rubella..it's not good. Yes there are risks as with anything, do your research, keep your opinions to yourself, and keep your un-vaccinated child out of my doctors office ;)

That's it, that's my top 10. Am I missing any??

What Inspires You??

I am so grateful for my fanbase and I usually get the question of "How did you get going on your blog" or "How do you come up with ideas" on a weekly basis. Which is awesome, I think it means I am doing something right...With that being said I always encourage everyone to start a blog if they have something to say, or enjoy writing, or enjoy laughing, whatever it may be. I did it, so can you.

Before starting my blog and before really thinking about doing anything else in life I needed a little kick in the arse. Enter Drewbear, for the first time in my life he makes me want to do things that truly make me happy, not just a 9-5'r to pay the bills. I feel like my time away from him needs to count, make a difference, make me happy, in order for me to allow that time apart for him. And believe me time apart is a good thing. But time apart AND a shitty job that I cannot stand together are NOT a good thing.

And I wouldn't/couldn't even THINK about branching out if I didn't have so many people to look up to. And cheerleaders by my side saying "yes you CAN do it". Along with my husband for shaking his head that I am crazy but ultimately being supportive which is what matters because I know I am crazy.

The person who most inspires me is my Aunt Dana, she has come so far, with starting out a blog about saving on planning an awesome wedding which transitioned into a very popular website known as www.brokeassbride.com and THEN asked to write a book about planning a wedding on a budget by Random House! How amazing is THIS?!

So people if you are as crazy as I am, let people inspire you to be a better person, to eat better, to live better, to find a better job, whatever floats your boat or whatever you need some inspiring for because if my Aunt or I can do it so can you. We can't get the time back with our little ones and I'd much rather be living in a shack spending time with Drewbear then financially strapped to a job because we want nice things. I am taking a huge leap starting an online store but I really hope I will have that same support as I do now and I am sure I will. Have a great rest of your week everyone!
~Candace

Big News!! Big News!!

So I bet when you all clicked onto this post you were thinking I was going to announce that I was pregnant..HAHA you silly birds..I mean it could happen that fast but I certainly wouldn't announce it to the world yet! But I do have some other very exciting news to share, after much deliberation and sleepless nights...god forbid my brain turn off ever! I have decided to launch a website offering for purchase Handmade Vintage Fabric Bibs and also Oil-Cloth Bibs...which if you don't know already oil-cloth is pretty much the best thing to happen to messy toddlers since Diapers...well OK I'm exaggerating a little!

Essentially you don't have to wash Oil-cloth EVER, you wipe it with a damp rag and that is it, Perfect for babies starting to eat foods and all things solid and messy or even when you go out to eat and don't have a tray for the food that doesn't end up in the little ones mouth, at least this one can catch all that and it doesn't wind up in your toddlers lap..and speaking of laps I will also have some extra-long bad boys on there for the massive messy eaters or if you have a hook-on highchair like I do there is this great little gap where all the food lands on Drews' lap at the end of a meal. AWESOME.

And the vintage fabric bibs...WELL HELLO how awesome is vintage fabric?! I mean how many of the "I love Mommy" shitty Carters bibs can one have..especially when the velcro starts to give out around 6months. These are perfect for babes still on the bottle or are prone to spitups and all things liquid. These will also make really awesome hand-me downs or even to put into a collage with their lock of hair or any other creepy shit that ends up in those things.

ALL THAT BEING SAID. I hope to have this things up and running before Christmas because I know they would be really great gifts for some new moms!

MORE EXCITING NEWS. I will also have some Guest Posts on here, other moms weighing in on some important topics...also filling in the gap for me being busy with other things (HELLO WEBSITE) so I don't leave you all in the dark.

Welp that's it for now! As soon as it live you will be the first to know and check it out. Thanks for all your support!
~Candace

No more getting out of bed to fetch lost binkies!!

Welp folks I hope you will still read my blog once I become a Millionaire!! Because I have come up with such a solution that only the Zombie-like parents can appreciate oh so much!

I was sooo sick of getting out of bed to retrieve my sons' lost binky when he realized in the middle of the night that it was gone. I have tried a few methods, hiding some other ones around his bed, putting them on the top rail, etc and nothing was working, he was straight up too lazy to look that far for it!

Then POW I had an idea, what if I could somehow attach the binkies at his level in the crib and show him where they were being held a few times so maybe he would be able to get them himself in the middle of the night.

Well I can't believe it fricken worked! I made a prototype of the idea in my head, attached it to his crib, showed him a few times where it was and just like clock-work in the middle of the night I caught him on the nanny cam going over to the strip with the binkies, taking one off and putting it into his mouth and going back to sleep!

ANYTHING to make one less trip to his room is worth the world to me! I have since then taken pictures and submitted my idea on Quirky where "inventors" go to submit ideas and hopefully end up with a sell-able product that you created! I am in stage one which means there isn't anything like it on the market and it's a "good" idea...I need as many votes or likes as possible. 

Here's some pics to show you what I made:

And that's an actual picture of Drew getting the binkies off the strip! Oh happy day, even if I am not famous at least I don't have to get out of bed for a stupid binky!

You can also go to Quirky's site to view and give me a thumbs up! Click Here to Vote

Pin me if you think this is a good idea, I appreciate it!

~Candace
#binkyfinder #Quirky

My Invention is Live on Quirky! #BinkyFinder

Hi Fans! I came up with something that every mom can appreciate, something that would stop your trips to your little ones room in the middle of the night for lost binkies...YES Check it out, any feedback is appreciated, I only have 7 days to make it to the next round! Check it out here

~Candace

1st year-Post Baby: My Weightloss Journey

Whew this past year has been a doozy! Along with being utterly exhausting about 85% of the time it has been the most fun, the most exciting, the most stressful time of my life and I have loved (almost) every minute of it.
Now let's talk about the fun stuff...weightloss. You know it really sucks to be a new mom and have to worry about what we look like in an outfit, or about buying new clothes to accomodate that "new" body we have been granted all while taking care of a little person who needs your attention pretty much 90% of the day.

I have always tried to be "active" whether that is walking the dogs when I get home from work, walking on my lunch break, bike rides, or playing soccer (in my younger days). And popping out a baby didn't have any effect on my wishes to fit into my clothes by 4 weeks but did have an effect on the physical ability of fitting into my clothes. And to cut to the chase I did not.

I gained a little more than 45lbs during my pregnancy (I quit looking at the scale the last few weeks in disgust) and especially because at the end you just can't help the weight coming on, even eating carrot sticks for every meal (which I don't recommend) that weight is coming on, so hold on tight!

After having Drewbear I dropped 20lbs at the hospital and was dancing in my gown..Just kidding there was no dancing for awhile due to the aftermath.

I came home to a ripe old number of 180. Jesus, that's ALMOST 200! That's still 35lbs more than I want to be and 30lbs MORE than my highest weight before getting pregnant. Jimminey Christmas kill me now. As all of us do I was busy googling "Post-baby body workouts" pretty much on the way home from the hospital...What am I going to do, I can't see anyone like this, I still had a belly for god sakes!

Hey Listen up all you ladies who haven't gotten pregnant yet. You WILL still have a belly when you leave the hospital, you WILL still look pregnant 2 MONTHS AFTER giving birth. That is totally normal! Even if you drop weight faster than me dropping Drew off at the nanny's (just kidding, love you!) your skin and all your insides take awhile to return to their normal positions. And if I read one more headline that says "breastfeeding burns 500 calories a day" I will go ballistic, yea go ahead and tell that to someone who cannot breastfeed, assholes!

So for the first few months I tried desperately to lose weight and it was easy not to eat since I was busy with someone who needed my attention 100% of the time, but nothing was doing it. Still by the time he was 7mo old I was only down to 172 and was feeling very sorry myself, I mean what's a girl got to do?! I was going on bike rides with him, stroller jogs, started eating better because he grew more independant ETC!

I decided to join my friends on a Dietbet which is fun if you haven't tried it; put money, betting and weightloss together and you know you got a good time! I ended up getting past my 170lb threshold and getting down to 168lbs. I was ecstatic, the 160s! YES I AM CLOSE.

Over the last 4 months I have lost another 5lbs and am down to 163 which is only 3lbs away from my heaviest weight before getting pregnant and 8lbs away from my normal weight!!

This has been a very long journey for me since I am not used to having to shed a massive amount of weight, normally when I go a little crazy on the icecream I chill it out to bring me back down and that is it. I am the first one to say if your body isn't ready it isn't going to happen, and for me my body wasn't really ready to lose weight until about 8months after giving birth.

Don't give up, and when you feel bad for yourself ask your husband how you look and he better say "you look FANTASTIC, KEEP GOING!" and if he doesn't give me his damn number so I can bitch-slap him, because that is what kept me going this whole time. Get a support group, if you don't have one contact me and I'll support you because I know how hard it is. It WILL happen!

1st Birthday Parrrrrtayy!

Welp the craziness has ensued and we are finally getting back to our normal, boring routine post-party.

I think I did a pretty good job if I don't say so myself! And my parents helped out tremendously by hosting it at their house so we could have more room.

We went with Mickey Mouse theme since that's the only show Drew really will watch for longer than 1 minute. I ordered balloons (because babies/kids love balloons DUH) and set up a bunch of toddler stuff since we were expecting about 10! And happy kids=happy parents. Well and alcohol of course.

Here's some of the ideas I used thanks to Pinterest.
We did a sensory pool complete w/ spaghetti and noodles that I dyed red..the kids were like "what is this!" That's the point!

Also did some DIY Chalk paint and put it in Restaurant squeeze bottles (less mess).

I also had some construction paper and big fatty crayons.

At each "station" I put down a big quilt so the kids could sit down and play with the items. I also filled up Drews old bathtub which was a huge rubber ducky where I put some juiceboxes in it so they could reach it. And Drew ended up getting in that by the end of the party because he thought it was bath time?

Along with the "adult" food I put in squeeze packets of applesauce and bags of goldfish crackers for the kiddies.
I made these little dudes for the centerpieces which hopefully I can sell now since I have no use for them, and I glued actual buttons on the pots because it looked nicer :)

I was so proud of Drew since he was up from 11:15am until 5:30pm without a nap! You go Drew! He had the best time ever seeing everyone and all the kids, it was a HIT!

Next year won't be this elaborate but you have to go big for the 1st birthday...because Yah he is still alive!!

My Generation: Shit for Free

The wonderful bonuses of the Internets...Posting stuff you need or want to sell at the drop of a hat, no longer having to wait for that yearly garage sale where you have to go through and price all your shit, wait for a nice day, set up all your shit, sit outside w/ your shit all day, and odds are; pack up most of your shit that didn't sell. Man I'm tired just thinking about it.

Well we all know I am in for a bargain, especially when it comes to children's stuff because they grow out of it so quickly, use it a few times and get bored with it and to top it all off anything that is tied to a kid in any way is always like 20% more $$...just because the world is an evil place.

I am frugal, I am a minimalist, Matt is always getting mad at me for throwing stuff out or selling stuff..I HATE STUFF. Not to mention going from a 2500 sq. ft. house to a 1400 sq. ft. house you have to give up some shit that you haven't even touched in years!

I am ITCHING to sell baby stuff, but I need to hold my horses. Even if I think I don't need 20 Newborn onesies I probably will curse myself if I sell any and the next baby ends up having 20 diaper blowouts.

So I joined a few Facebook sale pages that cater to kids stuff so at least I can get some toys for maybe half the price since he is just going to get sick of them any way or even worse not even like it! Also I can prepare for the future (Toddler bed in the garage) haha!

The thing that I am most noticing about these pages is people In Search Of (ISO) stuff. It always starts off like "ISO cake decorator to make a Frozen cake for my daughters blah blah birthday" And ALWAYS ends in "for a reasonable price". This is the problem with my Generation, we have Walmarts, we have Dollar Stores, we have so many people/companies doing the same thing that they are willing to low-ball each other to get the job. And then we have the "customers" who don't really care about quality, they only care about price.

Yes you can buy decorations at the Dollar Store..they will also end up almost immediately in a Landfill since they are so crappy and cheap they might not even MAKE it to the party, or you open it up and it's like the smallest thing ever; you wonder why the HELL did you pay any amount of money for it!

I understand people don't have money, but that's not it, people don't want to SPEND money. We sort of have been programmed that why should we spend this amount of money when I can go here and get something for half that price, no one really thinks twice about what they are getting for their money. That's my problem, you have all this money and you want to spend $20 on a fondant Frozen cake...Like Really?! And whoever is making this $20 Fondant cake...are they really going to do the job that you want them to do or are you going to be pissed when you pick it up and they spelled Frozen wrong?!

People, you can't expect something for nothing, you can't expect a quality product to have a cheap price tag, the cheap price tags are for the cheap shit! If you only have $20 bucks to spend on a cake go to Walmart, and stop begging people on the Sale pages to do it for nothing. Or don't expect you can get something grand for your $20.

I am trying to be better about this, I have always despised Walmart but having Drew 95% of the time I need to get shopping done I am sometimes forced to go there so I don't have to go to 3 other places. Especially for his bday party which I will try to post about this week. This summer has been crazy with vacations, parties, friends, families, babies...I apologize! Feel free to contact me on topics you want me to write about, sometimes I get writers block and then I am in the shower going through my Master List of all I need to do that day and think " I should blog about that!"  haha

Here's little man w/ his new haircut, I will not show you the back ;)

1st Year Blues...

Well if someone hasn't told you already you will hear this over and over again "Time Flies!" And it's true, how much you don't believe it, especially those nights when your Lovely is up every 2 hours it does. All of a sudden they are 4 months old, then 6, then 1 year and besides the bags underneath your eyes, your nails, toes, and hair that need to be "did" and that flappy lower belly you feel like you did not know where the time went. Weren't you JUST pregnant? Weren't we JUST looking at baby stuff for the registry? Didn't we JUST get married? That is probably all true but whether you like it or not everyone just keeps getting older including you.

Now instead of loathing your friends who still don't have kids (maybe you aren't?) You will start reminiscing on all the great things that have happened in that last year. Well at least I am anyway, I started planning Drew's 1yr Bday party and starting crying at the same time..He ALREADY doesn't want to snuggle as often and next week he will probably ALREADY be embarrassed of me in front of his friends! So I sit in my corner and have a ball-a-thon while Matt laughs at me..Whatever....Where's a Mousekatool when you need one!

And along with alot of my friends we start thinking about building our family...should we give it a go or should we just say enough abuse is enough? :) I am a "let's get it over with" girl and Matt is a "let's wait and see" guy. Soooo we have been talking about adding on or not. Well mostly it's been me trying to convince him and him shooting me down for 6months. BUT I am happy to say I have finally convinced him (I'll take the credit) or something convinced him to give it a go. So we will see if we are blessed w/ some more luck of being parents again. Although I am scared shitless I kind of have a little knack for it this time around (hopefully). And maybe I will even try to relax a little during the first few weeks...WHO AM I KIDDING. I will probably just hire a housekeeper and call it even :)

It's going to be a rough few years but that's ok, when the kids get a little older we will have more freedom to catch a movie or get dinner and everything will be alright...well that's what I keep telling Matt anyway :)

~Candace
#1styearblues #baby#2 #timeflies

DIY Week-Laundry Detergent and Diaper Rash Cream!

I know how excited everyone is over DIY stuff especially my Stay-at-home-mamas! So this week I am compiling some shiznat I have made in the last few weeks so I can tell you the pros and cons of it all!

First was Laundry Detergent: I can't tell you how much my blood boils when I have to spend $$ on soap to clean my clothes with, and not like a little $$ but ALOT of $$, then top it off with the huge jugs that the stuff comes in it's ridic. And I know they make the super-concentrated crap but we do SOO much laundry since having a little one and I am not buying one every week, that is what Costco is for.

Looked at a few sites, I was looking for something easy but yet will do the job esp with dirty food bibs and my Husbands extremely smelly socks that I work next to everyday :)

Found this one on a site called DIY Natural LINK He's got some good stuff on here, I esp liked that he made a powder soap, since Liquid is kind of the same cost-wise and Powder I feel is less messy. I totally forgot that there is a health foods store right down the street from me and I went to Walmart to find a Laundry Bar but you can find them at Specialty Foods stores if you have one close by. I could only find the Omega Zote bars so I tripled this recipe and it made a Gallon of Detergent. (I spent a little under $10 for all of it and still have some borax and washing soda left and 1 zote bar) But Each batch below makes 32 ounces or 32-64 Loads of laundry depending on how many Tbsp you use for soiled clothes. Now QUICK, Gather your Ingredients!

• 1 bar (or 4.5 ounces) of shaved bar soap (a homemade laundry bar, Dr. Bronner’s, Ivory, ZOTE, or Fels-Naptha)
• 1 cup of borax
• 1 cup of washing soda

Shave your soap just using a cheese grater, after grated just mix in the other powders. If you want a finer powder you can pop it into your Food Processor which I was Demanded NOT TO by my Husband :)

Now just pop a Handy Dandy Tablespoon scoop and you got it. Normal loads you can just use 1Tbsp, for soiled use 2-3Tbsp. No residue on clothes, gets out stains and smells just clean, not perfumy.

Total Cost-Under $10 for 192 Loads of laundry...BEAT THAT And No plastic jugs to end up in landfills

Now onto Diaper Rash cream, using Cloth Diapers it is a known fact that Diaper Rash Creams are a NO-NO! A cloth diaper fairy will come to your house and smack you on the head if she catches you! No for real, they just build up on the diapers so that's the reason. And Drew is constantly battling rashes from food allergies (good ole bananas that I keep trying) and teething which is GRAND! Here's the one I found that I am trying! You can find the complete article HERE

And again I found alot of these ingredients at the Specialty food store, the Coconut Oil they had a giant jug of it at Costco so I got that there, the rest of the items I spent $16 on and will have enough Vegetable Glycerin for a lifetime along w/ Cononut Oil and another time of beeswax. (I doubled this recipe)
Now Get your Ingredients!!

Each Batch

• 1/2 C. Shea Butter (stay away from Golden if you can)
• 1/4 C. Coconut Oil
• 1 Tbsp. Beeswax
• 2 Tbsp. Vegetable Glycerin

Melt first 3 ingredients in Saucepan, when incorporated take off heat and add Vegetable Glycerin, then whip it up using a handmixer like forever...it will get creamy I promise! And pour into jars, it will harden a little when it cools and a little goes a long way.

Finished Product:

Bonus****I used babyfood jars for the diaper rash cream and old Wedding Candy Bar jars for the Detergent!

Total Cost-I would say $10 for 16.74oz. Since I have so much of the other stuff leftover. AND it's way better than your baby absorbing Zinc Oxide into it's skin :)

I hope this motivated you to use your brains and what Mother Earth has provided us for alternate solutions to everyday convenient but not always the best products for your family.

Cheers!

Is your water safe for Baby?

When I think about how long I have been drinking tap water I honestly cannot remember when it first started. And when I brought Drew home the thought didn't even cross my mind that maybe our water has too many contaminants for his little belly to digest right off the bat.

Truthfully since breastfeeding was a no-go the first bottle I made him was w/ Tap water (where was that in the baby books) And I found out pretty quickly that he couldn't handle it as he vomited it back up shortly after.

Not sure where Matt was at the time but I texted him asking "is there some sort of special baby water I'm supposed to be giving him"...he's still alive tho so that's good. When do I ever go down the water aisle at the grocery store? Hmmm we have a filter on our fridge like most of the population so NEVER. So I never saw the baby water or maybe just wasn't paying attention.

I know bad mom right?! After buying jug after jug of this "special water" I looked into other sources, could I just use the fridge filtered water? I was scared. Then one day I came across this bad boy and all my prayers were answered.

No more buying jugs and jugs and filling up the landfill w/ their plastic holyness. And no more contaminating my little one. Or being afraid I was going to.

 And it wasn't hella expensive either, you just screw it on to your faucet and Viola! Mine lasts for a good few months with making bottles after bottles so I feel like the cost is low since I was buying about 4 jugs of baby water a week, that's $1 on sale a jug, $16 a month, this baby costs $30 which actually there is one on Clearance right now at Babies R Us for $17.48, So in 1 month you make up the cost and you are saving some precious seal from getting it's snout caught in one of the jugs, well that's what I like to think anyways :)

**knock knock** Your Groceries are here!

So if you knew me at all you would know that I LOVE to try new things...well aside from like Drugs or weird food stuff..that's why I cannot go shopping because anything on the endcap that is "New and Improved" gets me every time!

I used to love grocery shopping and partly because I LOVE to cook. I would make up my list while perusing recipes and decide what our meals would be for the week...Well that was all fine and dandy until I had a small child. Now getting together a meal plan is so half-assed I'm embarrassed by it and weekly shopping trips seem nonexistent. Now I am running in to get essentials and out of there so we can eat or it's time for a nap....not for me..sad face.

But it stinks because the days that I have extra time to throw a meal together we don't have any food! What's a gal to do?!

One day while taking Drew for a walk I saw a Peapod truck go by...they deliver groceries if you have been living under a rock. And a lightbulb went off, I had to try it! I looked up their website and prices and delivery charges and they were not that bad at all! Since I'm in the grocery store so often I know what items cost so that helped my research. You can order how much or little you want, and you have until midnight the previous night to make any changes. O Crap I forgot....yup just log into the app on your phone or the website and add away!

The items were normal, name brands and sizes and came nicely packed, I was actually home so the dude unpacked it all and handed me the bags! Otherwise you can have them leave it on your front step, back door, whatever and it comes in boxes w/ cooler packs so your shizz stays oh so fresh!

I highly recommend this for someone who may be already in front of a computer and doesn't have the time or energy to physically go to the store. Also if you are already looking at recipes online you can add the items right there to your cart.

I hear they have locations where you can just order all your food and pick it up and it's ready to go. I have yet to see where or try those out but that would be a good option too! Especially if you are picking up your child from Grandma/Grandpa's and need to get some food.

#peapod #groceries

Relaxxxxx.it's just a BABY!

Ha! I love it when people tell me that. Ummm hello I didn't take any classes in school to prepare me for this, in fact all of the classes in school just tell you to NOT have sex or Get Pregnant....EVER. I am here to tell you however that please don't get so caught up in your day-to-day lives that you miss out on the little things.

The first 8 weeks with my little man I had NO IDEA what I was doing..which is pretty typical I hear since while you are at the hospital the nurses are changing him and tell you when to feed him and ordering your food; that when you get home you are like "where's my help?!".

I seriously struggled with breastfeeding, I ABSOLUTELY HATED IT! I did not feel any sort of bond, I didn't feel like I was loving him enough...I felt like all I did was pump, feed, sleep over and over again. I never looked at him longingly as he drank my milk, I never enjoyed it or had that "feeling" that some moms claim to have. So on top of me hating it I was not producing enough for this little chunker. So on top of getting what I could out of me I had to add formula in there.

After 8 weeks I said ENOUGH! I am not enjoying this little miracle in my life whatsoever. I decided to go all on formula and give up pumping. Which was the BEST DECISION I have ever made. Not only did I have so much more energy for my little one, I didn't have to figure out a good time to pump in between his feedings, or if he woke up in the middle of me pumping and started crying...talk about unnecessary stressors! It was so great to make his bottles and be able to hold him while they heat up...not having to wash all the pumping equipment and spend time with him while he is up. I seriously felt like I was in jail and I was let free!

So any mom that is having a difficult time with it I don't say "DON'T GIVE UP" I say "DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY!" Formula has come such a long way and is totally fine if not better since Drew has milk sensitivities so he has been on Soy which would be extremely hard for me since I would have to give up all dairy to be able to breastfeed him. And No offense but seriously sometimes I only had time to grab a string cheese, or chug some milk to be able to function.

So please enjoy the little things and leave the big ones by the wayside, there is only so much in your control and every kid is different so what works on this one might not work for you. I highly recommend reaching out to your friends/family if they have kids around the same age and if not join a support group in your area because the baby books only tell so much and it's nice to hear other opinions or that your are doing a good job as a parent!

And those stupid papers you get at the Doctors office about the developmental stuff could drive you insane...Just be in the moment, Enjoy every little victory even if it's not on the those stupid papers. These are some of the ones I LOVED
1. bouncing on his knees reaching up for me
2. Waving
3. Blabbing
4. Grabbing the dogs face and chasing the dogs
5. Laughing
6. Smiling
7. Pointing where he wants to go while I hold him

Even if the TV is on, the dogs are barking, someone is ringing the doorbell and the tornado sirens are going off I am watching him, trying not to miss anything, enjoying him just sitting there looking at his books. Those are the things that keep me going, that make the sleepless nights so worth it. That keep me from getting down on my flabby belly and keep me wanting another one. Enjoy it because it goes by in a heartbeat and you never get this time back, and some people aren't able to get any of this so remember you are one lucky soul; having someone to call you "mama".

~Candace