Tuesday, February 1, 2011

I'm still here

I have not been on here much lately. Just regular life stuff and keeping busy but also I am trying to decide what I want this blog to be. So many people do the giveaways and reviews and I have done a couple but I am not sure that is what I want to do. When I first started I got overwhelmed by all the blogs out there, I could spend all day reading and still not see everything I want to. I am really interested in the homeschooling blogs and cloth diapering blogs and there are some amazing ones out there! So I have been spending the last week just on here reading different blogs and not sure what to write on my own.

I have been thinking a lot lately about doing my own business instead of childcare so I have more freedom to do things with the boys. I have a couple things in the works that I am not 100% sure about yet. I have been meeting some really great business women the last little bit and I am really getting inspired. We move into the new house in a little over 6 weeks and I am going to be crazy busy for a bit, which I am very excited about. I feel like my life has been on hold for 18 months and I am finally going to be able to live it again.

I will be here reading all the blogs even if I am not saying too much on mine.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Clothing labels

I found some clothing labels I love. I blogged a couple weeks ago about trying to find great labels for the kids clothes, toys, books or shoes. I wanted something Canadian ( I try to support Canadian companies when I can). I found Olivers labels and they are so cute! I would take pictures of the ones we got but I put our last name on them so I could use them for both boys. We got the crossbones design which is so great for boys! They had some really cute designs to choose from.



I love how affordable they are too. you can get a preschool package for just $33.99 with 20 large labels, 14 shoe labels, 35 stickeez clothing labels and 1 large bag tag. They have more packages available too with more labels in them or they have a starter package for less money if you just want to try them out.

My favourite feature they offer is "found it", they put a code on your labels and if someone finds your article with the label on it they can email the address on the label and give them the code number. Oliver's labels will email you with details on where your article with the label on it is. I think this is great and can be so useful when you have school age kids!

They also have photo tags now. I have not tried these yet but they are so cute. They are a 50mm X 50mm sticker with a picture of your kids face on it. I think I may have to try these ones out soon :)

They are also waterproof, which is great for sippy cups and toys. They are weather proof, scuff proof, tear resistant, they are made of high performance vinyl with super strong adhesive. They are so cute and bright!

I have put our sippy cups in the dishwasher with the labels on and they have been great. I also have some in Wy's shoes and on his coat. I was amazed how great they were in his shoes, I thought for sure they would peel off but they are still going strong :)

You can use these labels for allergies as well. If your child has a peanut allergy you could put a label on his things to remind people not to give him peanuts!



You have to check these labels out (even if you are not in the market for them right now) they have some of the cutest designs you have to check out! go to http://oliverslabels.com and see the huge selection of labels, packages and designs they have.



Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Potty Learning

I have been getting a lot of feedback from people about potty learning (even if I don't want it) Since Wyatt turned 2 everyone seems to have an opinion on how I should get him to start using the potty. I am in no hurry to have him out of diapers (he has some really cute cloth diapers ..lol) I don't want to push it until I know he is ready. We talk about it and he does seem like he has interest in it somedays. He has gone on the potty a few times and loves wearing big boy underwear. We move into our new house March 24th and I am thinking we will start more routinely on the potty learning then. He will be 28 months by then so that still isn't bad.

I just wish people would stop trying to pressure me into doing this now. I can't imagine the pressure a child feels when I can't handle all the pressure I am getting from everyone. 

When did your kids potty learn? Did you also get the pressure to do it earlier than you did?

A new me :)

I have been making some major changes the last few weeks. Not because it was New Years and I had a resolution, I just woke up on Jan 4th and said today will be different.

I have smoked for 18 years. I have been embarrassed about it for the last 4 or 5 years and have wanted to quit but knew I wasn't ready to do it yet. On Jan 4th I woke up and had a smoke then threw out the rest of the pack and have not looked back. Today has been 2 weeks and I am so proud of myself! I have not once wanted to have a smoke and I am excited to start this new part of my life.

My problem with all this is that I can not stop eating! I am eating everything in sight. I have bumped up my workouts to 1 1/2 hours a day now instead of my regular 30-40 mins and I am still gaining weight. This week I am going to work more on my eating habits. I have been running, doing the wii active and Jillian Michaels' 30 day shred. My body is aching in places I had no idea you could even work out but I am determined to get out of this without gaining 30lbs (I have already gained 8lbs)

I have not been blogging much because I have been trying to keep myself busy doing things around the house and with the kids. There is always lots to do in the house when you are looking for it :) I have been making more time for myself the last couple days so I should be able to come on here more.

Thank you to everyone that has followed my blog. I look forward to 'meeting' you all :)

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Kid free night

Wow, I have no kids tonight and none in the morning. I never know what to do with myself when my son stays out for the night. This is only about the 3rd time in his 2 yrs that I have let him stay away from me. Everyone says it is good for him and good for me and that I should enjoy it and go out. Well I realized tonight that I am not sure what I should do with myself anymore. My husband is away so it's me and the dog and she isn't that much fun to hang out with. It is an odd feeling that I can just get up and leave the house if I want because the boy is not upstairs in bed.

I think I will go for a run and not worry about getting home on time and maybe go rent a movie and stay up late and sleep in tomorrow morning :) Maybe I will wake up early and clean thsi house (I know it doesn't sound like nearly as much fun but it would be nice to clean without a 2 year old tornado behind me)

What do you do when you have a night off?

Enjoy your Saturday night!!

clothing labels

I have been trying to find labels for the boys shoes and backpacks. There are so many out there and some really cute ones! I have been thinking how I am going to get enough labels for both kids without having to buy 2 full sets so I think we are just going to get them all done with our last name and then I can use them for both boys :)

I am trying to find a Canadian company. I will let you know how my search goes.

Any suggestions? Has anyone used these labels for kids?

Friday, January 14, 2011

Night diaper success

Well I have had 4 nights in a row now with no leaks!!

 I am so excited, I have been trying for months to find a diaper that won't leak at night. Mind you I have found diapers that have worked at different times. For his first year we used Applecheeks and they were great! Then they started to leak for some reason and I have been on the search since for the perfect night diaper. I have to admit I gave up for a couple months and just used disposable at night but when it came to buying another box of diapers I just couldn't do it (especially with the amount of cloth I own). The last 4 nights I have had success. Night one was a flip cover with the stay dry insert, a Blueberry insert and an Applecheeks hemp insert. It is HUGE on his bum but works great! Night 2 we used a Thirsties cover with the same inside and again no leaks. Night 3 we did the flip again and no leaks .. hehe I have been getting excited about this. Night 4 the Thirsties cover with the same inserts and dry in the morning! Tonight I changed it a bit and took out the Blueberry insert and put in a thinner one with the hopes of being able to have a smaller night diaper for his comfort.

We will see how tomorrow goes but I am feeling way better about cloth at night :)

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

New Fluff :)

Hello my name is Kim and I am a cloth diaper addict. I love when I get a new diaper! Wyatt got a couple new ones this week. We got the new Bum Genius 4.0 in Concrete Jungle, some more flip covers and stay dry inserts (as well as an organic insert that I plan on using at night), a Rumparooz one size in kangarooz and a new Thirsties cover for over night in blackbird.

I have been trying for about 18 months to find an overnight diaper that works for Wyatt. For awhile we were just using Pampers on him at night. I bought a big box of Pampers and said when it was gone I was not buying anymore. Well it finally finished 2 weeks ago and I have been washing sheets every morning. I am determined to find the perfect night diaper before he is potty trained ..lol. He has some nights that he does well in a Goodmama with a flip cover or Thirsties cover. some nights he leaks out of them. We have had success with the flip cover and stay dry insert with a flip disposable insert (the only thing I don't like about this is that it is cheaper for me to just use Pampers for disposable. I am finding that a diaper with a cover seems to work better than an all in one for overnight. He was so stuffed last night I don't know how he fell asleep.

"mommy I help" This is what I hear every time I do laundry. He is wearing his new Rumparooz.

He loves smelling his Rockin' Green. I always get a new scent every time I buy a bag and he gets excited to smell the new one :)


What do you use for a night diaper? I am always up for suggestions since I think I have tried almost everything (except pre-folds).

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Elephant puppet

Today we did an activity from myshaenoel.blogspot.com. I entered a giveaway with her and won some downloads to do with the kids.

Wyatt loved making this one and so did the 4 yr old girl I had here today.

Wyatt coloring his elephant





His favorite part ... GLUE!

Finished product


So cute!!


He then decided he just wanted to play with glue

This is why I buy glue at the dollar store. He would empty the whole bottle every sitting.


Thanks again to myshaenoel.blogspot.com/ for the great activities for the kids to do.

I got a button!!!

It is not the best design for now but it is 1:30am and I can't sleep so I have been playing around with this whole button thing. Now I know how to make one :) I can't get it to show up in the post for some reason but I have it on the side of my blog and it works .. lol

Saturday, January 8, 2011

blog hopping .. come join us!!

It's OK to follow... it's the Weekend















Open from Thursday-Thursday
Link up to
-Twitter
-Facebook
-Blog
-My Space
-You Tube
-RSS

-Follow me publicly
-Grab the button and Linky code and post to your blog
-Enter the URL for the page you are wanting folks to follow in the linky.
-Be sure to note where you want folks to follow (there is a 100 character limit)
-Followers: Click the links you want to follow and leave a comment where you can.



button for my blog

Ok I need to make a button for my blog. I have learned how to post buttons and get them on my blog but I have not learned how to make one. I will figure this out before the end of January ..lol

I am also trying to learn Twitter (man I feel old) I am having  hard time understanding what Twitter is all about and how different things are linked but I am sure I will figure it out.

I am starting up a Facebook fan page as well. Wow I am busy!! I would love to have my button to use as a picture for the FB page ..lol.

For bloggers that have a blog, Twitter and Facebook. Do you just update your Twitter and Facebook every time you write a blog? Also trying to get the Twitter And facebook button for the side of my page. I found a Twitter Gadget but it says it doesn't work :(

To new adventures :) I am loving the blogging world and all the great people!!

Feel free to leave any advice for a newbie :)

the weekend is here

It's the weekend, which actually means nothing in this house. I watch kids and this weekend I have a 22 month old and a 4 yr old all weekend. They are great little girls so that makes it better :) I am planning on doing some crafts with them and getting outside for a little bit (hoping it warms up a bit this afternoon).

I just won a great giveaway from myshaenoel.blogspot.com, I can't wait to use this shape fun activity with Wyatt and the kids this weekend :) Check out her Etsy store, she has great printable activities on there for a great price! She also has some free downloads on her blog.

We will be doing a giveaway this weekend.We will be giving away a Melissa and Doug baby farm animal stamp set :D We just got it in the mail yesterday and Wyatt is going to check it out today :) He played with it a bit yesterday while I was trying to make supper.

 I should have lots of posts going up this weekend. I keep starting them and they are all sitting waiting to be finished up and posted ..lol. I have had a crazy week and I have not been able to blog much but I think I am back!

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Woo hoo 100 followers!!!!!

Thank you so much to everyone for following! I have found some really great blogs I am following now. Just thought I would write a quick thank you for helping me get over 100 :) I will be doing a giveaway next week!!

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Alex won!!

Ok so I know it's bad that I spend enough time blogging that my 8 yr old watches for giveaways now ..lol .. He seen Battle bands, they are like silly bands that you battle with (that's what they look like). Well he made me enter every giveaway we found for them. He knew one of the giveaways was ending last night so first thing this morning he asked me if he won. I checked me email and he did!!

Thank you so much to snack bar reviews for making my sons day :) I will post some pics when we get it.

You should go check them out she has some great giveaways!

Monday, January 3, 2011

Doodle Doug

Wyatt got a Crayola product for his birthday called Doodle Doug. Both boys (2 yrs and 8 yrs) have been having a blast with it all morning. I love getting toys that keep both boys busy for long periods of time ..lol

Wyatt was amazed by it!

Watching it go around he kept sticking his tongue out because the bug is too :)

The box. It is such a neat toy
 
The little feet come off and they are stamps. Wyatt covered Alex's arms in stamps :)

Alex showing the doodle Doug

Some of the boys designs


Sunday, January 2, 2011

Stylish Blogger Award!!

Thank you so much thrifty and frugal by Debbie for the Stylish Blog award. I was shocked to see in my comments that I got the award!! It has been so much fun being part of this community and "meeting" all new people :)




This is how this fun award works:

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers.
4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award!

7 things about myself ...

1. I am a mom and a step mom and love every minute of it!! (well most minutes of it ..lol)

2. I am an organizer!! I would love to get paid to organize things for people, it seems to bring some kind of weird peace to me when everything is organized and in it's place.

3. I want to homeschool my son and have been preparing for it since I was pregnant for him (The organizing freak in me coming out)

4. I am a morning person. I love the feeling of a new day like a freshness and new start. I always wake up an hour before everyone else so I have quiet alone time.

5. I am addicted to blogging! I figure everyone needs an addiction/hobby and this is my new one!

6. I am thankful for everything I have and the people I have around me. I couldn't do this on my own without my friends and family just a phone call away no matter what time of day it is.

7. I love board games but never have anyone to play with me. My goal is to meet someone just as geeky as me so we can have board game nights ;)

Now the 15 bloggers I am giving the award to. This was so hard since I have found so many great blogs over the last few weeks!

1. lots of fun with my family
2. musings by michele
3. frugal invitation
4. Family treasures
5. little lady bug hugs
6. giveaways with grace
7. marine parents
8. three boys
9. dragonflies 'n daydreams
10. wedded mommy bliss
11. grandma sez so
12. Sippy cups and cloth bums
13. mom to 2 posh lil divas
14. the adventures of mommy b
15. beckham and bloom




Stop in the blogs I chose and check them out. Follow if you like what you see ;)

Running

I LOVE to run!!!! I just never seem to make the time for it. I haven't ran in a couple months and just the last week I started C25K again. I remember when I was on week 5 thinking I would do anything to go back to easy week 1. Now that I just finished week 1 day 3 I honestly feel like I am way too out of shape! C25K is a great program to use to start running because it starts you off slow and builds up to more. I love the feeling of a good run even if my legs are killing me right now ...lol  You can see C25K Here.

Anyone else runners out there or tried C25K? This is my first time running on a treadmill and it is way different than outdoor running but I am getting used to it. Which do you prefer?

This is Wyatt trying on my running shoes in his stylish Bum genius diaper ..lol

Cleaning day

The holidays are over and it is time for me to get my house back in order :) We went to see the new house today and the only thing left to do is the kitchen to go in. It looks so beautiful and I can't believe it is going to be ours in just 11 1/2 weeks :)

I think I am going to set the boys up with a craft and try to get hubby to help me get some things done around here. We have been packing more stuff getting ready to move but there is so much to do in this house before he leaves for work on Wednesday. My husband works on the other side of the country and is away for 14 days then home for 6 so we try to get as much as we can in while he is home. We were so lucky to have him home for 4 weeks over the holidays and it is going to be hard on the kids when he leaves this time since they are so used to having him home now.

I love flylady and am hoping to get back on track with her daily routines. I have always been a very routine person (maybe to a fault) but living at my mom's and most things being in storage the last year haas been crazy. I can't wait to get everything back and start organizing the new house. If you have never heard of Flylady check her out HERE!! The beginner baby steps are great and after awhile it really makes a difference in your house :)

I also got an award today and the post for that is coming later this afternoon! I am so excited to write that post and except my award :)

Well I am off to get some more laundry done and clean something. I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

Thanks so much to all the new followers I am loving this blogging community :) I have my first giveaway coming next week and I can't wait to see how it goes.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

New year Blog Hop

Hop on over to  Lots of fun with my family to join her first Blog Hop. Don't forget to Follow while you are there :)


Welcome 2011 (and a nap!)

Last night I stayed home with a 18 month old, 22 month old, a 2 yr old and a 7 year old. It has most definitely been interesting! My little guy (2) woke up at 10pm and stayed up until 11. I thought for sure once I went to bed I would be good to go with all the little ones sleeping OMG I was wrong! the 7 yr old and I stayed up until 1am playing Wii games until everyone got home from the concert then went to bed. On our way upstairs the 22 month old woke up, she was up for about 30 mins and I put her back to bed after changing her bum. She cried when I put her down which woke up the 18 month old so for about an hour I had 2 of them up but at least the 2 yr old was sleeping. I put everyone to bed again and all was quiet for about 10 mins then the 18 month old started crying again woke up the 2 yr old, this continued until 4am when finally all were asleep with one of them in our bed and they all switched cribs/playpens. I was woke up at 7am so it will be an interesting day until all these kids go home and Wyatt goes for a nap because I NEED one today!! I got pictures of the little ones partying in the middle of the night being funny. I wouldn't say it was fun being up all night but they were all so cute it so it could have been worse. All in all it was a good New Year's eve.

I apologize to the parents of all the kids I had last night because they will have some tired little ones today!

It is my wonderful husband's Birthday today and the kids and I will be making him some cupcakes. I will be sure to get some pictures of the boys baking. Both of my boys love to bake! I am going to let Alex pick something to cook for supper for his dad, he is getting so independent and loves to try to do most of the cooking by himself.

I hope everyone had a safe New Year's eve! Even being awake most of the night I had a great time last night and can't wait for all the new beginnings 2011 has to bring (hopefully in the first 24 hours at least one nap!)