Awesome Cloth Diapers - Great Price!!!

I recently had a baby and have been using Kawaii cloth diapers for several months now.  I have to say that I am so pleased with how well they have worked for us.  I bought the one size snap closure diapers, which will fit from newborn to toddler stages.  It is a pocket style diaper with two microfiber inserts.  I like that each diaper comes with two inserts, as it allows me to adjust using one or two at a time depending on the absorbancy my baby needs.  I never thought I would ever in a million years say this, but I think I like these cloth diapers way better than any disposable I have ever used on my kids.  I have had less problems with leaks, and I am sure they are more comfortable for my baby than disposables are (they definitely look more comfortable, anyways!).  Plus, they are really cute!

As far as the cost of these diapers go, at $6.99 a piece these diapers are a bargain in the cloth diapering world.  If you plan on cloth diapering and bought 20 of them at that price, it would come to just under $140 for a stash that most likely could be used for as long as your baby needs to be diapered.  If you exclusively use cloth for your baby's entire diapering experience, that is an incredible savings over a 2-3 year time period.  According to the Real Diaper Association, the average cost of diapering a child over the span of two years in disposables is roughly $1,600. 

When I first considered cloth diapers, I was concerned about the extra work it would take to launder them.  I have a stash of around two dozen Kawaii diapers, which leaves me to wash diapers roughly every two days.  Really, it averages out to an extra 3 loads of laundry a week.  In the larger scope of things, it was not as bad as I imagined it to be.  Washing the diapers has become integrated into my routine around here.

As a side note, I should add that Kawaii diapers has not asked me to endorse their product.  I just like these diapers so much, that I thought I would share :) 

And The Winner Is.....

I just drew names for the headband giveaway, and the winner is Keely!  I will be contacting you to get your information so I can get your prize sent to you.  Congratulations!!!

Last Chance To Enter My Giveaway!!!

In a little over 24 hours, my giveaway will be closing, and a winner will be chosen.  Get your entries in now for your chance to win the hand crocheted headband!  As of right now, the odds of winning are pretty good!  Just make sure to comment on the post found here :-)

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars

I just came up with a new snack recipe for my kids.  I try to keep snacks readily made for them, as well as snacks that are easy to take along when we go on an outing.  It is always more affordable to make snacks than it is to buy packaged snack foods.  My kids enjoy having homebaked snacks, and I like that I know what all the ingredients in them are, and where they came from.  Too many packaged snack foods have all sorts of junk in them, some of the ingredients listed on the packages are practically impossible to pronounce.  I think this recipe is a keeper, and I will be making them again!

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups quick oats
2 eggs
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients together, except chocolate chips, until well blended.  Dough will be slightly stiff and somewhat sticky.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Press mixture into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan, and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Cut into squares and serve.

My First Giveaway Ever!!!

I am having my first blog giveaway ever!  Woohoo!!!  I am excited to be offering a giveaway on one of my newest crocheting creations.  It is one of a kind, brand new, and hand crocheted with a varigated crochet thread in shades of blue.  This super cute headband is a wrap-around style that ties in the back, so it is adjustable to fit properly.  My lovely sister agreed to model it so I could get a good picture.  Thanks, sis! 

There are several ways you can get an entry into this giveaway.  You can get more than one entry by doing several of the following:

1. Leave a comment on any one of my posts.
2. Follow my blog.
3. Post this on Facebook.
4. Do a blog post about this giveaway.

When you have done any of the preceding, come back and leave a comment on this giveaway post and let me know all you did!  For instance, if you posted this on Facebook, leave a comment that you posted on Facebook.  Technically, that would count for two entries.  If you posted on your blog, make sure you leave a blog link in your comment :-)

I will close entries to this giveaway on Friday, July 29th at midnight (mountain time zone), and announce the winner on Saturday, July 30th.  Giveaway is limited to people residing in the USA.  Good luck!!!

Cabbage and Bacon Crockpot Soup Recipe

I was looking to use up a few grocery items and came up with this crockpot recipe. It was yummy! My six year old (who thinks she is allergic to vegetables) exclaimed after eating it, "Even though it had vegetables, I ate it anyway, and it was good!" I served this soup with buttered toast on the side.

Cabbage and Bacon Soup

1 small head of cabbage
1 bell pepper
1 15 oz can pinto beans - drained
1 onion
4 thick cut bacon slices - cooked and chopped into small pieces
6 cups water
6 chicken bouillion cubes

Chop vegetables and place in crockpot. Add the beans, water, and bouillion cubes. Stir in the chopped bacon pieces. Optional - to add more bacon flavor, add the leftover bacon drippings as well. Cook in crockpot on high for 5-6 hours.

Fun Activity - Water Bombs!!!

My kids and I embarked upon a journey of great fun this afternoon. I came across a website that had a neat craft idea for some fun outdoor water toys. You can find the directions here. My girls and I descended upon the dollar store to gather supplies for our endeavor. I was amazed, all of the supplies were in one place, and cheap too! The supplies needed to make these consist of sponges, drawer liner, a couple of Sham-Wows (yes, these amazing absorbant cloths are now at the dollar store, LOL), and some zip ties. It was a relatively easy craft to do with my kids. They helped me cut the pieces and arrange them, and then I tightened and fastened the zip ties for them.

As we finished this little project, neighbor children had gotten word about what we were making (my children may or may not have occasionally poked their head out the door waving a finished water bomb to show their friends). By the time we finished making them, the neighborhood children had gathered in our front yard to play with our new toys. I got out a few buckets filled with water, and the fun began. You all are lucky, I barely got a picture of a few of these babies before the children started their water wars! They all kept saying how neat they were, and they were eventually transported to the neighbor's pool as the water play shifted to another yard. Yeah, I would say that this little project today was a winner :-)