I want that

{insert lady from Napoleon Dynamite's voice here}

Dear Santa,

Could I have this for Christmas? And a 20x28 frame from DI, spray painted black, to put it in? Don't worry about writing in the information, Santa, because I know your small-muscle coordination is infamously poor. I'll do it, and it will be fun (find the image download here).

And while we're on the subject, here's a couple other things I'd like/need:

Thanks, Santa.

Love,

Mandi

Do you hear what I hear?

It's viral marketing time! But it's for a company I love, so I'm more than happy to share. :)

In the past, we've tried emailing yearly updates and mailed Christmas cards separately, but this year I'm excited to combine the two with one of these great designs from Shutterfly:

I like the modern color palette of this one.

This one simplifies the sometimes-gigantic task of writing the family letter to ten top things. Simplicity: I love it. Less stress for me. :)

This design has more space for text for those of us who can get a little long-winded (ahem).

But all-in-all, you can't beat Shutterfly's site. It's great to navigate, and you can limit your search of their literally hundreds of designs (and I'm just talking Christmas cards here, not even including all their other cards and other products, like these awesome calendars) by features such as color, number of photographs, and designers.

Plus, they're always running great specials. I've ordered cards from them many times, and not only has the price been very right (we're talking way less than Wal-Mart, even with shipping), but it's a personalized, high-quality keepsake that I didn't even have to leave my house for. How can you beat that?

And let's not forget the simplicity factor. You just upload your photos, choose your card design, and personalize with your text. Awesome!

Well, keep watching your mailboxes to see which design we choose. Feel free to leave your current mailing address in the comments if you'd like to receive one.

The Great Cloth-diapering Experiment

As I mentioned in this post, I've been using Gerber pre-folds, Gerber plastic pants, Snappis, and recycled wool soakers for diapering these past couple of months. Here is my report:

The Diapers Themselves

I've learned that getting a tight fit around the leg is key to preventing leaks. It took a little time for Brandon and I to figure the best way, but now we don't have any leaking issues unless we've left the diaper on too long.

You need to change cloth more often than disposables, but not that much more often. We do probably 4-5 dipes a day now, instead of the 2-3 before, but it's not a huge deal.

The Snappis had a bit of a learning curve, but I've been happy with them after I learned how to use them. I also tried pins and prefer the Snappi. It's had the happy side effect of keeping Scott's hands out of his diaper, too, so he's not playing with himself constantly.

I'm really most pleased with the way my recycled wool soakers have performed. When I put Scott in the first pair of longies, they leaked right through and I was quite frustrated. Then I learned about lanolizing wool and how important it is to maintain the wool's waterproof properties. Ever since I washed the wool in a lanolin solution, I haven't had any problems. In fact, I'm constantly amazed to check Scott after I've left him in a wet diaper for longer than I meant to and find that the wool has still kept him dry. I much prefer wool to the vinyl or plastic pants, and I'm glad I've been able to make so many pairs of soakers for Scott with the free XL sweaters I picked up at a swap meet in my parents' ward.

Wearing cloth diapers, especially with a wool soaker over the top, does add bulk to Scott's bum and makes his pants fit more snugly, but he's always been a thin kid and so it's just made them stay up better. :)

Cleaning and Laundering

I'm still dealing with some ammonia stinkies in my diapers (happens when the urine mixes with detergent buildup in the diapers). I've tried adding vinegar, baking soda, and Borax, and switched to Original Tide powder (the highest recommended and most easily available detergent in my area), but can't quite kick the smell. I may have to strip the diapers and see if that helps.

Cloth diapering has not added that much time to my household duties. I actually enjoy hanging them out on the line and getting out in the sunshine and wind for a little while. I wash my diapers twice a week, because we don't do cloth at my mom's house, and she watches Scott 2.5 days a week. If I were cloth diapering full-time, I'd probably need to wash them every other day, or 3-4 times a week. But if I were doing that, I wouldn't be working, so I'd have the time. Now, that's only for one child, not two, so we'll just have to see how it goes when this new baby comes.

Elimination Training

Scott has a much increased knowledge of when he is wet or stinky. This is a huge break-through, because even as an infant, a dirty diaper never fazed him. He just didn't seem to even notice. But now that he's been in cloth, he tells me all the time, and has even become more interested in sitting on his potty and eventually wearing big kid underwear. Hooray!

Scott has also had no diaper rashes since we started cloth. He was prone to them (a combination of him never complaining about being stinky, and the chemicals in disposable diapers), so this has been wonderful for him (and for me--I always feel so bad for him when he has a sore bottom!).

The Last Word

So that about sums it up. I've been pleased with the results we've had. It's not as hard or intimidating or time-consuming as I once feared. Yes, it does take longer than disposables, but I feel the trade-offs are worth it. Plus I feel like doing things this way (breastfeeding, co-sleeping, attachment parenting, cloth diapering) make me take the time with my children that I otherwise would be too busy or preoccupied to do. It helps me to slow the pace of my life and remember that people are more important than things.

Wool diaper covers

I think they turned out really cute! Try not to laugh at my attempts at applique'...I know they kinda look like an over-enthusiastic 4th-grader got ahold of a sewing machine. :) But wool is so stretchy!! I'm probably the only one who will see this little star and fish, so I'm not going to stress that they're not perfect. The more I practice applique', the more confident I feel about it, and maybe I can decorate some onesies with cotton that I actually wouldn't mind people to seeing. :)

Fronts

Backs

The smaller ones are for newborns, and the bigger size is Medium, for older babies. If I find more sweaters, I'll probably make them in Toddler size for Scott, but I'm glad to have built up my stash of smaller sizes for the new baby.

Fronts

Backs

If you're wondering how this works, when you cloth diaper, you need two layers: an absorbent one, next to the baby's skin, and a waterproof one on the outside (some people make or buy diapers that have these two layers sewn together; they're called "all-in-ones", or AIO). These wool diaper covers are the outer waterproof layer, used in place of nylon or vinyl pants.

Backs

Fronts

Wool is great because it's naturally antibacterial and can soak up LOTS of liquid before it starts to feel wet. However, when you use 100% wool sweaters to make these diaper covers, you need to make sure that two steps are taken care of before the wool will be waterproof: the wool needs to be felted (washed in hot water and shrunken in the dryer), and the wool needs to be lanolized (washed with lanolin, a waxy substance produced by sheep to keep their wool waterproof. It's usually all processed out when the wool is made into yarn and sweaters, so you have to add it back in again).

Longies

Love this little boy

I also feel quite frugal, because everything I've read says you should be able to get one pair of longies and two diaper covers out of each sweater. Well, I go one pair of longies and FOUR diaper covers out of each sweater! Hah! :)

I couldn't have done it without this tutorial, but I did make a change: I discovered that it was REALLY frustrating to sew the leg bands in after you sew the body of the cover together, so I sewed the bands to the triangle and then sewed the body together. Much simpler.

I probably need to add elastic to the waistbands, but I think I'll wait to do that so that I can fit it to the baby. And wow, it's hitting me that I'm having a baby in 3 months! Whew!

Backyardigans room makeover

So, Scott LOVES the Backyardigans. We're talking bordering on obsession, here. This fact, combined with getting a big boy bed for his birthday, made me think it would be the perfect time to update his room a little.

Now, like many of you, I'm on a budget; and also, why spend a ton of money on really specifically-themed items when Scott may not like the Backyardigans in a few years anyway? So my goal for this update was to re-use items I already had, find new items on clearance, and use items that were colorful and bright (like the Backyardigans show and Scott's personality), but not too specific. I'm pleased with the results!

Bedding and Fabrics: We got a twin mattress free from someone in Rexburg on BYU-I's Bulletin Board. My wonderful parents created a Bunkie Board out of wood and a sturdy sheet, and also contributed the metal bed frame.

(He's looking at me quizzically because I told him to wait until I took a picture before he could jump on his bed, his newest favorite pastime)

I wanted bright bedding to add some color to the room. I found orange (one of Scott's favorite colors, and the color of Tyrone the moose) sheets at Wal-Mart for $15 (Better Homes and Gardens brand). This is one thing I splurged on a little. I figure that having a good sheet set is important, especially for a toddler. I'll probably be washing them a lot when we eventually get to overnight potty training.

The comforter set I had been coveting at Wal-Mart for awhile--I really liked the bright colors (blues, greens and oranges) balanced with neutral tan and brown stripes--but it was $35 on sale, and I just didn't want to pay that much. But then, one day Wal-Mart clearanced all their MyZone bedding AND curtains, so I got the bedding set AND two matching curtain panels for $30. When you're redoing a room, I think it really pays to wait and keep your options open. You never know when you'll happen upon an awesome deal.

I made the navy blue sheers with leftover fabric I had laying around. If I remember right, I originally picked it up at Wal-Mart for $2/yd. I like the way the darker blue balances the brighter colors.

I used the remnants from the sheers to create this canopy over the crib. I think it adds a little drama to that side of the room, and creates another focal point to balance the bright window.

TOTAL spent on Bedding and Fabric: $45

Lighting: I picked up those cute little green and yellow lamps at K Mart on clearance before Scott was born. I think each lamp was just over $2 and the shades just under $1.

The star night lights over the crib are an awesome DI find that I got for this room update. They are from IKEA, work perfectly, and put out the perfect amount of light. And they were only $2 a piece.

TOTAL spent for lighting: $4

Decor: The only things I purchased new for this project were the 5 frames (88 cents each at Honk's on 88-cent Tueday). I printed coloring pages of the Backyardigans and filled them in with colored pencils. I attached the pictures to the mirror surface using Glue Dots (used for scrapbooking).

I recovered the SCOTT letters (which I already had) in Backyardigans-colored paper that I already had. I used the same papers to create the mobile over the crib, and added some high-contrast black and white papers to interest a little baby. The only thing I had to buy for the mobile was a tapestry frame, and that I got for 75 cents at the DI.

TOTAL spent on decor: $10

This room would not be complete without the re-usable stickers (on the closet doors) from Grandma Sharon, and the masks above the window and the Backyardigans toddler blanket from Grandma Tammi. They bring home the theme, without going overboard. And they're easy to switch out if the Backyardigans ever fall from grace. :) But let's not lie, I doubt that will be happening any time soon. :)

TOTAL out-of-my-pocket for this Backyardigans room update: $60

Snowy Conference Saturday project

So it snowed again last night. Blech. That's two major storms we've had since the beginning of April. Previous to this, the weather was starting to get so nice that I wondered if it might be too late to make wool longies for Scott. But no. No, it's not too late. I live in the Frozen Wasteland, after all. :)

So I decided to change this:

into this:

with the help of this tutorial.

I have to say, I think mine turned out a little cuter than her boys' pair. And I have NO formal sewing training whatsoever, completely self-taught through trial and error and asking my mom for help sometimes. :) So what I'm saying is, if I can sew this project in one afternoon without any help and it turns out cute, YOU definitely can! :)

UPDATE: I just made another pair!

From this:

To this:

Next, I'm going to try some wool diaper covers for the new baby out of the leftover wool. That looks a little more involved, so I'll let you know how it goes.

Ever tried these?

So, I think we're going to cloth diaper with this baby. Of course, he'll be in disposables when he's a newborn, but the cloth ones should fit pretty soon (especially considering my babies are on the large side, heh heh). And I just may start Scott on cloth here pretty soon, too. I hear it's good for letting toddlers know they're wet in anticipation of potty-training.

I've been really intimidated by all the options (and expense! $35+ for a set of two fancy cloth diapers, plus the price of the flushable refills) out there when it comes to cloth diapers, but I think this doesn't sound too hard:

Old-fashioned pre-folds ($12 for a dozen at Wal Mart),

vinyl pants (also about $1 a piece),

and, instead of pins, Snappis

($2.50 a piece, but I think it's totally worth it to spend $10 and get 4 fasteners that I know won't pinch my boys).

And this way, if sometime in the future we decide cloth diapering isn't for us, we've only invested about $60 (instead of $1000, as some of my cloth diapering acquaintances have done!). And also, the cloth diapers can be re-used for burp cloths, so they wouldn't be a loss.

I may also try my hand at sewing some of these wool soakers. I'll have to be on the look-out for wool sweaters at DI and garage sales this summer.

So, anyone have any tips for me? I haven't started amassing the supplies yet, so it's not too late to tell me the pros and cons of cloth diapering, especially if you've had some experience in it. :)

Candlesticks before/after

Remember these?

Now they look like this:

And I just need to decide what color candles to put in them.

And since I had the camera out, Scott showed me the location of his eye...

...and ear.

Christmas in Review

Typical "Barrus family on the stairs on Christmas morning" picture. Some of us were more ready than others.

Scott took this one himself. He loves "pee-shoos" (pictures). That's our Christmas tree and DI stockings in the background. Now that I'm feeling a little better, I'd really like to make thesecute ones for our little family (thanks for the inspiration, Anna!).

Sweet play tent that folds up.

I braved Black Friday at Toys R Us (which experience, incidentally, was WAAAAY better than crazy Wal*Mart) for this deal. Scott loves it.

Hooray, DI toys for cheap!

Scott opened this present first-a "Big Brother" T-shirt. That is not a social commentary. :)

At Uncle Seth's High School basketball game. Scott was quite frustrated that he could not go down on the floor and shoot the baskets with the big boys.

Projects

First of all, hooray for the end of the first trimester and starting to get some energy and motivation back! I am lucky and never throw up when I'm pregnant, but I do spend most of those first few months on the couch, exhausted, hungry, and nauseated (and in a very bad mood, if you can imagine :). Poor Scott! But now things are starting to look up, and thanks to all your cold-weather ideas and great Christmas presents, Scott and I have some fun activities ahead of us.

But I think I'll tackle this little project first: updating these used brass candlesticks that Brandon gave me for Christmas (lest you think he's a poor present-giver, I asked for them :) with some black spray paint. Here's the "before":

Some other things I have planned:

Decorating Scott's room with Backyardigans bedding, wall art, and curtains

Setting up the basement as a play area for Scott

Organizing all the clothes Scott's grown out of recently

Deep cleaning my fridge and bathrooms

OK, so I don't know that any of these are really all that exciting to anyone but me, but I'm just so happy to actually feel well enough to do some of these things that I had to share. :)

OK, so this isn't a deals or couponing blog, but...

...this deal is just too good not to pass along.

50 FREE photo Christmas Cards, with FREE shipping.

Get 50 5x7 or 4x8 photo cards with free shipping.
Coupon code freebies4mom-1109 expires on November 30th.

You need to create an account with SeeHere.com to upload

your photo(s) and to be able to use the coupon code.

Thanks, Pinching Your Pennies!

I chose to do the 4x8 size, because these will fit in a standard long envelope which takes only one stamp to mail. It's easy to slip a family newsletter in with it that way.

I'm not sure if these cards come with their own envelopes--on one page of the site, it said they did, but I didn't see anything about it when I checked out. Mine should be here next week at the latest, and that's before the code expires, so I can let you all know.

Happy free photo card adventures!

First-ever scrapbook pages

I'm pretty proud of myself;  these three pages and the mini-album of Maria's bridal shower are the first scrapbooking I've ever done.  I've wanted to scrapbook forever, but I had to, you know, do homework, take care of a newborn, etc.  Now I'm finally having a little free time all to myself, and here's what I've come up with:

I had more pictures than I could fit on the page, so I used this nifty little mini-album.

I love love love my double-tipped write anywhere Martha Stewart Scrapbooks pen I picked up at Wal Mart on clearance.  It even writes on transparency without smearing!  Joy!

Hooray, Brandon graduated, too!

 

Stay tuned for pictures of our finally-all-unpacked-and-put-together condo.