Thinking Positive

Wow, February FLEW by, or is it just because I'm severely sleep deprived!?! ;)

Well, today is the last day of Mami's & Papi's February "LOVE" & Happiness Challenge. Even though I didn't write much here, I was constantly reminding myself every day to think positive. I will admit there were times that I told myself, 'I don't care, I don't want to be positive right now'. That's ok, because I realized I can feel that way, but to get over it and move on. :)

I would like to thank Mami's & Papi's for everything they do, for us their customers, and also those of us who consider them a friend. I have been able to come to them with my night time cloth diaper delema and they have been there to give me suggestions. If it weren't for them, I never would have met a wonderful mommy who is helping me figure out how to solve my heavy wetting lil boys night time leakings. Thank you Ashley, you have been a great help and friend. :D

I would like to say that this month has had a lot of ups and downs for me, but I have also grown in a way that, if it weren't for Mami's & Papi's challenge, I wouldn't have taken on my own. Thank You Mami & Papi!!!! :D

Positive thinking, you haven't seen the last of me!!! ;)

night time cloth diaper woes

For a couple months now, I've been trying to completely switch over to cloth diapers. Day time, no problem, but night time has been very challenging!! :(

Gavin is 5 months old, tomorrow, and gets up 4-5 times a night. :/ I have been using disposables, but end up changing him once a night and he tends to leak with those almost every 3rd night. gah!!!

So I have been hearding that hemp is great for heavy night time wetters, pair that with wool covers and it've heard it's bullet proof!! So I bought some Hemp Babies Diaper Doublers and Hemp Babies Little Weeds.

After the hemp arrived, I first tried a flat wrapped around a hemp doubler, topped with a flip cover, it held, but was WAY too bulky!! Then I tried a hemp prefold stuffed in a Rump a Rooz, which didn't last the night.

So I asked, on Mami's and Papi's facebook page, and a sweet mama, Ashley, did a blog post for me!! :D you can read it here

So I promptly ordered some Babykicks Prefolds and Sustainablebabyish Organic Bamboo Fleece Doubler. Then I waited, impatiently, for the package to arrive!! :)

When it arrived, I promptly threw them in the washer and prepped them, about 4-5 times in hot water. I was excited to use them that night, so I diapered my boy, just like Ashley did and covered it with a Flip cover. During a couple of the late morning feedings, that I could feel something damp on my arm, which was resting on his side. I thought nothing of it, and figured he was swetting.

When I changed him in the morning, I noticed that the prefold was peeking out of the Flip cover on his sides, where I had felt the dampness!! Even though it was way too bulky and ended up peeking out of the cover, it kept his pj's and sheets dry. My lil guy seemed uncomfortable with the bulkiness of it, so I decided to try something different the next night.

Last night, I decided to try a Hemp Babies Little Weed prefold folded around a Sustainablebabyish bamboo doubler and cover it with the Flip cover. Making sure to tuck the cloth under the flap on the Flip cover. Well, half way through the night, he had soaked through the front of his diaper. :(

So, right now I am frustrated and not sure where to go from here. So I am asking/searching for more ideas, so hopefully the next time I write, I will be able to tell you what combination works for us!! :)

pre-review, a lil history into my interest in herbs

I can't remember a specific date when I became interested in herbs, I'll have to ask my mom about that. ;) I think I was in high school and I think it all started when I started having back issues, which my mom thought was just me wanting to get out of doing the dishes, lol!! My mom had started going to the chiropractor and decided to take me with her and see what the chiropractor thought, whether I was just faking it or if I just happened to really have problems. Everyone was so skeptical that I almost chickened out, but I'm so glad I didn't!!!

The chiropractor took x-rays before he started working on someone. Well, imagine everyone's surprise when he brought the x-rays into the exam room. My spine had s-curves starting from my neck all the way down to my tailbone, which was also 'out'!!!! I think I had a total of 4 curves in my back, and you would never have known it from the outside!!! :o

Once I started going regularly, I started feeling a LOT better. My mom and I then started looking into natural ways to 'cure' colds and minor ailments. My mom and I also went to a herbalist who ran a test on us that showed what areas our body was overfunctioning, underfunctioning, or was normal. (I still have those results!!) :)

Needless to say, the herbal remedies we had to buy to help correct our bodies was pretty expensive, no big surprise there!! So we started looking around and researching more herbal cures that we could easily get or make ourselves for a lot less.

Researching information has changed a lot!!! When I started researching herbs, I had to go to the library and check out books and spend hours reading. I don't think I reatained much, considering I either didn't understand it or it just didn't pertain to our situation. Today I can Google an ailment or herb and get all the info I need, have it ordered and know how to prepare it in under an hour!!!

So where does my review for the Bulk Herb Store fit into all this??

Well, about 10 years ago, my mom started getting "No Greater Joy" in the mail and we started following their family. When they started the Bulk Herb Store my mom and I started ordering herbs from them. We knew they had pure and natural herbs and trusted ordering from them. You can read about how the Bulk Herb Store got started and how Shoshanna took over the business, here. My mom and I order herbs from them a couple times a year, they have a lot of great herbs, books, dvd's and more.

I admit, I love making tinctures, salves, poultices, etc, but am reserved about jumping into it like I would like to. I am just unsure about which herbs are best together and which should NEVER be combined, and when making your own herb mix, is more better or less?? There is SO much to absorb when it comes to herbs and their healing properties, how to extract those properties without destroying the beneficial properties, and how to store them to retain their benefits for their full 'life' span.

This brings me to my review of 'Making Herbs Simple' vol 1. I have wanted this dvd since it first came out and I can't wait to watch it and soak in all the valuable info!! :) They also have a vol 2, which I also want and will probably end up buying after I finish the review!!

Whew, that was a lot longer than I expected!! This is my story, in a very big nut shell of how I got my love of herbs. I will be surprised if anyone reads this whole thing, but if you do, let me know what you think!! :)

Thinking Positive??

Ugh, I hate to admit, this has been a LONG and DIFFICULT week. :/

Even though I haven't been doing so well in the positive thinking department, I have been dealing with 'speedbumps' with a MUCH better attitude!! :)

I had a good dose of 'this is what it looks like to be impatient' moments. I was at the PX the other day getting some infant tylenol, which is impossible to find!! There was a lady infront of me with quite a few items and she seemed in a hurry. The cashier seemed to not be feeling well, so she was moving slow. Well, the lady, checking out, was antsy, she kept looking at her phone, and at one point, I noticed her 'lip speak', "come on hurry up"!! I felt really bad for the cashier, because I could tell she wasn't feeling well.

I noticed that when you are impatient or upset with how someone is doing something, it takes away your feminine beauty and glow.

So, aside from being good for your health, having a good attitude and patience is also good for your looks!! :D

My 1st review showed up!!

Now to just find some free time to watch it... lol

I'm so excited, I've wanted to get this dvd for months now!!! I can't wait to watch it and gain more knowledge in a big interest of mine...herbs! :)

Keep checking back and I hope to have it up soon!!

Thinking positive #2

This one came as an utter surprise to me.

I never would have imagined that sleeping on the floor and getting up every 2 hours for a month would be a great thing!?!

Ever since having Gavin, I abhore mirrors... They remind me that I STILL have my girls gift of twin skin and muffin top. :/ I don't have the drive to work out every day...or is that just a side effect of exhaustion?? hmmm ;)

Well, I just happened to glance in the mirror last week and my muffin top is almost gone!!! Woo Hoo!!!! :D

So, yes, getting up about 6 times a night and doing a form of stomach crunches to get myself and a sleeping 13 lb boy off the floor and into his bed, will help you tone your stomach!!! :)

Thinking positive #1

So far, I have done horribly at the whole thinking positively, but I knew it wouldn't be easy!! lol

Today I had to call our realtor, who is very nice, and we were reminiscing over the weather. It's has been VERY cold and we had 2 whole 'snow days' earlier this week, which has been interesting, here in Missouri. The realtor said, "well, you shouldn't complain, we have had worse weather.." and I said, "I'm just glad I'm not at home, in Montana, it's FREEZING there!! It's much warmer here." She said, "That's a very good way to think about it!!"

I am truley very glad that it's warmer here, I'm a chicken for cold weather and am always freezing, lol!! So, I had my 1st true positive thinking, wonder what the next one will be about....

A February "LOVE" & Happiness Challenge

The challenge is from Mami's & Papi's. They are a military family that carries cloth diaper and baby items and are a lot of fun. ;)

They have a monthly contest for their followers to do and they get entered to win some really great prizes. Here's parts from their post off their Facebook page, so go check it out for yourself here.

"So what is the M&P challenge all about? Every month we do something a little "more" to challenge ourselves. It could be a special request challenge (a sister or brother is dealing with some challenges and needs support) or something that is just lots of fun to see if we can DO IT!

The month of February is the "Valentine" month. The month of love!! But this is not a love your spouse or love yourself challenge.... NO, this is a love your Life challenge!

For the month of February ---- EVERYTHING that happens .... you will think positively! Need some explanation and examples --- here goes!"

"EVEN if you are happy person --- all it takes is one negative unloving second to let our day go to the pot. Negativity can eat us alive!

Everything gets on your nerves. Your pizza came cold, your husband or wife hasn't paid "enough" attention to you, your kids drew on the wall, your fluffy package came in and was missing something (LOL), your life is falling apart, the bills are piling up to the ceiling, the cable went out, the internet is to slow, the mom down the street "MUST" be talking about you, the play group is too unorganized, it's the teachers fault, the doctors a goober, the police officer was speeding too, she thinks she's so awesome, I can't do anything right................. It's my party and I'll cry if I want to.

The challenge is simple ---- each time a negative thought crosses your mind --- YOU STOP IT! You tell yourself NO. I am going to think positively and nothing is going to let me down. NOTHING! It profits ZERO to have ANY negative thoughts. Sometimes negative situations happen --- but our attitude can either make us survivors or sufferers.

If possible --- try and keep a HAPPY diary of how life is awesome.... even when it's not! :-)"

Now if you know me, you already know that I'm a 'pessimist, glass is half empty' type of girl!!! So this challenge, even if I don't win, which I REALLY do, will, I hope, help me get away form my negativism and focus on all the POSITIVE in my life!! :D