Cold weather

        For some reason cool weather makes me have the uncontrollable urge to nest and prepare for winter.  We never actually get snowed in or have super harsh winters but the urge is there non the less. There is just something about made from scratch food, fluffy blankets, good movies and cuddles on the couch.  The first snow fall is expected sometime this week, So that’s means gathering up apples and getting them canned for the winter.  Currently processing about 2 bushels with more to come.

One of my favorite kitchen additions has been this electric roaster. Although don’t get me wrong, my stove is amazing but with 8 people in the hose I am pretty much constantly using it. The stove and washing machine are in competition with each other.  I am only partially kidding.  

Applesauce Will be made and canned for the munchkins, while apple butter will me made for Christmas presents. This year our family has chosen to do all handmade or locally bought presents! I’m not opposed to box stores, I just love the idea of keeping it local . 

Apple butter in the making.

The final result was 8 quarts of apple sauce and 9 pints of apple butter. 

The kids have devoured about 2 quarts and a pint of apple butter already. Their newest love is homemade yogurt, which is okay with me because its soo much less suagar and a lot cheaper to make. 

first in a while

   Hey Guys,

  It's been a long time... almost a year since I posted on here, mostly because I feel like a not so well blogger because my grammar stinks, my spelling can stink but for the most part spell check does it's job. All I can think of is all the people that talk about grammar and it being an inadequacy.  Well, for starters I am trying to learn but that isn't going to stop me from trying to type my thoughts out, it does get pretty crazy trying to keep them all in my head. My first restarting post is something that has been on my mind for a few days now, and I really think someone, somewhere needs to understand that they aren't the only ones out there. So here goes nothing:




Ever since I was little maybe 6 I wanted to be a mom, I had all these plans of what I wanted to do, where my kids would go to school, what their names would be, what they would dress like and what I would cook for supper. Well, needless to say only 1 of those things came true, I am a mom to 4 amazing kids and 3 beautiful angels. However, I can't say I am a mom with enthusiasm like I want to, but rather with a love and a sense of failure.  

   The sense of failure probably isn't near as bad to my kids as it is to me with things like  Pintrest, Facebook, Instagram, and blogs motherhood has become something more than a dream its become a something to brag about.  There is that dark cloud that looms, If I dont do... then I must not be good enough. If my kids can't.... then I must not be teaching them enough.

What isn't talked about is those days when you wake up and your heart is aching because you realized you are now in the 10th year of your oldest child's life and all you can remember doing is trying to make a magazine perfect house, a pintrest worthy craft, an other ribbon on the wall from the last baseball game that your kiddo competed it. How on days when the pain from those things bothers you so much you sit in the bathroom and cry.  How on the days when  your life is so crazy and spinning out of control, you serve cereal for supper three nights in a row. Then you pause, breathe, and thankfully look at the mouths full of  cereal with milk dripping down their little chins and behind it you see a smile.  That smile, is one of the most reassuring smiles you could ever see. It is going to be all right, no one was given a manual on how to do this motherhood thing, not one person is going to watch their daughter walk down the aisle and thank pintrest or facebook for giving them the perfect tips on how to raise their kids.  Rather, as you watch your children fly from the nest your going to sit back and remember those days of cereal, sticky floors, toy filled bath tubs, and when you wake up to get a drink in the middle of the night... you may just never feel that one escaping lego on the bottom of your foot again.  Those are the moments that will remain in your memory. 

 I guess what I am saying is through this all your failures aren't as big as they seem, its not time to try to fix what you screwed up but rather change what tomorrow holds. The words you use, the feelings you make your children feel, the things you do together even jamming out to some weird song on the radio while stuck in traffic, those will be the most impactful. Instead of trying to create the perfect childhood, the perfect house, the perfect family.. the one that is pictured in your head that is no where near what its actually like.  Take a moment to breathe, to say yes to one more bed time story, to say I love you an extra time and to offer a few more hugs. 

Dear mama, breathe, relax, know that it's ok, you will mess up, you will lose your temper, you will forget to thaw out dinner, or mail that bill that was due 2 days ago, which might I add now has a perfect coffee stained circle on the envelope. It's all going to be ok, you've got this!


I want you all to know that by no means do I have it all figured out and my life is far from calm and peaceful. Yep, I still get mad and snap at my kids when supper is 30 minutes late and the noodles just won't cook. You will probably find a dirty sock or two on my floor somewhere, and if you stop by for a visit I won't guarantee that the toilet I just scrubbed hasn't been  messed up by kids or that you wont find a floating toy in there :)

Life as I know it.

It all started when my two year old came to me and and said "Mommy, scoop it dump it broke". Well for those of you that have a two year old and their favorite toy breaks beyond repair you know its only a matter of time before one of two things happens. They cry uncontrollably or the seek revenge. Well, my son deemed it best to seek revenge. That revenge was not so pretty. In my case it involved perfect timing for mommy to have to go to the bathroom and older brother watching him. Walking down the stairs after doing so.. I noticed it was quiet, too quiet! Yes, silence is quite frightening when it comes to children. All of a sudden I see that adorable little face, the face that looks at me as says "mommy chocolate milk." Looking at him, then at the floor I noticed little brown foot prints all the way to the kitchen. In the middle of the carpeted floor lay a perfect pile of Hershey syrup. With little dancing foot prints all through it. This was the day that I woke up ready to get some deep pre-spring cleaning done before my son's rummage sale for his medical expenses. Well needles to say that came to a halt when I know have to scrub rugs. Did I mention that my rug scrubber doesn't want to suck any more, well other than the hand attachment. I sat there in the middle of my living room scrubbing up tiny foot prints. Yes, angry but still embracing how little he still really is. Those little feet won't be in my house much longer, before I know it he will be off to college. In my momentary sentimental state, I remember that my scrubber sucks at sucking. Light carpet, cold weather, well if it stays wet for long it will get those nasty "dirty" marks on it which is really just from too much water exposure. So on top of scrubbing my carpet I blew dry the carpet to avoid those little marks. unconventional? Yes but did it work? Yes. It might sound as if I am complaining but in reality, I am not. I am simply writing this to let you know that when your house is a mess, Supper is burning in the oven as you struggle to get the tantruming 3 year old off the floor because she can't have a cookie. Your baby is screaming because he wants to nurse, the phone is ringing, the smoke detector decided to alert you supper was done, your six year old is crying because their homework is too hard and they want to watch their favorite TV show. You think, finally in 15 minutes my husband will be home and I can hide in the bathroom long enough to check facebook or text your friend back from last week. You get that phone call that he is going to be late because of traffic. That's when it happens you break, you snap, you slide down on your refrigerator crying.. Wondering what the heck am I doing? How the heck can these little 4 foot high humans cause so much stress, so much work in a matter of minutes, yet, I love them more than life itself? Well, remember when you are in those moments, those days.. it only lasts for a little while. God, chose you CHOSE YOU to be their mommy. Nothing can replace a mommy's touch or make a kiddo feel better. It's your kisses, your lap at night when they don't feel good, its your smile that they need. God put each one of us here for a reason and when the times get tough call on Him. Let them see you cry, pray, stand firm in the grip of His grace. Life isn't always pretty, It isn't always what you want it to be.. but it's your life, the life God gave you and the life He wants you to live out. Live it out beautifully, live it out bravely, live it out for Him.

Discipline: My way or God's Way!

Discipline is a subject I often struggle with. Harsh words, quick to get angry, or just walking away. I stumbled upon a book " Shepherding a Child's heart." Reading this book with prayer made me realize how can I correct sin with sin? Now I'm not saying that it's OK just to let kids misbehave but rather to put a biblical approach on discipline.

There are so many chances in a day to teach a child what it means to be a child of God. When I am disciplining I don't just want to teach my kids to be good but rather what it means to be godly. Over the past year, 2 of my children accepted Jesus as their personal savior, now it is my role to teach and to train them what it means to be a child of God. Through prayer and communication I have started to effectively discipline my kids. Last night we sat down talked and prayed, together we came up with 15 rules or rather family values to abide by. Each new value came with Bible passages to back it up with. We now are working on some of what God expects from us, these values aren't easy not even for me. Even the no whining I struggle with! I have no idea how many times I walk to the kitchen sink and think to myself (even thoughts are sin) "man I have to do the dishes again!" OK so i don't stick my lip out and make the annoying sound but it is still whining none the less. Through my kids learning that I am told by God to discipline and praying for me while I pray for them things are starting to become easier day by day for me. God is so faithful! There truly is light at the end of the tunnel as long as you rely on God!!

Carseats :)

Oh my this is one of my most favorite topics to talk about. From correct installation to extended rear facing! In the US 6 out of every 10 deaths vehicle related deaths are due to improper carseat use.

Lets talk about rearfacing for a moment. According the the AAP it is recommended to rear face until 2 years of age. The law states 1 year and 20lbs which is hopefully going to be changing in 2012.

1.) A rear facing carseat is designed so that the carseat absorbs the shock of impact. When A child is forward facing
2.) A young infant/toddler's head is disproportionately large and heavy for their bodies, and their neck muscles are not completely developed. Due to those two facts, it is more likely that a child will 1. sustain a disabling or 2. life-threatening spinal cord injury when riding forward-facing instead of rear-facing in the event of a collision, or worse both!
3.) But their legs touch the seat!! Even though it looks uncomfortable it is actually more comfortable for children to ride rear facing. Why? It's rather simple because of the angle they are bent at when they just aren't quite tall enough to fold them at that 90 degree angle over the seat. Legs also have a higher tendency to get hurt in a forward facing accident versus a rearfacing child.

4.) Remember just because their legs are longer than the carseat (mainly pretaining to infant bucket seats) doesn't mean they have out grown their seat. Providing they still hit the weight requirements and their head is more than 1" away from the top of the shell then they are great! :)


I am to a extended harnessing advocate but that is a different discussion for a different day. I am going to go over some tips that are quite often forgot about before I leave you though.

winter coats winter coats are the worst thing possible when it comes to a carseat. Don't believe me then go strap your child in his seat with a winter coat on, pull the straps as tight as you can, then take the coat off and buckle him up.. What do you get? straps that are huge on him. When in a car accident the coat is often compressed and the slack well could be lethal if traveling fast enough. There are numerous ways to get around this. Carseat ponchos are great they are a lot like an "old lady" shawl but are now made out of uber cute fleece, some fleece can even keep kids warm 25 below 0. When it is super cold out how often does the car stay that cold? Mine I mostly heat up for them so the only time they are really getting cold is from the house to the car.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNGT9eBL_gg

You can also remove the coat put them in their seat and put it on backwards. The second option is removing their arms, buckling them, then zipping them up.

third party products Head rests, seat protectors, toys, all these amazing things that attaching to you car seat... or so you think. Did you know if installed on most carseats these items will void warrenty and also propose a danger to your child. Some infant bucket seats come with supports and if they do are perfectly safe to use however if not manufacture made then these pose a danger. Thing such as hard plastic sunshades that go on the window can detach from the window and pose a risk. Infact a local police officer was telling me that he arrived at an accident where one of these devices actually impaled the child in the head and killed him. So be aware of what you are adding to seats.

expiration dates But car seats don't curdle right? Your right on that one but did you know that overtime plastic breaks down and micro-fractures occur, the fibers in the straps break down and can tear.

most of you know that carseat when involved in any accident need to be replaced. This is because of micro fractures in the seats, too much pressure on the straps, or even the harnessing system can cause failure if involved in a second accident.

washing your seat Refer to your users manual for this one but remember never ever use harsh chemicals on the straps of a seat, also never submerse them in water because this can cause the straps to break down or dry rot.

Remember to that not all firefighters or cops can answer your questions. They are not all certified to do so. Only 3 officers in my local state police are able to install seats. So you can call your local State police office and they will answer any questions as will your manufacturer of your seat.

1year of the good the bad and ugly: personal cloth reviews

Today I am sharing with you my experience of the good and the bad on my cloth journey. I will tell you the good about each diaper and the bad that I have found... I will also be sharing some pictures with you :)

First up is a sustaibale babish/sloomb. This has been my all time favorite diaper. With 2 layers of organic cotton through the day and and extra doubler for the night it keeps baby's bum happy and leak free. The only down side I have noticed is the run smaller but not bad. I love the fact that they now come in different colors. You can also purchase these is snap or snapless. It is so soft you can rub in on your cheeks :P.

Next up is the G-diaper. This is probably my least favorite. It is ultra trim but the cloth inserts are expensive and the disposable one are just as much and disposable diapers. I never had an issue with leaks, this is one I would recommend to the semi-eco conscience parent. To the parents that are cloth diapering for money saving reasons I wouldn't recommend the G-diaper system.

This is a made by me flannel pocket with a microfiber insert. For beginner sewers this is a super easy pattern and the absorb quite well. However once your dear one starts peeing in volumes past the baby stage they can become quite saturated and smell. The smell does wash out but like I said not for big babies.

This is also a made my me diaper with flannel, crushed panne, and PUL. I use a variety of inserts. I have never had leaking issues with it but I have never used it as a over night diaper either.

With Uber cute prints gen-y makes some pretty awesome side snapping covers. they will cover a fitter or pre-fold. When using prefolds with this cover you will actually have to fold them because they don't work to easy with the tri-fold method.

Ahh, the rump a rooz my first experience with pocket diapers. Can I just say I love them. They do run small because my 13 month old is on the last rise setting and weight a mere 18 pounds. They come in newborn sizes known as lil joesys.

Thirsties duo diaper. I was not too sure on these at first. they have 2 inserts a cotton one and a microfiber one. I'm neutral one these I dont like them but I also do not dislike them. They do their job and do it well. but not my fave.

Thirsties duo size cover. I like these I really do. They come in quite a variety of prints but also solids. My favorite are the snapping ones because once your little one learns to explore, the velcro/aplix sound causes curiosity and you may find your little tyke sporting a nakey bum.

the flip system. Ok so this is cool because it goes from tiny to potty learning stages. You have your choice to purchase the system with organic cotton inserts or stay dry microfiber inserts. I chose the microfiber inserts and like them however my favorite part of this system is the covers. I have heard a lot of mama's say they just buy the covers because they are awesome.

Bum genius 3.0, I got this diaper used at a kid to kid and found they are pretty neat. They start little probably around 8/9 lbs depending on how your little one is built. They absorb great. They have great customer service for problems you may incur
when the aplix wears and the elastic wears you can purchase a repair kit for a whopping one dollar. :D

Bummis beautiful basic.

You can purchase bigger kits but I happened to recieve this one as a gift. They run big but are uber easy to use. They beautiful basic pack comes with 1 wrap/cover and 3 organic cotton prefolds. These are very much capable of using the tri-fold method. Infact thats what they are met to do.

osocozy prefolds. Love love love prefolds. I thought I would hate them but they are my favorite diapers. Easy to use, easy to care for.

Cloth diapers: buy used

Cloth diapers are such a great way to save money. Starting your "stash" can be expensive, but being able to start your "stash" cheap is even better. I'm going to list a few terms below to help you sort through buying a used stash. Tomorrow I will be doing a review of all the diaper brands i have tried to give you a bit of a heads up.


NWT- new with tags
NWOT- new with out tags
EUC- Excellent used condition
GUC- gentle used condition
pc- price check or play condition
NIP- new in package (on a lot of cloth diaper trading sites this could also be referred to as nursing in public so make sure you read)
FSOT- for sale or trade
PP- pay pal only
PPD- often times you will see $x.xxppd this is the price including the shipping


For now these are the terms I can think of.
www.diaperswappers.com is a great place to buy used diapers. If you have any questions feel free to message me.