A Year With Mom and Dad

Cloth Diaper Friday :: bumGenius FreeTime at Thanks, Mama ~ Giveaway

Published May 11, 2012 | By Julie Kieras

Squirmy toddler? Yeah, I got one of those! My son thinks it’s hilarious to let me get halfway through changing him and then try to sit up, roll over, run away…

I’ve been reaching for my “easy” diapers lately when I’m too tired to chase him! Get the diaper on and off him quick! A great new “easy” diaper for me is the bumGenius FreeTime!

The bumGeniusFreeTime diaper is an all-in-one, one-size cloth diaper many cloth diapering mamas have been waiting to see.

If you are familiar with bumGenius4.0 Pockets and the Flip Diaper System, you will note many similar features in the BG FreeTime. I have grown fond of all my Cotton Babies products!

This All-in-One diaper has two sewn in flaps similar to the Flip Stay-Dry Inserts. One is sewn down at the front, and one is sewn down at the back. Then they overlap to form two layers, or fold each flap under for three or even four layers. I like this concept because you can create extra layers where you need them.

The outer shell of the FreeTime is nearly identical to the bumGenius4.0. I thought it fit more trimly though. The one-size aspect of the diaper is very much the same with three levels of snaps that give you three different sizes. My son, at 28 lbs, wears these either on the medium or large setting – depending on if I add any extra stuffing under the inserts for nap or bedtime.

The FreeTime comes with snaps or hook and loop closures; I chose the hook and loop so I’d get the fastest diaper change option out there!

For me, I find the laundering of All-in-Ones to be the most deterring factor to getting more. They need to be line-dried to protect the PUL covers, and of course, this takes longer. However, the flaps can fold out, helping with dry time; if I pull mine out of the wash before I go to bed, they are dry by morning.

At $19.95 each, (about $2 more than a regular bumGenius pocket), it’s a little pricier to build your stash with all-in-ones, but they are a handy diaper to have at least a few in your overall stash, because they are so convenient.

Find the bumGenius FreeTime at cloth diapering stores like Thanks, Mama! A family-owned cloth diaper / natural parenting store in Boston, MA. Since the Thanks Mama team uses many of the products they sell in their own lives, they give their customers a vast store of knowledge, helping you find practical and economial solutions!

WIN IT: One lucky reader gets a BG FreeTime diaper in color of choice (from available stock) ARV $19.95. Enter in the Rafflecopter form below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

GIVEAWAY RULES: Open US. 18+ to enter/win. Winner will be emailed directly and have 48 hours to respond to claim their prize! Ends 11:59 on May 21, 2012. Fulfillment handled by Thanks, Mama. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook.

Thanks you Thanks, Mama for sending a diaper to review and offering a giveaway prize. All opinions are my own and 100% honest.

Posted in cloth diaper, Current Giveaways, Giveaways, review | 9 Comments

My breastfeeding hero is…

Published May 11, 2012 | By Julie Kieras

Guess what? It’s not the front cover of TIME magazine. This may shock and anger some of you but read on to understand why:

It’s not about the cover mom’s choice to breastfeed longer than most. Or to breastfeed without a nursing cover. Or be photographed while breastfeeding. It’s not about her, really. It’s about the poor perception of breastfeeding this photo creates.

I don’t believe this photo represents the true concept and reasons for breastfeeding.

I don’t believe it represents how I personally feel as a breastfeeding mama.

I don’t believe it supports moms who breastfeed (no matter how long).

I don’t believe it creates cultural acceptance of breastfeeding in our US culture that sexualizes women’s body parts and cannot see beyond that to the natural, biological purpose of breastfeeding.

I don’t believe it accurately captures how the majority of most women breastfeed (guess what, it’s not with a bold stare and a bared chest!).

I don’t believe it portrays breastfeeding as a natural and normal way to nurture and feed your baby.

In a culture that fails breastfeeding mothers, creating negative and highly sensationalized publicity around breastfeeding will not get you into my Hall of Fame. Sorry.

So… who IS my breastfeeding hero?

…the mom who tries anything to reduce the pain of breastfeeding so she can continue.

…the mom who attempts, even if she fails.

…the mom who suceeds no matter for how long.

…the mom who can’t or isn’t interested in breastfeeding but doesn’t tear down the idea for other people who are.

…the mom who blogs or talks about her breastfeeding experiences with other moms to gain and give support and information.

…the anyone who doesn’t whisper, giggle, blush, look askance at a mother breastfeeding in public (or try to arrest them for public exposure).

…the companies that provide special rooms for nursing moms to pump or feed their child (especially if they are labeled with the global icon for breastfeeding, NOT with a bottle! LOL!).

…the fashion designers who are starting to understand moms would like functional AND fashionable nursingwear for the 6 weeks, 6 months or longer they breastfeed!

…the lactation consultants, nurses, doctors, and breastfeeding specialist who stay well-educated on the topic and dispel common breastfeeding myths.

…the dads, brothers, friends who support moms who breastfeed (whether by keeping other children occupied while she nurses, telling her she’s doing a great job, giving hugs, doing a few chores since breastfeeding takes quantities of time, giving mom some extra time to sleep, making sure she is well-nourished… there are so many ways to support a breastfeeding mama!).

My breastfeeding hero, in fact, just might be YOU! It’s all of us when we come together to positively and purposefully support breastfeeding women!

Who is your breastfeeding hero? Comment or write a post and link up here:

This hop is hosted by Erin of The Slacker Mom and co-hosted by Marah of Happiness Redefined and Lori from The Gnome’s Mom.

Posted in about me, breastfeeding, motherhood, opinion | 10 Comments

You know mama’s an English teacher if… ~ BabyLit Giveaway

Published May 10, 2012 | By Julie Kieras

…she oohs and ahhs over Baby Shakespeare books

…she tells you she’s going to have you “write that in your journal” when you do something funny

…she corrects your grammar before you’re even two years old

…she explains how words can function as both nouns and verbs when you are confused by her using “train” as a verb (and ignores the blank stare you give her)

…she happily recounts your quoting Alice in Wonderland when Daddy gets home from work

…she can’t wait to read more BabyLit titles to you at bedtime

Yes, it’s true, we’ve been immersed in a new set of classics over here, thanks to BabyLit!

This series is genius, and I wish I had thought of it myself!

Much like the previous two titles in the BabyLit series, Little Miss Bronte’s Jane Eyre is a “counting primer” that details the scenes from this classic piece of literature beautifully! The illustrations beautifully fit the time period of the story and are finely detailed. Your child will count through the basic framework of the story of “One Governess” and her Mr. Rochester.

I was pleased to see the Baby Lit Little Master Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland departs from counting into the world of colors! My son struggled recognizing certain colors, and I fully believe reading this book helped him recognize a the similar colors like black, brown, and purple! (He’s still figuring out yellow!). You can actually retell the Alice story right from the White Rabbit, through the colorful bottles Alice finds (my son loves when I read the labels “Blech!” and “Ick!”), and of course the Red Hearts. (And, I know, Wonderland can be a terrifying tale, but it’s easy to boil it down to just the fun details with this picture book!).

The other day, my son was playing nearby and I heard him quoting the Blue Caterpillar, saying, “Whooo are Youuu?” It was so funny to know he’d learned that from our reading!

Reading the classics to your child becomes exciting and refreshing with the BabyLit series, and will cultivate an interest for quality literature while they are young. Each BabyLit title is a heavy duty board book that retails for just $9.99, and is perfect as a gift item (I would’ve wanted these before I had children, honestly, they are that clever!).

What do you think of these classic literature picture books?

WIN IT: One reader receives a copy of each of these BabyLit titles! ARV $20! To enter leave any topic-related comment below! All generic comments like “Enter me” or “I want to win” will be disqualified.

GIVEAWAY RULES: Open in US only. Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm May 18, 2012. Winner will be emailed directly and have 48 hours to reply to claim their prize. Prize fulfilled by Gibbs-Smith.

Thanks to Gibbs-Smith for providing review copies and also offering a giveaway! All opinions are 100% my own.

Posted in book, Current Giveaways, education, Giveaways, review | 49 Comments

That Time We Took The Binky Away ~ miYim Simply Organic ~ Giveaway

Published May 10, 2012 | By Julie Kieras

It’s been about two months, and I’m finally ready to write about “that time we took the binky away.” Which is how hubby and I remember that very difficult and sleepless 6 weeks or so!

Yes, we decided when our son turned two, we would dispense with the binky. I was nervous. I kept telling myself it would be okay because he only used the binky for sleeping, and was fine without it the rest of the day.

We talked about it with our son for weeks… how he was a big boy. He didn’t need the binky. Binkies are for little babies… oh and he bobbed his little blonde head, “yes, yes, yes, Mommy.”

Then. One night, we had him gather up all his binkies and put them in a bag. (It’s still in my bathroom drawer – who is more attached!?). With extra rocking and singing and loving, we put him to bed.

The crying ensued. And the next night. And the third night, he was fine. Phew – we breathed a sigh of relief as for three or four days, he went to sleep with nary a fuss.

Then. It was like he’d been waiting for us to bring the binkies back and when he realized that wasn’t happening, a full-scale meltdown began. We began about 3-4 weeks of complete sobbing whenever I put him down for a nap or bedtime. It was heart-wrenching because it wasn’t angry or defiant sobbing, it was pure baby-sadness sobbing. He never asked for his binky. But, unless he was teething (we wondered but to date NO new teeth have appeared), I am pretty sure the lack of a binky was the issue.

One thing we tried was giving him a transitional object – we had received an adorable sleeping frog plushie from miYim Simply Organic toys, at just the perfect time! We talked about how Froggie slept without a binky and so could he!

I don’t know if our son was impressed by that or not. But one thing’s for sure, he does love his little animals, and he welcomed Froggie into the herd with love. (And possibly a few nibbles on Froggie’s leg!).

We finally saw the hystrionics at bedtime die down. We’ll never know what made our son stop crying for his binky. Probably just time. Still, we were happy to have little Froggie to bridge the gap.

I love the muted colors of miYim’s plush collection - the colors are from their Pure Water Wash process, derived from natural plants and minerals. And, all their toys and infant products are made with certified organic cotton. So the only thing touching baby’s skin is gentle, organic materials!

The miYim Simply Organic line includes licensed plushies from Disney, Dr. Suess, Jane Goodall and more! The infant line includes lovey blankets, rattles and other nursery items! Find miYim brand organic toys at major baby retailers online and in stores! Prices range from $12-22.

How did you get your child to give up their binky?

WIN IT: One reader gets their own miYim plush toy – choice from the miYim FairyTale Plush Line! ARV $21. Enter in the Rafflecopter form below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GIVEAWAY RULES: Open US. 18+ to enter/win. Winner will be emailed directly and have 48 hours to respond to claim their prize! Ends 11:59 on May 17, 2012. Fulfillment handled by miYim. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook.

Thanks to miYim Simply Organic for sending an item for review and offering a giveaway! All opinions are my own and 100% honest!

US only giveaway