Giveaways Open Now Until the End of June

Well since I had so many giveaways open I thought that this would be a great way for me to be able to offer you the ability to find them all.

I have the following:

 Summer Cloth Dipaer Giveaway Hop giveaway which is valued at over $200

Mattie Cake's Nail Polish

Maja Baby Hair Clip Set

Simply Cloth Nursing Pads

$15 Gift Certificate to Love1111

Little Bitty Bug Soaker

SewingSilly Pocket Bib

Streamline Design Mini Moon Decal  

CONTEST OVER--WINNER CLAIMED PRIZE!! Referral Contest....$69.50 value so far (more prizes could be added if I get offered something)

Hi all..I am still trying to decide on the perfect prize package for the person who sends me the most followers.  So let the contest begin.  Just link your follower friends to me at this posting.  Then all you have to do is have them tell me who sent them.  I will be announcing a winner June 30th! 

I will be adding items to be offered as a prize for this one as well as we go along.  I'm looking forward to seeing who you send and in being able to give away the prize package that I am coming up with.

I will be updating this post with the prizes. 

First Prize...$10 egiftcertificate to Sephora.com.  This is one of my favorite shops because I absolutely love being able to play with make up and having worked at Sephora I am a huge Sephora fan.  :)  This is one of the items that is going to be self sponsored on here.



Second Prize....$15 gift certificate to love1111 on Etsy.  I love her goodies and have a review of some of her amazing items.  You can use this gift certificate towards one of her more expensive items or pick out of her less expensive items for no cost to you at all.  There are so many things that I love here at all.  Here are a few things that you could use your gift certificate for or towards.

   



Third Prize....bib from Little Bitty Bug on Etsy.  Here is a link to the review that I did for the shop.  I loved so many of her things.  The bib is valued at $8.

Fourth Prize Mattie Cake's All Natural Nail Polish in bright/neon pink.  You can read my review of Mattie Cake's here.  This is self sponsored and valued at $7.


Fifth Prize City Stic "It's Raining Cats and Dogs" wall decal set valued at $29.50.  You can check out my review of them here.

Total Prize Package Valued at...$69.50 so far

Busy Week

Sorry I've been MIA.  I have not been able to sit down this week and get online.  It has been crazy, litterally one thing after another and I am going crazy!  So I just wanted to let you know that I will update over the next two days as I am sure that I will have some time with my iPhone.  I am going to be headed to see Phish.  I am so excited.

I lost 17 lbs in 30 days with Body by Visalus

So if you know me personally you know how hard my journey to my skinny jeans has really been on me.  I have never been super skinny and have always battled extra pounds but never as bad I have after the births of babies number 3 and 4. 

When I graduated from high school I thought that I was so fat when in reality I was a healthy size 12.  I know that this size might be huge for some and might be something that others call fat but for me that size was great.  However because I became so obsessed with what society and others had to say about me I ended up trying to lose weight from this size in any way that I could and a lot of them were vey unhealthy ways that I beleive have permanently damaged my body.  I tried to starve myself and when I would binge I would purge.  This landed me in the hospital but I was only weighing 130 lbs so in a way I didn't care how sick that I was.

Fast forward a few years and I had my son and was with his dad who was mean and abusive to me, mentally and emotionally.  I packed on the pounds.  I was 155 lbs when I became pregnant becuase I had gained some weight with a pregnancy that I lost late term.  I then was depressed and turned to food to make myself feel better.  I was unhappy with the situation that I was in and even more unhappy with who I was.  When I became pregnant with Andrew I gained 95 lbs by the time that he was born.  That's right, I weighed a whopping 250 lbs the day that he was born.  I quickly lost most of the weight and hovered at the 180 lb mark or a size 14 for years.  I was still unhappy and after getting out of the relationship with his dad I was finally able to shed some pounds. 

It was during this time that I met my second ex husband who was not as bad as the first but was still not the right person for me.  We ended up getting married quickly so that I could move to Indianapolis to be with him.  It was great living there and I was happy and I dropped ten pounds quickly and stayed between 165-170 lbs for most of the time.  When things in our relationship started going south I started gaining weight and I got up to 190 lbs again.  I was so scared of hitting that 200 lb mark.  It was around this time that we decided that we were going to separate.  I then met Shane and my weight started coming off pretty easily.  I got back down to 155 lbs and then became pregnant with Althea.

While I was pregnant with Althea I gained a ton of weight again and ended up at 253 lbs by the time that she was born.  I was huge again but after she was born things were going smoothly in my life and I lost the weight quickly.  I was back down to 173 lbs by the time that I got pregnant with Huxley.  I gained some weight with him, not as much as with the first two but I was still 247 lbs when he was born.  I was huge again but this time after having the baby the weight did not fall off.  It was a struggle and I continually tried to lose weight only to gain it all back.  I lost down to a low point of 207 but had gained ten pounds back so that I was 217 lbs when I became pregnant with Miss Adeline.  I didn't gain as much weight with her but I still topped out around 257 lbs when she was born.  I was thankful that I did not gain as much as I had with the first two because I would have been over 300 lbs and I have no idea if I could have handled that emotionally or not as this was hard enough.

After giving birth the first part of the weight came off with ease.  I was down to 227 lbs and that was the point at which I stuck this time.  I would lose weight and get as low as 222 lbs and then put that 5 lbs back on.  At one point I thought that I would never again be able to get smaller and that I would be stuck at this size 16 for the rest of my life.  This was when I discovered Body by Visalus.  I had attempted a bunch of other things to lose weight but nothing was working. 

I attempted a 90 day challenge, became frustrated and quit.  I then was strongly encouraged by my distributor Jeremiah who helped me to become what I am today....stronger.  He was so encouraging that when I felt like giving up I was compelled to give the challenge another try.  I started again and I will be honest I did not really put forth the efforts to lose weight during the first three weeks.  One thing after another seemed to be stacked against me and I just could not lose the weight.  However 9 days ago I clicked.  I started doing yoga every day on my Wii fit and I started eating a clean/mostly vegan diet.  I feel amazing.  My lifelong stomach ailments (chronic constipation to the point of having to take something like magnesium citrate just to go to the bathroom) were miraculously gone and I felt great.

In the first 7 days I lost 12 lbs.  I am here to admit that I am real.  I am just like you and I am going to struggle through these next pounds.  I decided that setting my big goal to weigh beween 125 and 145 lbs was just too much for me to think about.  So I decided to start smaller and set my first goal at weighing less than I did when Adeline was born.  I passed that goal this first seven days.  Then I put my mind to passing my next goal which is to be at my pre-Huxley weight of 173.  I have 37 lbs to go until I get to this weight. 

After I reach this goal I will be working on getting to my pre-Althea weight and then my dream weight.  I can not believe how easily this all clicked for me and I know that it can click for you too.  I believe in the product so much that I have become a Body by Vi distributor.  You can visit my webpage and get more information or you can email me.  I am happy to tell you about my journey and I would be more than happy to help you along on yours or to help you with your goals to be able to lose more weight.  Anything that I can do to help you get your weight loss and health goals in place, I will be willing to do.  Just contact me.  Even if you do not think that Body by Vi is for you, you are welcome to contact me about cleaner eating and how my journey to becoming a vegan is going.

No Adventure this Wednesday

Well, we skipped our adventure this Wednesday.  We are going to go to the movies on Friday though to see Brave.  All of my kids are actually excited about this which is odd because they are not usually all wanting to see the same thing.  Often times Althea only wants to see the girly girl stuff and Andrew wants to see the stuff for bigger kids.  However this time these two agreed.  As far as Hux is concerned he does not go to movies often so he is excited any time that I decide to take him.  The only thing that I wish is that I could find those extra 3D glasses that are lying around somewhere.  I would love to have a pair for the baby because I do not want her eyes to hurt from looking at the big screen.  This will be the first movie that she is going to since she has been able to really notice things, watch and realize what's going on.  Anyways I will update with some of our weekly adventures and be posting a ton of additional goodies in the next few days.  I sure hope that you enjoy.

Spotlight Cloth Diapers, Inc.

Cloth Diapers Inc is a great company that features a variety of different products for your cloth diapering needs. 

There are many different choices of cloth diapers offered by Cloth Diapers Inc.

Some of the brands that they feature include the following








There are many others as well.  You could probably find nearly any brand of cloth diapers that you mgiht be interested in using if you go to their website.

In addition to the cloth diapers you will find that there are many other items offered at Cloth Diapers Inc.  There are a lot of great products available for potty training.  Plus you can purchase inserts and doublers, diaper pails and totes, wipes, and much much more.  If you have not already visited Cloth Diapers Inc then you should because I can promise you that you will not regret making this decision.

Of course I would like to share with you my favorites from their shop and the things that I would be buying if I had the extra money at this time.  I hope that you enjoy going on my dream shopping spree with Cloth Diapers Inc because I sure enjoyed going on it myself.

 





Of course my shopping list could have went on and on but I had to pull the plug somewhere so these were just a few of my favorite things.

Do you like what you see from Cloth Diapers, Inc make sure that you like their Facebook Fan page.  If you do then you will be happy to know that they have generously offered us a CDI zip tote and a Fuzzi Bunz PS for my giveaway that is a part of the Summer Cloth Diaper Giveaway Hop.  My giveaway package includes over $200 worth of goodies for the winner and there are a variety of additional packages from more than fifty total blogs.

Spotlight Dear Baby Donna Creations

Dear Baby Donna Creations is a small business with a lot of great offerings.  They offer a variety of different products that include cloth diapers and covers.  They are another shop that offers a great selection of fun fabrics. 

I love these Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles diapers that she made for one lucky customer.



And since I am quite the nerd, I believe that every little boy needs a Star Wars cover.  I must admit tihat even though I am a nerd and I think that this is super cute I am not a fan of the Star Wars movies.  I like a lot of sci fi stuff but these movies are just not for me, but I would have the diaper if I could.



In addition to their diapers they offer a variety of other products.

I really am quite fond of her tag blankets, like this one.




There are also wipes, nursing covers, car seat covers, mei tai style baby wraps, snuggle baby wraps, baltic amber teething necklaces, receiving blankets, toddler blankets, burp rags, and bibs.  So she can really make you anything that you could possibly be interested in.

Since there are so many great items available to you I love that I get to offer you a $10 gift certificate to her shop.  She has generously offered this gift certificate to be a part of my Summer Cloth Diaper Giveaway Hop giveaway.  The giveaway is valued at over $200 and has a variety of different sponsors.

Spotlight Review Wild Mountain Mommies

I love love love love my Wild Mountain Mommies ruffled diaper cover that I was generously offered to review.   I am so thankful that I was offered such a great cover that was such high quality and so very cute.  I love it, can you tell?

I actually loved this one so much that it was used when my daughter took her 6 mos old baby pictures.

These are the two favorite shots from our session with my favorite photographer Sara Mathre.





I am also very pleased to announce that Wild Mountain Mommies was generous enough to offer a cover in a print of the winner's choice for the giveaway.  This is being added with the other items that I was generously offered for the Summer Cloth Dipaer Giveaway Hop and is part of the prize package that totals over $200.

Wild Mountain Mommies is owned by Christina who is mommy to two wonderful children.  She works part time as a hair dresser and part time as a WAHM (work at home momma).  She started the company shortly after her daughter was born.  She had felt frustrated when she had her son in cloth diapers because he was a big boy and would quickly grow out of different products that she would try.  She was tired of all of the leaky diapers.  So when she had her daughter she decided that she was going to give making her own a try.  She admits to having a time period of trial and error.  However once she had a great product that she loved, she knew that others would love it too.  Staying at home has allowed her to spend more time at home with her children which she loves.

Spotlight Review Sunbaby Size 1 vs Size 2 Diapers

Sunbaby Diapers have long been a favorite of mine.  I love them.  I was so glad to have discovered them nearing the birth of number four.  They are so cute and something that I really like.  I love that the Microfiber inserts hold up and are super absorbent.  I also love the price point because they are so reasonable.  You can order them their website but they are not really carried by any retail stores.  I've heard a lot of people complain about the length of time that it takes to get them but honestly I love them far more than you could imagine and am super happy with all of this.

I have a few things to state first off about dealing with Sun Pei from Sunbaby Diapers.  This momma is awesome and so willing to help you if you have questions.  She is also very kind and generous.  I am so glad that I was lucky enough to work with her and get to know her.  I know that some mommas out there like to keep things in the US and I can certainly understand that desire but I have to point out that Sun Pei is a hard working individual just like many mommas who own companies in the United States.  I have thoroughly appreciated getting to know her.

I originally contacted Sun Pei to see what the differences were between the size 1 and size 2 diapers.  I was curious.  I have tiny kids so both my two and a half year old and my baby fit easily in the size 1s so there was no real need for me to look into the size 2s but I always like to learn about new products and updates.

Here are a couple of shots to show you the difference in a size 1 and size 2.

Here is Miss Adeline in a size 1.  She is 5 1/2 mos old in these pictures and approximately 14 lbs.  You will see that both of the diapers fit her well.  However it is my opinion that the size 1 fits a bit better.  Of course I would want to point out that if you have chunkier babies or babies with thick thighs that I would highly recommend the size 2s.  I would also consider what age the babay was when purchasing these.  If you were buying for a newborn then I would highly recommend going with the size 1s but if you are buying for an older baby then I would highly recommend the size 2s.

And here are the size 2s.

You can kind of see some leg gaps when I was moving her around in the size 2s so that is why I said that for us the 1s would be my choice at this size.  I am sure as she grows that I will love them both equally as well.

Please check out the summer cloth diaper giveaway hop and enter for your chance to win a size 2 Sunbaby diaper in Circles print.  I love these sand would love for you to get to try them out as well.  Plus remember that the total value of this giveaway is over $200 so you could really give your stash a make over or if you are new to cloth diapers you could get a nice starter stash going.

Spotlight Review Modified Momma Creations

Modified Momma Creations is one of those websites that I head over to drool at.  I can never get enough of the goodies that she has on there.  Plus she has the greatest fabric choices that I have ever seen.  I swear if I had a ton of extra money laying around we would be purchasing a stash of fitted dipaers and a lot of mine would be from Modified Momma Creations.

Perhaps the biggest reason that I love these diapers so much is that I love all of the amazing vintage fabrics that she has available.  I really would love to get some of the following prints made into diapers.

This is the only place that I have seen anything with the Snorks on it.  I have been looking for some time because of trying to explain this classic favorite cartoon of mine to my little ones.



I have a slight Popples obsession.  You will notice this is a common theme when you check out other posts that I make in the future.  I actually have a Popples bag that I currently carry!



These have got to be the CUTEST boy bunnies ever.



I love this Hello Kitty fabric since it is not the same one that you see eveywhere.



I think that this one is super adorable as well. 



Of course there are a lot of other things that I love about the creations.  Recently I was lucky enough to get some of her wipes sent me.  I love them too much to make them our "butt" wiped so we have actually been using them as our wipes to clean the little ones' hands and faces.  I am a big finicky and refuse to use the same wipes for both purposes.

I will add in some pictures of these later.  I can't find my camera and the boy needs to dump some pics from my iPhone because I am stuck and can not post more.  I will update with a new post that has some pictures of the wipes though because they are super cute.

Modified Momma Creations is work at home single mom, Nicki's dream to be able to take care of her children and still be able to spend time with them.  She has three children, two boys who are 7 and 9 and one girl that is 21 mos old.  She believes strongly in living an eco friendly lifestyle and tries to the best of her ability to put this to practice in her home.  She does everything for the company, which was established in February of 2011, herself.  She maintains her excitement as the company grows. 

Review--BabyFables

When I found out that my BFF was preggo I had to order some of the cute belly stickers that I had seen so many mom's from my DS board use.  I sure wish that I had some of these with each of my kids because I love the idea of the onesie stickers.  It is the one thing that I did not have that I am super bummed about now because I know that I am not having any more.

Anyways it was through Baby Fables that I got to know the own Christine so when I got the opportunity to review some of her other products I was really excited.  I was lucky enough to get to review one of her family calendars, which I hang on my refridgerator and love by the way and placemats for each of my kids.  I have used them for about a month or so now and I love them all.  I do need to get more organized with the calendar but I have so many things going on at the moment with the home redecorating that I think that it will be easier to keep track of this when I have some extra time on my hands.

Christine is from Ontario, Canada where she lives with her eleven year old son and husband and runs Baby Fables.  She has always enjoyed scrapbooking even since before her son was born.  In addition she has enjoyed computer design so it was only natural that she combine the two.  The result has been some pretty awesome onesie designs, waterproof labels, iron on appliques, personalized placemats, and onesie stickers to name a few.  Since she enjoys coming up with fun and unique designs she is constantly adding to her collection of products.  She likes to thank her "wonderful customers" for her success and being able to stay home to work.  Christine's goal is to make customer service at Baby Fables top priority and feels blessed by her wondeful family and the success of the business that she loves so much.  She truly was everything that she claimed about herself and so much more as I got to know her.  I felt like I had known her forever and like she was actually one of my friends.  This is not something that I would say about most people because I feel like I am a hard to get to know person but Christine was able to make me feel that comfortable.

The family planner that I got was personalized and created for my family.  I love that all of our names are on there and that she was kind enough to not put a last name on the top since Andrew has his dad's last name.  I love that it helps unite our family and once I am using it on a weekly basis I will be able to use it to help my kids learn how to stay organized better than their momma.  I am trying to instill values in them that I wish that I had been taught.  My own momma is a natural organizer so it is not hard for her to do things like this.  For me on the other hand this is a problem and her style of teaching or just doing was not one that I was able to pick up or learn to stay on top of.

In addition to the family planning calendar she was generous enough to allow me to review four of her placemats, one for each of my children.  My oldest looked through her designs and decided that he liked this one the best.  I think that the designs are cute even though in most cases I am not a fan of themed things.  This one was not nearly as bad as most of them.

Now my Huxley is a fan of another popular cartoon and this one just happened to be his favorite.  I thought that it was cute as well.

Of course my baby, who has no say in things, was lucky enough to have her momma pick hers out.  And guess what I got?  Yep, you're right...an owl themed one!!

Althea picked out this princess one.  She is definitely our little princess and she liked this one the best.  She also loves pink so I am sure that this was part of her decision. 

She has many additional placemats and calendars for you to choose from should you decide to order from her.

Now it's time for me to show you all of the other things from Baby Fables that I would personally buy if I were to have all of the money in the world.  There are so many things from this shop that it has actually been kind of hard to limit it some for the purpose of not overloading my readers.

I love the idea of these handy and adorable closet organizers however I am not in the position to use them because I do not have enough closet space but to store the sizes that my little ones are actually wearing. 

I sure wish that I had these organizers when Althea was a baby because I had way more closet space then and actually hung up the clothes in different sizes all at one time.

She also sells some adorable iron on transfers like this one. 




Some of the creative monthly onesie stickers that I have seen are in her shop as well.  Take this set, for example, don't you just love the mustaches that have been added to our friend the owl.




I love these adorable birthday party invites too!!



So as you can easily tell I love Baby Fables and all of the great things that they have to offer.