post pregnancy weight loss regime | The BiB Awards 2015 and a question

post pregnancy weight loss regime

Votes for the Brilliance in Blogging Awards, hosted by BritMums, are now officially open, and its your chance to nominate the best blogs that you love. Apart from that time I mistook getting nominated for a Liebster Award as a blogging Oscar (you can read about that little mistake here), this is the first time in my very short blogging life that there are actual award nominations open.  Woop woop!  

Now to be quite honest, there is alot of competition.  And I mean alot of competition. There are so many talented writers and bloggers out there that I have thought of not writing this post at all.  I often doubt my writing ability and question my blog.  But, my page statistics tell me a different story.  Somewhere, somehow, some lovely lovely people actually take the time to read and comment on my little blog. So, whilst this post may only serve as a reminder to my mum to vote for me (thanks mum), Im publishing this post regardless.  Whilst I would LOVE any nominations, at all, writing about the awards is also an excellent chance to celebrate the blogs I love too and share my nominations.  There are lots of different categories, so heres my nominations and a question for you...

Inspire Category

Without a doubt I nominate the lovely Katie from Pouting in Heels.  Her blogs are truly inspirational and so uplifting.  She is a very gifted writer. I adore her blogs and her attitude to life. I highly recommend a look at her fabulous blog here. 

Social Media Category

For me, there is one blogger who really engages on all social media platforms. Whilst I am still getting to grips with Google plus, this lady has all aspects well and truly covered and she is very supportive of sharing and helping other blogs too.  Its Victoria from Verily Victoria Vocalises.

Writer Category

My nomination here has to go to Brummy Mummy of Two.  This lady is hilarious and her blogs keep you hooked.  When I first found her blog I think I spent a whole afternoon reading.  She is not only a fantastic writer and actually makes me laugh out loud, but she also is a champion of not beating yourself up and taking parenting in your stride.  

Photo Category

For this category I nominate Kate from Mummy, daddy and me.  I have a slight obsession with her and her blog.  She shares the most gorgeous pictures and has a very inspiring blog which is so pretty and yes, I may also stalk her on Instagram. 

Family Category

This is a really tricky category as there are so many blogs that I read and love. But I have decided to nominate Potty Mouthed Mum. I find her blog very open and honest and just a pleasure to read.  

Outstanding Category

Without a doubt I think Honest Mum should win this award.  This lady is a truly talented blogger and has the most beautiful site and blogs.  She is also so supportive of other bloggers and it really shines through. You can tell she works so hard to deliver amazing content daily.  If you want to see how a professional blogger does it, this is your lady. 

And finally.... Fresh Voice Category

Hmm...do I dare? Yes, yes, I do. This is the category for new bloggers, celebrating new content and blogging style.  And here is where I ask you to consider voting for me (feel free to vote for me in other categories, but I felt this might be a good one).  I have only been blogging since July 2014, and I feel my blog and writing style has really evolved in this time. I may just be a tiny spec in a vast ocean of other bloggers, but I hope that if you do enjoy my blog you would consider voting for me. You can find all the details and the voting form here at Britmums Brilliance in Blogging Awards 2015.

I wish all the other amazing bloggers the best of luck, and as always, thanks for reading, 

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weight loss during pregnancy causes | Week 2 of cloth diapering a newborn

weight loss during pregnancy causes

We are on our second week of cloth diapering baby #4 and it is going great! Seriously. I dont know how long we are going to cloth diaper-- we have gone into this with a very open mind-- but my husband and I both agree that if it continues to go as it has been, we are going to be cloth diapering for a long time!

I wrote a blog post a little while ago titled "Cloth diapering budget." That post added up the cost of cloth diapering versus disposable diapering. Weve had a few expenses added to that list since then. We had not yet ordered a sprayer. We ordered a OsoCozy Cloth Diaper Sprayer from Amazon for $39.95. I also started having a hard time with baby #4 leaking through his diapers at night. He was going 4-5 hours between feedings and the hand-me-down Gerber prefolds werent doing the trick. I bought new Gerber prefolds and had the same problem. I went back to my local baby store and explained my problem. She recommended that I buy Bummis Organic Prefold Diapers, the organic prefolds she sells in her store. She said the organic diapers are more absorbent and that many of her customers will come in and say their Gerber diapers are leaking. I was a little skeptical. How could the organic prefolds be that much better than the Gerber prefolds? I bought 5 at $2.50 a piece ($12.50 total) just to try out-- BIG DIFFERENCE! I tested the diaper out and he went 5-6 hours without leaking in the organic prefolds, without any extra lining. I went back to the baby store and bought 10 more organic prefolds ($25 for 10 + the $12.50 of the other 5 = $37.50 total for 15 organic prefold diapers).

My total cost in the "Cloth diapering budget" post was $290.54, adding in the 15 organic prefolds brings it up to $328.04, plus the diaper sprayer brings it to $367.99. (Worried that all my Gerber prefolds will go to waste? Nope-- we use these as burp cloths!)

Now that the numbers are out of the way, how have we been cloth diapering???

For the newborn stage, we have decided to use the organic prefold diapers and the Thirsties diaper covers. We have a diaper changing station all set up to make cloth diapering at home as easy as possible, plus an awesome well-stocked diaper bag which makes cloth diapering on the go so much easier.

 

Here is our diaper changing station:

 

And our diaper pail, which is just a Rubbermaid step trash can from Target, with a Planet Wise diaper pail liner:

 

 

After much consideration, we decided to use cloth wipes at home. Logistically, it just makes sense. When you are cloth diapering, you are already throwing cloth diapers into the diaper pail... Where would you throw the disposable wipes? So for now we are using cloth wipes. I had a big discussion with the gal at my local baby store and she stores her cloth wipes dry instead of mixing up the solution and storing them wet. I decided to also store ours dry. I mixed up a solution and put it in a spray bottle. Looking for a cloth wipe solution? Check out this link: "Cloth Wipe Solution Recipes" at Zany Zebra Designs. I went with the Castille soap solution but with more tea tree oil and more water since we have such a large spray bottle; weve been happy with it.

 

 

To protect baby #4s modesty (and because I doubt he would have liked participating in this photo session), our "baby" is Peter Puppy, our oldest sons favorite stuffed animal. Peter Puppy has been through a lot since he is usually quite busy playing with our five-year old.

 

 

Before I open up the diaper, I like to set out the supplies I will need. You do not need to change the Thirsties diaper cover every time you change a diaper. I like to lay out the prefold and have it folded, ready to go in the diaper cover.

 

 

I made most of our wipes by cutting up old receiving blankets. This is the size of the wipe I have currently cut. I fold it into fourths and then saturate one side with the wipe solution.

 

 

I spray the wipe before I start changing the diaper.

 

 

I then lay everything out nice so that I can start on the diaper and wont have to rummage in the diaper caddy for anything. I then pull back the Thirsties diaper cover...

 

 

...and cover the groin area with a cloth wipe. If you have ever changed a newborn boys diaper before, you know why I do this.

 

 

The newborn diapers arent usually very messy to clean up and Ive generally only needed one wipe, sometimes folding that wipe in half if I need to.

 

 

Since the wipe usually isnt all the way wet, I use it to pick up the prefold and put it in the bin.

 

 

 

When I first went into my local baby store to talk to the gal about cloth diapering, she told me that for a lot of the newborn/breastfeeding "stinky" diapers she didnt even need to rinse them because they werent that messy. I was very skeptical and didnt really believe her... but it really is true. Some of the diapers do require to be rinsed. Now that baby #4 is 2 weeks old and growing a lot, he doesnt have a stinky diaper every time we change him. Most of the diapers are wet or only a little messy. For the really messy diapers, it is usually about the time to change the Thirsties cover anyways, so Ill pull the whole thing off baby #4 and set to the side while I re-diaper...

 

 

...and since our changing station is conveniently in the large hall bathroom near the toilet, I use our nifty diaper sprayer to rinse it off.

 

 

Since I only have two hands, I couldnt quite get a picture of holding the sprayer. I just angle the diaper down into the toilet and spray it off-- no touching or scraping or whatever required. Just spray it off. I know that cloth diapering is often frowned upon by people, "Ew, I could never do that." I have to say, with this being our fourth child, I have cleaned up far worse with the other three (and they all wore disposables). Taking complete care of another human being-- even a small, newborn one-- is a very hands on experience.

 

 

I like to fold the diaper up after spraying it so it doesnt drip when I go to throw it in the pail.

 

 

When I get the diaper back over the pail, I like to let it fall in piece by piece so it doesnt go through the laundry all folded up.

 

 

After changing the diaper, stinky or wet, it is time to re-diaper. I lay the clean prefold in the Thirsties cover...

 

 

...and fold back the top so that it is most absorbent in areas that it needs to be.

 

 

 

Then I cover the prefold with the Thirsties cover and snap it closed.

 

 

 

It is really important to check the leg holes to make sure that the prefold is completely covered by the Thirsties cover. Since the prefold is what is absorbing everything, if it sticks out of the cover, you will have leakage. This is the prefold sticking out of the Thirsties cover...

 

 

...and this is what it should look like.

 

 

Now we have a happy Peter Puppy in a clean diaper! :)

 

 

Obviously cloth diapering at home with a changing station is convenient. How easy is it out of the house? When we leave the house, I use disposable wipes and diaper sacks. I keep the diaper sacks in the outside pocket of my diaper bag next to the diaper pad. I like the changing pad to be handy and the diaper sacks accessible since I use them so often.

 

 

 

Inside my diaper bag, I keep 4 prefolds, 1 Thirsties diaper cover, my disposable wipes, and my wet bag.

 

 

 

To change a diaper while out, I really like to have everything laid out and accessible. I do not want to be digging in my diaper bag while my baby is on a changing table in a public restroom, cloth diapers or not. The baby would be on my changing pad, but these are the things I need when changing a cloth diaper out of the house: wet bag, diaper sacks, disposable wipes, and a clean prefold.

 

 

I open up all the bags so I dont have to when I am changing the diaper and lay out the prefold, just like I do at home. (The prefold is under the wet bag in this picture.)

 

 

I then take off the dirty prefold and put it in the wet bag and set the wet bag aside.

 

 

I use disposable wipes while out of the house because it is the most convenient for me for now. I like having disposable wipes on me also because wet wipes are very handy when you are out with toddlers (sticky hands!). I drop the used wipes into the open diaper sack.

 

 

 

From there, it is pretty much the same to change a diaper while out of the house or at home.

 

 

When the diaper is changed, I throw the diaper sack with the used wipes away and zip up the wet bag with the dirty prefold inside. I fold up the wet bag as much as I can and put it on top in my diaper bag. When I get home, I empty the wet bag into my diaper pail. Since I am just changing newborn diapers, which arent very stinky, I have not needed to wash my wet bag after each use. Eventually I think I will need two on-the-go wetbags. For now, one is working and the times I have needed to wash it, I have been able to do it in the evening after we are home for the night.

 

 

 

The laundry question comes up often when cloth diapering. Here are the answers to the two most frequently asked questions:

 

Dont you have to do a lot of laundry?

This is our first time cloth diapering any of our children, but this is our fourth child. As a family of six, we do a lot of laundry. Since we already do 1 or 2 loads a day, this really hasnt changed our laundry pattern. I make sure to do a load of whatever is in our diaper pail each day and that has worked out great-- havent run out of diapers yet! :)

 

Isnt that...gross?

No. As I said before, taking complete care of a human being-- even a small, newborn human being-- is a hands on job. You can see from the pictures that I am not elbow deep in, um, waste while changing a cloth diaper. Honestly, what bothers me more is burping our little guy and him spitting up in my hair... yuck! :P I dont know if it is because this is our fourth child and so diapers just really dont bother me, but sometimes when I do a load of diapers from our pail, I just throw the diapers into the wash and dont pull out the wet bag liner. Sometimes, if it is exceptionally full or weve changed many stinky diapers, I pull out the whole liner and empty it directly into the washer, pulling the wet bag liner inside out before tossing it in too. Since the diapers arent messy and I rinse the ones that are, Ive had no issues with a messy washing machine. Our washing machine is, however, full of evidence from his older siblings: KNex, Legos, Matchbox cars...

 

Ill be sure to keep you all updated on our adventures in cloth diapering! So far, so good. :)

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post pregnancy weight loss routine | Quicksmart BackPack Stroller Review

post pregnancy weight loss routine

Toddlers only have little legs (obviously!) and I find that my daughter, who is now nearly three, starts off the day wanting to be very independent and walk everywhere herself. What we both tend to block out is that her legs only carry her so far, so after approximately 30 minutes I end up carrying her, and end up with an aching back and juggling things in my teeth.  Our original pram that we bought when she was a baby does convert to a pushchair, but we find it quite heavy and cumbersome now and not ideally suited to a heavy toddler. I blame its poor manoeuvrability on the many toes I may or may not have ran over. This year, we are very lucky in the fact that we are doing lots of travelling, so we thought we would invest in a light weight pushchair.  It needed to be lightweight, easy to fold and put up and also compact.  

After much research we found the QuickSmart back pack stroller and it is fabulous. What immediately drew our attention was that it folds down and fits into an over the shoulder bag.  We thought this was perfect for times when our daughter wanted to walk so we could actually comfortably carry the stroller.  

Its extremely lightweight (7.5kg) and folds out into a stroller in just three easy clicks which you can actually do with one hand, and if youre interested, whilst taking blog photographs. It folds down in another three clicks, but I found you need both hands to do this.

We trialled the stroller on our recent trip to Paris and it was perfect. Because it is so compact, it is ideal for storing in compartments and we found that when in its bag, it neatly fitted into the overhead storage on the train. We also found it great on the underground for times when we struggled to find lifts, we could quickly take our daughter out, fold the pushchair, pop it into its bag and then walk onto an escalator. 

It handles really well and you can steer single-handedly which is no easy feat with a heavy toddler sitting in!! There is a tiny bit of storage underneath and a pocket to the back, but to be honest, we really didnt want that much storage space.  It also comes with a rain cover and a safety harness, and the seat has an upright position and then a reclining position.  

I think this stroller is the perfect partner for travel and its great for that stage of being too big for a pushchair but not quite being able to walk everywhere. I really recommend it. QuickSmart is an American company so you do have to search for where to buy. We found the stroller on Amazon here.  

Even Pablo gives the stroller his paw of approval. 

Thanks for reading and have a fantastic weekend, 

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weight loss during pregnancy concerns | Welcome to the world baby 4!

weight loss during pregnancy concerns

Our newest family member has finally arrived and we are over the moon for him. Welcome to the world, baby #4!

He was born weighing 9 lbs 4 oz! This is a record for our family. His three older brothers weighed 7 lbs 14 oz, 6 lbs 6 oz, and 6 lbs 5 oz. However, they all look like duplicates of each other. I put together this collage of all four of our boys as newborns. Im obviously over the moon for these boys!


Even better, today our boys met their new brother for the first time. My husband and I were very unsure how it would go, not just meeting the new baby, but also bringing 2 3-year olds and a curious 5-year old to a hospital. We were also worried how our toddlers would feel seeing Momma in the hospital and saying good-bye to me here when their visit was over. Our fears were unfounded! One of our toddlers cried saying good-bye to me, but my hubby was quick to pick him up and give him hugs and the sorrow of leaving Momma was quickly replaced with an Altoid mint. :)

I really thought my heart would burst seeing them love on their new brother. Our oldest barely put him down the entire visit. Surprisingly, the toddler most excited about a baby didnt want to hold L, but our toddler who has been against another sibling from day one did!

We let the boys take charge of the visit. We didnt want to push the baby on them or make them feel like they had to do anything they didnt want to do. In fact, our toddlers spent much of the visit looking out the window. Apparently trucks are cooler than baby brothers....

Our oldest wouldnt be distracted by anything. He was 100% focused on giving his littlest brother love. I really think he loves babies as much as I do. His spirit is so sweet and so compassionate... I love being a momma to boys...

One of my favorite parts of their visit was getting love from our toddlers. One of our boys (the one who was against another sibling) is a self-proclaimed mommas boy. As soon as he burst into my room, he crawled up in my lap to tell me he loved me. Later on, our other toddler joined him. It just filled me with such joy having my family with me here, loving on me and our new baby. I look horrible in this next picture because I couldnt help but tear up at our boys outpouring of love.

I say it all the time, but I love being a mom. I love this job and the adventure my husband and I have been on, parenting together. Each stage has brought us new challenges, new heart ache, new frustration, new joys, and new ways to love on our kids. I wake up each day and look forward to seeing our boys faces. I feel so incredibly blessed to have this new little one to love on. Getting all our boys together today and seeing them at these different stages-- a kindergartner, toddlers, and a newborn-- I was reminded of all the different things I love about their ages.

I love that our 5-year old wanted to be a big man, holding the baby on his own and being trusted to do so. It was so important to him to hold that baby right, without any ones help. He wanted to pick the baby up on his own, wrap the blanket around the baby, talk to the baby on his own... It was beyond precious. He brought a board book with him to read to his new brother. I am so proud of him and love watching the boy (and man) he is becoming.

I love that one of our 3-year olds, C, was uncertain of the whole situation. From the moment he entered the hospital room, he didnt know what to think. He had fallen asleep in the car and was tired. He didnt know why Momma has to stay at the hospital, who this baby was, why everyone was so excited... It was overwhelming to him so he clung close to his safe place-- his daddy. My husband was so calming to him, so understanding, and C slowly warmed up to the whole scene. He loved listening in on the book D brought and loved all the snacks and snuggles I offered him.

And then O. As I said our other 3-year old climbed right into my lap as soon as he came in my room. He was thrilled to see momma and happy to claim my lap as his place. He started talking about how the baby wasnt in my tummy anymore right away (though all the boys agreed that my tummy is "still big"). He crossed his little legs at the ankles as he made himself at home in my lap. "Guess what, Momma?" "What, baby?" "I love you." I love how with everything going on, he tuned it all out and focused on loving on his momma. He told me all about how our neighbors made pancakes with them this morning and all the fun he was having with them. It was fun listening to him fill me in on his day.

Ah, and then our newborn... One of my favorite things about newborns is how easy it can be to solve their problems. When hes crying he is tired or hungry, but most of all, he wants to feel safe, be near me. I can put my hand on his face and say, "Im here; its okay," and he calms. I can visibly see him calm just by being near him. His little hand squeezing my side as he nurses... I love it. I love that I am enough. I am all he is asking for, just being there. My other boys want that too, that sense of security, that Mommy and Daddy are right there by their sides, but their problems arent always as easy to solve now as scooping them up and hugging them. There is a beautiful simplicity in infancy.

My heart is full right now. I am experiencing one of those times where all I can think of are the blessings in my life. Arent those the best times? I cant stop thanking God for this outpouring of love. Besides the obvious blessings, I have to give credit to this amazing Bible study a friend of mine plugged me into called Good Morning Girls. The theme for this study is "You are Loved." I love the support that my study has given me over the past couple weeks as I struggled with the late third trimester in the summer heat of the South and a house bursting with active children. This study helped shift my attitude from complaining to praise. I have the verses weve been discussing flying around in my head as I look at our newest bundle of joy. It floors me how much God loves us. Looking at this babys face, I struggle to justify my complaints over the past couple weeks. It was a frustrating and uncomfortable time for me, understandably, but, oh, it was worth it. I would do it again in a heart beat!

Lamentation 3:22-25
"Because of the Lords great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."?

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