Mommy's Favorite Things: July 2010



Friday, July 30, 2010

Babee Greens Review & Giveaway




This is probably my most favorite cloth diaper yet. I LOVE it and it's the first one I reach for when the wash is done. 

We received the Growing Greens Cotton Diaper and a sample of the Washing Greens Detergent. They also sent along a Doubler. I got all this from Babee Greens

This is a one size diaper and here (below) you can see 2 ways it can be snapped. Avery is 28 pounds and this diaper fits to 40 so the snap row needs to be pulled down for her. You can see here what I mean
That is with the rise completely opened up. Here (below) I folded down that top area and it seems to fit her MUCH better
But I love this diaper. It is very absorbent and for being a fitted I'm surprised. But I do love it and with our wool wrap over it it's a great night time diaper!!! 

They also have organic hemp diapers which are even more absorbent than cotton. They also carry newborn contour diapers, onesies, nursing pads and a cloth wipe solution. They have only a few things to choose from, but I like simple and you don't get overwhelmed by it. Simple website makes for easy choices!

Price: This diaper is $19. Which is a very fair price! 
Orders over $100 get FREE SHIPPING!


 *Disclaimer* I received these products directly from the Company for Review. I was not paid to try out these products!*


CSN Stores Giveaway!!!



They have so many items to choose from! From Corelle dinnerware to Sofa Sets.

So you might remember my 2 past reviews for CSN Here and Here. I have thoroughly enjoyed my review items. Avery is still attached to that doll, I use my weighted toning balls EVERY DAY and the best part? I went out and bought the ENTIRE Paula Deen Set after seeing how lovely it was. That's right. I found the whole set for $100 at Walmart and I snatched it up. Couldn't be happier with it. It is the best set we've ever used. It beat Wolfgang Puck's stainless steel set that we previously had. It STUNK!

Anyway, we love our items and we'll always be happy with CSN's over 200 stores. We will never be bored just shopping again and we can always find what we want over there. No more searching. It's all in one place!

With that in mind. CSN has offered a reader a...


 *Disclaimer* I received these products directly from the Company for Review. I was not paid to try out these products!*


Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Katydid Review & Giveaway



Since switching back to cloth diapers, I've been trying out a lot of different companies. This time I was able to review one from Katydid. I love this diaper.

Look how low those adjustable rise snaps are? That means it gets REALLY small. I love how trim this diaper is. It comes with a larger insert and a small newborn insert. I use both together for at night because Avery is a super wetter. I like the hip snaps which would prevent wing droop on a newborn, but they don't do much for a toddler so I don't use them. Love the double row of snaps and I love the Overlap snaps. This diaper also fits that 4.5 lb doll of Avery's which has a 15.5" waist. It fits her pretty well actually.

The absorbency of this diaper is amazing because it's microfiber, but also because it's microfiber we can't use it too often. When Avery uses microfiber inserts she gets ammonia burn BAD. So we have to use Hemp or Bamboo or homemade Flannel. It stinks, but it has to be done!

Diaper fits from 8-35 pounds (roughly) so that is a good range.

Price: They are $17.95 which is a great price. 

Overall: **** I wish they offered a different type of insert like Hemp or Bamboo or Hemp/Bamboo!


 *Disclaimer* I received these products directly from the Company for Review. I was not paid to try out these products!*


30 Meals in One Day Review & Giveaway




I think this is my FAVORITE review yet. Honestly. 30 Meals in One Day is a great new program. 

How many times a month do you say "What's for dinner?" Or you're out and about, don't want to eat out, but you get home and say "What's for Dinner?" Does this sound like you? Do you get take out often? Or delivered pizza? Because I know we used to! We used to get take out, eat out, or delivery about 12 times a month!!! WOW! I know. It was costly, but I didn't have to cook.

Well now with this AMAZING software, you don't have to get delivery ever again (unless you want to)
We received the Software as well as the Dinner is Ready, Lunch is Ready, and On The Side. I couldn't be more happier with this program. 

Day before we planned on shopping I put the software into the computer, and started looking through the meals. Here's the thing. The books are cookbooks, GREAT for every day cooking if that's what you want to do. With 150 freezer ready dinner recipes you won't get bored. The software has it all in one place. You can click on a recipe and it pulls up how it's prepared. You can sort by oven, assembled, stovetop, or crockpot. It's super easy. Also once you figure out what you want you hit the plus sign at the bottom and it adds it to your previously setup menu. 

When it does this it also AUTOMATICALLY creates a shopping list for you!
Let's say you need your weekly Milk, Bananas, Bread etc you can add that to your list. AND you can remove items you already have off the list. This is an awesome program and I don't know how I functioned without it before. Then you can print off your menu and it prints 2 recipes per page. Once you've printed them once SAVE them so you can make them again.

So day after payday we set out to the grocery store. We needed some staples for ourselves, but most of it was shopping for this program. Now we spent $260 for the WHOLE MONTH dinner's and our staples. We had $15 in cereal. So that's pretty cheap. I know before with take out and all we were spending at least $400 a month on dinner's. So I just saved money!

I didn't have 15 recipes though, I had 14 and 2 of those were lunch's and 1 we didn't make because I don't have a deep fryer. Corn Dogs, YUM

When I got home I left everything I needed on the counter. WHY put it all away just to take it out again? I didn't. They also have GREAT tips in the books like leave a paper bag at all work stations for garbage. Put all pasta by stove, put all cans by opener. I didn't do this, but it probably would've saved some time. 

So that night before bed I put one meal on low for 8 hours in the crockpot. Our crockpot automatically goes to warm when it shuts off so I knew the meal would be good. When I woke up I already had 2 meals done! (Each recipe makes 2 meals) Then I threw my other crockpot recipe in there and got started. 

At one time I had 2 in oven, 2 on stove and 1 in crockpot. How easy is that? Next time though more oven recipes. I only did 2-3 over recipes so by the time they were done I was limited to 1-2 things going at a time on the stove. It would've sped up the process. 

Jon didn't help me AT ALL and I was done in 6 hours! EXACTLY 6 hours. It was fun, easy and now I have a freezer stocked full of food for the whole month.

Now we still like eating out so we do once in a while, but it's now a twice weekly thing! My stocked Freezer
It helps to have a deep freezer for this as you need room. Also these are the BEST recipes I've ever had before. Cream Cheese Chicken is to die for!

These are all the recipes that I made that day
Spring Rolls, Lasagna, Cream Cheese Chicken, French Bread Pizza (just froze it all, NO COOKING), Cornflake Chicken, Jack Soup, Ravioli Soup, Chicken Mushroom and Tomato Soup, Taco Bean Salad, Beef and Broccoli, Italian Shells, Honey Lime Chicken, Cola Chicken, Cheesy Meatloaf, and Chicken Cacciatore (wasn't the best) I guess I did make 15. I has 16 on the list, but we didn't make corn dogs. So I guess I did!!! It's all yummy so far though.

I started all this July 13th and we have like 6-7recipes left. Here's the thing though, Each recipe makes 2 meals? Not for us. They are all 4-6 servings. Well Between the 3 of us we go through 6 servings. I guess we need to work on that, but we get 1 meal out of all these (except Cream Cheese Chicken so far)

My longest post yet!! WooHoo

Price: All 3 books and the 3-in-1 software is $75 on sale. NOT BAD AT ALL

Overall: ***** Love the whole process


 *Disclaimer* I received these products directly from the Company for Review. I was not paid to try out these products!*


Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Evolve Showerheads Review & Giveaway



I was so unhappy with our current shower head. It was one that pulled down and had a hose, but our stand up shower was just too small to really take advantage of this. We needed a standard one, but didn't want to buy a new one and just sucked it up. Plus it needed to be cleaned like once every 2 weeks because it got grimy. So I contacted Evolve and they sent us the Water Lily shower head.

It's a standard, but it is so much better!!
So you know how when you turn on the water and let it warm up you do other stuff? Brush your teeth, pluck your eyebrows, men shave etc. Well with this you know INSTANTLY when the water is hot. You turn on the hot water. When the water gets hot the Water Lily turns to a trickle until you're ready to get in. This saves you lots of money and lots of water. When you're ready to get in you just pull that tab there and adjust the water to the correct temperature. No guessing if the water is hot and ready. You KNOW when it is.

This shower head can save you $75 a year. Not much I know, but let's say you only buy these shower heads for the rest of your life Let's say you start buying at 25...And you buy them until you're 90. 65 years times $75 a year is $4875. Wouldn't you like to save $5000 over the course of your lifetime just by buying a new shower head? I sure would. 
PLUS you save 2,700 gallons of water a year. That's a lot of water.

and at only $70 it's not that much more than a regular shower head which can run you right around $50 or more. 

The Evolve also has 3 spray patterns. A Rain, Massage and a Massage and Rain combo.

Overall: ***** for sure. This is awesome and it really works.


 *Disclaimer* I received these products directly from the Company for Review. I was not paid to try out these products!*


Kushies Review and Discount Code



Back to another cloth diaper review. Kushies is a great store that has Diapers, Toys, Clothes and everything in between.
We received the Ultra Lite Diapers we got a 2 pack and I'm very happy with them. After I got them and realized I never specified a size (oops) they sent me the infant 10-22 pounds one. I was like this is never going to fit. Avery is 29 pounds. There's no way. WELL they actually fit pretty perfectly!
They are awesome and we use these diapers most often. They also included a couple wipes in there and the diapers came with boosters for added absorbency as well as liners for poopy diapers. I use these diapers at nap because she'll rip them off at night so I usually use the boosters with another night diaper. But I'm very happy with these diapers and they seem to be on the big side.

Discount code for 10% off is HEATHERANDAVERY2010

Price: The double pack I received is $32.99 this is generous pricing. No matter where you go an AIO diaper is over $16. 

Overall: ***** Happy with them. They work great.
*Disclaimer* I received these products directly from the Company for Review. I was not paid to try out these products!*


Monday, July 26, 2010

Giani Granite Review & Giveaway




This is the absolute coolest thing. It's a paint for your countertops that make them look like granite. How could it be right? I honestly think this is the coolest thing EVER invented and I think this is one of my favorite review items. And it's from Giani Granite We got the Sicilian Sand

 It's a kit. It comes with a black base coat, 3 colors of paint and a top clear coat. It also comes with a huge sponge, that you cut up into the pieces you'll need. It has very detailed instructions. I thought I would screw it up. But after doing it I realized that it is REAL hard to mess this up as all granite isn't the same ever. So it's super easy and VERY hard to mess up.

I am absolutely kicking myself that I didn't take a before picture of my bathrooms. WHY??? I have no idea. but I'm kicking. Let me see if I can find one that has our before bathroom counter in it. Here's the best I could do. It's from when we moved in. It was an UGLY beige formica.
So here's all the during and after's. This is all of our spare bath NOT the master above
First you tape everything off and paint it the black base coat!!
Then you paint on your layers. ONE layer at a time. It says the step numbers right on the can so it's super hard to mess up. Do a small section and then grab the next color and do over that section. In this small bathroom I did the entire counter one color and then went over it. In our master I did small sections. But it was harder to see which color I'd just used where and I think it was easier to do the whole counter at once. 
This was after it was all done. I didn't have time to take pictures after each color...Sorry
So you can see I have more white on the right side there. I did go back and touch that up later. That's the great part, you can touch back up after it's all dry. It was also hard to get right around the sink as you can see. but I too touched that up later. So this was before the last clear coat.
Here is a RIGHT now picture of this bathroom counter. Sorry the lighting isn't the best
I absolutely love this product. It is simply amazing!! Oh we did get some paint on the wall, but I'm planning on painting this bathroom soon. And we did in the other bathroom as well, but I have some of that paint leftover so I'll paint over the few paint spots. 

Overall this product was amazing. We did this bathroom one weekend. You have to wait a few hours for the black to dry and then a few more for all the paint to dry before you paint the clear coat. So each bathroom took us one full day. We did our master the following weekend.

So in the manual it says you have to wait 2 weeks before cleaning the counter. Yesterday I cleaned this bathroom for the first time (counter) since then. It has been 3 weeks for this bathroom. It cleaned up so nicely everything wiped right off it. I was amazed. 

Jon used to work for a tile shop and he said this looks like Granite. If you're up close you can tell it's not. But who cares right?

I think we're going to buy a kit for our kitchen! I think we need 2 kits, but it would be nice to get rid of our green formica in there. I hope we can do it!

Price: Each kit is $50. I think this is so reasonable!! Let's see, I can replace my countertops with a formica that looks like granite for about $300 for my whole kitchen. Which would require a LOT of labor. OR I can paint it for about $100? YES please paint!

Overall: ********** I'm so pleased with this product. I would recommend this to ANYONE


 *Disclaimer* I received these products directly from the Company for Review. I was not paid to try out these products!*


FREE Backpack From Staples!!



.
From July 25 – July 31, 2010 when you buy any backpack from Staples you will get a refund of the purchase price in the form of a Staples gift card. That means if you buy a $30 backpack you’ll get back a Staples gift card with a $30 balance which can be used toward other office and school supplies.
Limit one rebate per household. It’s also not good on previous purchases.
I’m not sure if these sales are also nation wide but I see that printer paper is on sale for one penny as well as Bic Round Stic pens.
Visit www.Staples.com for a store near you and to view your local sale circular. I believe the backpack offer is available at all Staples nation wide.

Jon is out getting paper right now and I will go after he gets home from work. They also have coupons that you can print off (in the circular) for $1 3 pack scotch tape and $1 scotch shipping tape. I can always use those. And they have other good coupons as well.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Inspired Gifts Review & Giveaway



This is a beautiful item! Inspired Gifts has great beautiful gifts that are awesome for family members or yourself. They take pictures and turn them into awesome works of art!!

I was able to receive the Paneled Pop Art in a 12X12 size. It is gorgeous!!
Here is the original picture I used
Here's what became of it
Here it is hanging in Avery's room

I absolutely love it and so does Avery. She awws over it and is so excited that "Avery's are on my wall" It's so cute. She loves it and so do I.

The process was super easy, but with the paneled popart you don't get to see a preview of what it will look like. You do with the other gifts, but not this one. I was sure it would look great though so it didn't bother me too much.

It's got a beautiful glaze over it, it's not a canvas it's like a picture and it has metal on the sides instead of wood. I love it!!

They have so many other great gifts over there. Posters, Bookmarks, Playing cards, calendars, Journals, Books etc! So many things to choose from!

Price: The 12X12 Paneled art is $45. I think this is very reasonable. One thing I didn't like is it's just 1 picture. It would be nice if you could do 2-3 and make a collage of grandkids or something for a grandparent. Or kids for yourself. But it's cute just the same.

Overall: ***** cheap is definitely affordable, easy, and it was here within a week!!


 *Disclaimer* I received these products directly from the Company for Review. I was not paid to try out these products!*


Thursday, July 22, 2010

CSN Stores Review



Another review from my new favorite store. With over 200 different specialty stores how could it not quickly become your favorite? I'm of course talking about CSN Stores They have a little of everything and I'm in love.

We received 3 different items. I looked around and I really couldn't think of anything we needed so I got some stuff I wanted!
Avery got a new Doll. Her name is Maggy
Avery just adores her. She is so realistic. She's about 4-4 1/2 pounds and is 18" long (with bent knees) She is literally lifelike and I love her just as much. She is $42 on sale right now.
You can see how loved she is by Avery in this picture
Even though her outfit is just adorable I like that I can put some of Avery's old newborn clothes on her and they fit her very cutely! She's also sporting a Cloth Diaper hehe!!

We also received the Stability Exercise Ball. I use this. It is great for stretching and despite it's small 18" stature it supports up to 600 pounds!! Jon even gets on it and does stretches. They are great for his broken back.
Last but not least we received some Weighted Toning Balls. I use these as well. I have recently started the Jillian Michaels 30 day Shred and I use these instead of handweights. I love them and they work fantastically. They are the 3lb (I think). I originally asked for 4lb and she said they were out so I asked for 5lb but these don't feel like 5lbers!!
I love everything I have received and I'm very happy with this online store yet again. They have over 200 stores to choose from you name it from Furniture to Pet. That's a wide range that you won't find anywhere else.

Overall: ***** yet again! So happy with them and I'm sure they'll continue to please.
*Disclaimer* I received these products directly from the Company for Review. I was not paid to try out these products!*


Softlips Review & Giveaway




I love Softlips products. I've done a review before and I will continue to as long as they let me. I am a lip balm whore some would say. I am addicted and I can't live without it. I NEED it with me at all times. I have about 20 tubes in my nightstand, I have 4 in my purse. In the winter I have 2 in each car. and I Almost ALWAYS have 1 in my pocket. See what I mean? I NEED it!

When I was given the chance to review the new PURE Naturals line I jumped! Couldn't wait to get my products!
I wish I would've received the regular balms as those are my favorite and these flavors are to die for, I'm not much of a lip gloss and tinted person, BUT I LOVE these ones I got!

Yep you're seeing right! 3 tinted balms, 3 glosses, and a lip polish which I love!

The lip polish is sugar and vanilla scented. You scrub it on your lips and rinse with water. EASY and it leaves lips super kissable soft. I enjoy the tints and the glosses. I don't wear glosses too often, but they're subtle enough and I really like them. I also like these shades. None are too light and none are too dark. I enjoy them and I like the darkest Coral Charm the best.

Price: $3.99-$5.49 each of the pure products. Worth it!

Overall:***** Softlips has outdone themselves again!

 *Disclaimer* I received these products directly from the Company for Review. I was not paid to try out these products!*


Creativity For Kids Review & Giveaway




We have done a review for Creativity For Kids before with the Little Artist Texture Paint Set. This time we were sent the Beach Buddies Shell Craft
Avery is a little young for this project so I helped her and first we did those 3 big shells that our Hermit Crabs can use
\
Aren't they pretty?? Once they dried I flipped them over and painted the bottom portion too.
Those 3 little ones there on the left I then attached to the felt and made little critters. After that I put it away and I'm saving it until Next year so Avery can do it herself. I did a little big now though so I could give an accurate review

The paint was nice. It wasn't too thick or too thin. We used a little tiny brush and just the right amount was on the brush. The glue that came with it was good. It seemed runny and like the shells wouldn't stick but they did. The shells stuck on the felt with the glue with no problem. The googly eyes stuck onto the shells too. 

It also came with glitter, but I didn't use any of that. Overall this was a fun craft that I think Avery will enjoy later on. I would say a child under 5 or so won't be able to do this craft. But I will try it with Avery when she's maybe 4-4 1/2! 

Our crabbies haven't gotten into our shells yet. They are all in the cage, but haven't switched. However 2 crabs just molted so they will probably switch shells once they are done molting. I will then share a picture. Those painted shells go for $5.99 EACH at PetSmart.

Price: The Beach Buddies is $16.99 and so worth it. I think this could provide hours and hours of fun for kids!

Overall: ***** nice craft


 *Disclaimer* I received these products directly from the Company for Review. I was not paid to try out these products!*


Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Just Girls Review & Giveaway



We love handmade items here in our house. Sometimes It's easier and cheaper to buy from a mass retailer, but isn't it better to support our work at home moms? I think it is. We received a gorgeous outfit from Just Girls. We got the Big Bow Pillowcase Dress and Pants. I love it!! I don't usually buy Blue for Avery, but I picked this outfit out and I'm just in love with it.
It's ever beautiful. Avery hasn't worn it yet, not quite cool enough, but she will once the temp drops a little bit. It will also be cute with a white l/s shirt under here in the winter. I think this outfit is adorable and it would've been cute for 4th of July if it wasn't so dang hot.

Since it hasn't been worn yet, it hasn't been washed yet. But we do love it and I can't wait to see what it's like on her come fall. 

Some other pieces I love
Her stuff is to die for and it's all gorgeous!

Price: The outfit we received is $26!!! Yes for the WHOLE outfit. Her pillowcase dresses are just $16. These are great prices. 

Overall: ***** Love this outfit so far. Can't wait for it to cool down.


 *Disclaimer* I received these products directly from the Company for Review. I was not paid to try out these products!*


Homeschool and Fun In The Sun



So a few weeks ago my friend started a homeschool group of her own. It's all friends getting together with our kids. We've all met before (except for the one friend I bring along) and so it was an easy adjustment for the kids and for us. We meet every Wednesday. Since it's nice out every other week we do a field trip type thing. Today we went to our local beach which has a splash zone for kids. Avery loved every second of it!
Avery is not a water girl and by the end of this she was SOAKED from head to toe. She had a blast!! We'll definitely be doing this again that's for sure. She absolutely loved it. Next year I'll be buying the year pass so we can go all the time. This beach is only about 10? miles from our house. It took me 15 minutes to get there. 

She LOVED it!!!


Tuesday, July 20, 2010

SHOE EXTRAVAGANZA Weboo Review & Giveaway




Our LAST sponsor for the Extravaganza is Weboo. I can't wait to share these with you, They are adorable and oh so cute for toddlers. 

We received the Bubbles Shoe and it's so cute. Avery loves these little guys. Want to see just how cute?

That cute! Can you contain yourself? I didn't think so. They are absolutely adorable and sparkly.

They have so many to choose from for boys and girls and I love them ALL. They have sandals and shoes. We got the shoes. I think ours are a size 9? Because we got them for fall. They fit her pretty well even now. I didn't think they would, but they do. It's a little too hot right now to wear these, but she does like to wear them around the house a lot. She thinks they're cute and calls them her puppy shoes. These were the FIRST item she's EVERY picked out for herself online for a review. She's very happy with her choice.

They seem comfortable. They have a drawstring on the top so they stay on and tight. They also have a nice liner inside them to keep the feet warm and insulated. Not sure about the sandals, but the shoes do.



Now I know you want to just run over there and buy one for yourself I mean kids right? BUT don't you want to stick around and see how you can win a pair? I know I would!

Price: $35-$45 on zappos.com

Overall: ***** Pretty happy with these.


 *Disclaimer* I received these products directly from the Company for Review. I was not paid to try out these products!*


Preston's Pants Review & Giveaway



One Size cloth diapers are the best. Really. I mean they fit from about 8-35 pounds. How could you not go wrong with those? Preston's Pants has some of the most unique OS diapers out there right now. Instead of the average of 4 snap settings Preston's Pants has 5 AND Crossover snaps. So it is a GREAT fit for your baby!
I love her little tag. It's so cute and definitely stands out on the NEON green diaper we received. I love this diaper. There's no mistaking which diaper is our preston's anymore because we have no other diaper this color. 

Although she has plenty of other prints and colors and not all this vibrant I LOVE this diaper and the color. Ours just has a white Bamboo inner But Bamboo is SUPER soft! It came with a microfiber insert and an organic cotton fleece booster. Which is soft and I use it in other diapers as well.

I love the fit of this diaper. Avery fits in it very nicely at 28 pounds. She has room to grow for sure. 

Preston's Pants offers the best quality pocket diapers with a history of less than 1% in returns from our customers!  Our pocket diapers will outlast our competitors, child after child.  We use top quality fabrics, latex free elastic, strong polyester threads, and great attention to sewing detail.  Cloth diapers never looked so good!  Give us a try, and see for yourself how wonderful cloth diapering can be!
Preston's Pants are wahm made, by a mom who cares about the environment, and your baby!  From our home to yours...saving the earth one baby at a time.

Price: The OS diapers start at $19.95 and the Perfect Size diapers start at $17.95 

Overall: ***** Love the absorbency and we haven't had any leaks with it.

 *Disclaimer* I received these products directly from the Company for Review. I was not paid to try out these products!*


Monday, July 19, 2010

Some things I've been Doing!



Some things I've been doing lately to change the way we live!

I now make my own laundry detergent. Of course if I get one to review I review it, but I'm making my own in order to save a LOT of money and in order to cut out extra chemicals.

I use this recipe and it's amazing!
1 bar Fels Naptha soap grated up (You can also use Ivory, Sunlight, Castile, Zote)
1 cup borax
1 cup washing soda (WASHING soda, It's by Arm and Hammer)
1 cup oxiclean
Mix it all together, add some essential oils if you want and you're done! Use 2 tbsp per large load.
Also get a downy ball and add white vinegar to it, it's a natural fabric softener. If you buy fabric softener pour into 2 containers and add water to them makes TWICE the amount and it will last longer.

This recipe of Detergent is about $2.50 for 50 loads so about $5 for 100 loads. I can get 50 loads of Tide for $13 something here. What's your choice? 

I make my own peanut butter. It ends up being the same price but there's no added sugar, no preservatives NOTHING.
2 cups Honey Roasted Peanuts Grind up in blender or food processor
add a little oil (ANY will work. I use peanut) keep blending until you get right consistency. Then add a LITTLE more oil. It will look a little thin, but it will thicken in fridge. STORE IN FRIDGE. I also usually add 1 tsp of sugar.

I also make bar soap.
Go to Hobby Lobby and get the glycerin soap. I bought the $10 stuff with shea butter in it. It will make 16 bars of soap. I also bought some of the scent oils above it. But you can use essential oils as well (Found these at GNC)
Make the soap as directed on the container. I then added some scent and some oatmeal. It is good for your skin and looks cool too. CHEAP and EASY

I make my own all purpose cleaner. 2 parts water 1 part vinegar. CHEAP and it's great on glass too!

That's all I can think of for now, but PLEASE visit www.tipnut.com and This one for great tips and advice. It's really a blast on these sites and they will greatly help you save money and live more green!

Northern Essence Review & Giveaway



We have been back to cloth diapers for a little while now. We stopped them before because Ave was getting ammonia burns from sleeping 14 hours at night in her diapers. We STOPPED using them completely. Well I decided to try them again. She's older now and I figure she doesn't pee all night anymore, she will pretty much pee in the morning and I was right, but I also wanted a barrier there to prevent her from getting burned and only some creams are cloth diaper safe without a liner. I had heard great things about Northern Essence so I checked them out and Decided to contact her. 

She was very generous and sent me 2 of her Diaper Rash Salves. She sent me a regular push up tube and a sensitive skin push up tube. She also has tubs that you stick your fingers into. The tube is nice because it pushes up and you just rub it on baby's bum.
They are both the same but the regular has more essential oils and the sensitive has Lemon EO instead of lavender and tea tree. By the way, I use Lavender and Tea Tree in my detergent!!

They come in a 1oz or 2oz size. She sent me the 1oz sizes. I'm very happy with these. I have mostly used the original as it has a nice smell to it and doesn't bother Avery's bum, but I had to try both. I prefer the smell of the regular, but if it bothered her I would probably throw it away and use the sensitive. I would never use anything that was hurting her.

I really like them though, They wash out of the diapers no problem despite the oils in them. I love the smell and they are really easy to use. Avery uses 2 diapers a day so before I put those diapers on I just rub some of this on!

Price: 1oz push up? $3.95 2oz tub? $6.95 2oz Twist Up? $6.95 Same prices for both regular and sensitive

Overall: ***** happy with them!


 *Disclaimer* I received these products directly from the Company for Review. I was not paid to try out these products!*