Wordless Wednesday - A Blast From the Past

I can't believe this little boy is starting to take some steps on his own!

Cutesy Tushies Diaper Cover - Review

Some of you might remember the plastic pants from the "old days" of cloth diapering.  You had a flat diaper, folded it up, pinned the sides, then pulled on the plain old white plastic pants.  We've come a long way baby!  The flat (prefold) diapers are still a tried and true, go to item for many cloth diapering families, ours being one.  Do I use them every day?  No.  Do I trust them?  YES!  Have they changed over the years?  Of course!

We have premium prefold diapers for Trevor, which run a little bigger and are pretty bulky, so I was worried the Cutesy Tushies Diaper Cover wouldn't fit over them.  I have used the prefold (not included) in two different ways with this cover and both ways worked great!  The first way is pictured below next to the diaper cover.  The diaper is tri-folded and I add a fleece liner for stay dry protection for baby.

The other way I use the prefold is to bring it around Trevor's bottom (again, putting the fleece liner in first) and secure it using a Snappi.  This is a great product that makes fastening diapers SO much easier and faster than pins!  It works similar to the hooks that come with an ace bandage.

Now that you're aware of different ways to use a prefold diaper, here is more information on the Cutesy Tushies Diaper Covers!

Our Trials:  We were given a Cutesy Tushies Medium Diaper Cover.  The cover has fleece on the outside (which is so adorable!) and a waterproof lining on the inside.  (Also available with cotton instead of fleece.)  I'll admit, I was leery about the fleece at first, but we have used it during naps as well as when Trevor is active and there has been no leaking or wicking at all!  It fits well and is roomy enough to use with a premium prefold, which runs a little bigger.  Since receiving my diaper cover to test, Michelle has also added the elastic casing around the legs and back of the diaper, which I think will make great additions to an already great product!

Type of Diaper:  Medium Diaper Cover with fleece out and waterproof in.
Sizes: Newborn - Up to 11 lbs.
Small - 9 to 20 lbs.
Medium - 18 to 30 lbs.
Large - 22 to 40 lbs.
Features: Generous fit to accommodate premium prefolds,  elastic casing around legs, laundry tabs to attach velcro for washing.  Diaper covers with prefolds are great because you do not need a lot of covers - if the cover isn't soiled, just take it off, wipe it down and add a new prefold!
Where to find it: http://www.cutesytushies.com/  or email cutesytushies@yahoo.com for custom orders or questions.
How much does it cost: These diaper covers are a steal!  A size medium is only $12.95!



Cutesy Tushies provided me a diaper cover free of charge.  Other than product, no compensation was given to me for this review.  All statements are my own and are my honest to goodness opinion!

Wordless Wednesday - Spaghetti!

Online Surveys to Earn Extra Income

Have you ever considered doing online surveys? I have discovered a couple online survey companies that I would like to share with you! I signed up after reading about them on Centsable Momma's blog, where she updates her earnings.  For the websites I am going to share, signing up was easy and FREE.  (You should never pay to sign up with a company!) 

My favorite and fastest accumulating survey site is i-Say. Since signing up the end of June, I have received $30 in American Express cards from i-Say.  As an added bonus they have a fun Poll Predictor game to win entries in monthly drawings!  I have been a member at Valued Opinions since May and have redeemed my rewards for a $20 Amazon.com credit, which I plan to use for Christmas shopping! 

Once you create a profile you will be notified by email when a survey is available that matches your profile to the criteria they are looking for.  (ex: Female, Age 25-35, 2 children, etc.)  The emails have a simple to follow link you just click on to take you directly to the survey.  Once you get to the survey you will be asked a series of questions to see if you will qualify to take the survey.  Most take 5-30 minutes to complete and your compensation is based on the length of the survey.

Have you joined Swagbucks yet?! You can also earn SwagBucks by taking surveys there in addition to being rewarded for doing searches. If you download the toolbar I have earned 914 Swagbucks since joining the beginning of August, which can be redeemed for merchandise and gift cards!  (See my previous post for more info.)

None of these sites are huge money makers, but to make a few extra bucks while watching tv in the evening works for our family!  Leave me a comment or email me if you are interested in any of these companies and I can send you a referral email.

Bayou Classic ChickCAN Rack - Review

Josh and I purchased a Bayou Classic ChickCAN Rack at the end of the summer season about four years ago and finally decided to try it out while camping a few weeks ago. (I know, let's not rush into anything!)  I've never made a whole chicken before, so the whole process was new to us - including buying the chicken. The one I bought was a bit small for 4 adults and two small kids, but now I know for next time.  The good thing about the chicken I bought was it was all cleaned out and ready to go, all I had to do was rinse it.

The directions on the Bayou Classic ChickCAN Rack were very easy to follow. Taking the suggestion from Rick Browne's Beer Butt Chicken Recipe on the package, we seasoned the inside and outside of the chicken. Next step was drinking 1/2 the beer (best part of the whole process if you ask me!).  Ok, so the recipe said "pour out half," not "drink half," but I digress.  

I put the 1/2 can of beer in the rack and pulled the chicken over the can and stand, which kept the beer upright. I can't imagine the process of getting the can in the chicken and then making it stand upright on the grill without using a ChickCAN Rack to keep it in place.  Lastly, we used a red potato to block the neck so the moisture from the boiling chicken would remain inside the chicken. (You could also use a small onion instead.)

Since we were camping we didn't have a whole lot of spices available to us, so we kept it simple with Lawry's Seasoned Salt and some pepper.  I'm all about simple cooking, so after the success we had I'm thinking we'll use it again before another 4 years go by! There are directions included for the oven as well as a charcoal grill.  I think it would be fun to experiment with different beers or sodas, adding garlic and other spices to the beer, and using different rubs.

Pros:  Simple to use, easy to follow directions.

Cons:  NONE!  Both my husband and I loved this product!

Where to find it:  The Bayou Classic ChickCAN Rack is available in stainless steel (which is the type we used) from Amazon.com or nickel plated directly from the Bayou Classic website.

Nature vs. Our Garden

Last summer we put in a very little garden bed just off our patio. It was really a science experiment for Tyler more than anything. We hoped if he saw his veggies growing he'd be more interested in trying them raw. (He has no problem eating most veggies cooked.)

This summer we had a slow start and planted our seeds a bit late.  None the less, we had great looking plants.  That is, until we looked on our patio one morning to see that we had visitors the night before!  Who'd have ever thought we'd need to worry about deer eating our plants in the middle of a subdivision?!  They got our garden as well as my hibiscus plant!  After that Josh decided to put his deer camera on the other side of our back yard by the apple tree and we caught her on video!

What is also amazing to me is how this deer could somehow spot the camera on the tree on the edge of the woods.  It seems like she is looking right at us - little stinker!  There's also a picture from one night that there were FIVE deer!  I guess they must be pretty smart since they have figured out where to go for easy food!

Wordless Wednesday - Fun on Stone Lake

Cutesy Tushies Pocket Diaper - Reivew

As I mentioned in my review for Monkey Balls Dryer Balls, I have been selected to be a tester for Cutesy Tushies cloth diapers.  Michelle gave me one of her handmade pocket diapers to test and review as well as an extra microfiber insert! 

(How cute is the Green Bay Packers fabric?! Not to mention the cute colors of the inserts instead of plain old white!)

Our Trials:  We were given a Medium Pocket Diaper with one microfiber insert, which is included in with every diaper.  Because I mentioned to Michelle that Trevor is a heavy wetter, she also gave me an extra insert.  Cutesy Tushies inserts are extremely absorbent, I just chose to put Trevor in two for peace of mind.  :-)  I think an average wetter would be able to use just one.  That's what's so great about pocket diapers, they are customizable for each child.  We didn't have ANY leaking or wicking with our Cutesy Tushies!  The unique design of this diaper also helps with that.  (see features section)

The inner layer of the diaper is made of fleece, which keeps baby's bum dry by wicking away the moisture from baby's skin.  I was surprised when I opened this diaper and found COLOR!  Michelle lined the diaper with matching yellow fleece!  (Available for some diapers upon request.)

The closure is velcro, which I found to be very sticky and easily adjusts to the size of your baby.  There are also laundry tabs on the inside of the diaper that the velcro can be folded onto during washing so everything in your load of wash doesn't stick to the velcro.  I personally prefer the velcro closures because we have a squirmy baby and they are much faster to fasten than snaps!

Type of Diaper: Pocket Diaper with microfiber insert

Sizes:  Newborn - Up to 11 lbs.
Small - 9 to 20 lbs.
Medium - 18 to 30 lbs.
Large - 22 to 40 lbs.

Features: Elastic casing around legs keeps fleece liner from rolling out.  The waterproof PUL and fabric combination design is unique, one I've never seen before and am now in love with! 

Where to find it:  http://www.cutesytushies.com/ or email cutesytushies@yahoo.com for custom orders or questions.

Packers print is custom order only and has limited availability.  Other teams also available upon request.  If she doesn't have it, she will get it!

How much does it cost:  These diapers are SO AFFORDABLE!!  A size medium with one microfiber insert is only $12.95!

Cutesy Tushies provided me a pocket diaper free of charge.  Other than product, no compensation was given to me for this review.  All statements are my own and are my honest to goodness opinion!

Wordless Wednesday - First Day of Preschool