Toddler Tuesday - Tyler's first field trip and bus ride!

On Monday Tyler's preschool class went to Wilke's Pumpkin Patch for a field trip!  Tyler was so excited because not only did he get to go on a field trip all by himself, he got to take his first BUS RIDE!  As for me, it was harder for me to drop him off for this than it was for the first day of school.  This picture was when I was dropping him off.  You can tell he was a little nervous! 

At Wilke's the kids got to pick out a pumpkin, go on a hay ride and play for a while.  Tyler was so hungry when he got back he wouldn't even talk about the trip until he ate!  Then he couldn't stop talking about it!  Here are a couple pictures from when he got back to school.

 

 

Fisher Price Recall Information

As you may have heard, Fisher Price has recalled a large amount of products recently due to safety reasons.  Some products include toddler tricycles, high chairs and a few toys.  If you are concerned that you may own any of the recalled products, visit http://service.mattel.com/us/recall.asp for more information.

Tall Oaks Retreat

I'm writing from Tall Oaks Retreat!  I have had a wonderful extended weekend of crafting, laughing and friends, new and old!  It's been FABULOUS!  Cassie, the owner, is a great hostess and cook.  Tall Oaks was built in February, 2008 and is absolutely gorgeous with it's modern north woods decor.  It is 3,000 square feet and accommodates up to 15 people with it's five bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms!  They also have over TEN different stamping and crafting supplies for use, including a Cricut Expression, Big Shot die cutter and Scor-Pal!

This weekend I brought along my sewing machine for a few different projects!  (I know you all just fell off your chairs, but I really did!)  I finally finished the quilt purse I started at Janice's house.  It's been so long since I started it I don't even remember when it was!  It was very easy to make once I got going.  I even put a pocket on the inside and a little hanger with a snap on the bottom to hook my keys on!  (See last picture.)

  

  

 

I made Trevor some leg warmers out of knee high socks, too!  All I did was cut the feet off and put a zig-zag hem at the bottom. 

 

My most important project of the weekend was Tyler and Trevor's Halloween costumes, but that's a secret.  :-)  Sadly, it is our last day here.  The good news is, we have until 3:00 p.m. until we have to leave! 

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

Have you heard about SwagBucks.com?

If you're like me, you use websites like Google, Bing or Yahoo! for searching the Internet on a daily basis.  For instance, when we wanted to know if we could freeze applesauce, I headed to Google to find the answer.  (And in case you are wondering, you can! Which is a good thing because I don't know how a thing about canning!)

SwagBucks is different from other search engines because you randomly earn "Swag Bucks" as you search the web.  (Even while you are just surfing, you will periodically be rewarded!)  After entering your search words you'll be taken to a page with your results, very similar to any other search engine, with the difference being that there are "Sponsored" websites listed within your results.  (It's not difficult at all to scan over these listings.)  And since they pull information from Google or Ask, you still get great search results!  Swagbucks are then used toward various prizes in the Swag Store, including $5 Amazon.com gift cards (450 SB), $5 PayPal gift cards (700 SB) and MANY other prizes!

After I signed up, I made SwagBucks my home page and downloaded their toolbar.  Normally I'm not a big fan of toolbars on my web browser, but I knew this was another way to optimize my chances of winning "Swag Bucks".  I signed up around the beginning of August and have already earned 522 SB by not only searching, but taking daily polls and surveys too, which are linked on my SwagBucks Toolbar.

So when I decide I want to figure out the process of canning, I'll turn to SwagBucks to search for information!  If you are interested in signing up, I'd appreciate you using my referral link: http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/MrsAlissaP.  You will earn 30 Swag Bucks just for signing up!  I'm still learning tricks to earning more SB and will share as I find them!

Wordless Wednesday - My Blue Ribbon!

I decided to give Open Class a try this year at the Wisconsin Vally Fair along with my mom.  This was my entry in the Handicrafts Department - Wall Hanging (Unframed).  I won a blue ribbon, which is first place, and a $2.50 premium too!  Wooohooo!  I had a lot of fun getting my projects together and participating in the fair, which is something I haven't done since my 4-H days.  (We won't say how many years that's been!)  I'm already looking forward to next year!

Toddler Tuesday: Tom Pease at the Woodson Art Museum

Last night was the final performer for the Concert in the Garden series at Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum. Josh was at a movie with Nate and Todd from work so my mom came with the boys and me. We had never been to a Concert in the Garden and weren't sure what to expect. We packed up our chairs, a blanket, the stroller, grabbed some drive-thru and headed over to check out Tom Pease! Tom is a family entertainer who sings silly songs that also teach many different lessons as well as a little sign language. Tyler, Trevor and I saw him at the beginning of the summer at the library so Tyler was super excited to hear the Belly Button song! As always, Tom put on a great show - it's almost as fun to watch the audience as it is to watch him!

During intermission Tyler thought it was funny to run in circles and hit the cedar tree that we were sitting next to. After that we had a hard time settling him back into the show so we left a little bit early. While Tyler was running around, Trevor stole one of his chicken nuggets! It was hilarious!

Monkey Balls Wool Dryer Balls

I was one of the lucky moms to be chosen to be a product tester for Cutesy Tushies, an online cloth diaper store that is being built by an old friend of mine, Michelle. I can safely say that I had a hand in converting her to cloth diapers after I shared that I was making the switch to cloth on FaceBook. She bought a couple flowered Happy Heinys diapers from me that I had purchased in a lot on eBay and we stayed in touch after that. Being the talented mommy she is, she decided to make her own diapers, which has brought her to her new adventure of selling her adorable cloth diapers!

Along with her cloth diapers, she is also going to be making and selling wool dryer balls. Have you heard of these before? They are a great product and easy to use - you just throw them in your dryer! As they tumble, they separate your wet clothes to allow the hot air to distribute through the dryer, resulting in faster drying times. This saves energy AND money! Michelle surprised me with two to test out! Not only are they bright and fun, they smell great! The ones I tested were Smashed Pear scented...mmmm!




You may have seen the plastic dryer balls in stores or on TV, which is what I started with. As you can see in the picture below (when you're done staring at my adorable little helper!) the plastic dryer balls I had purchased left marks all over our dryer. Can you guess what color they are?! They didn't do any damage, but just make me wonder if that dye is all over our clothes too.


As for the Monkey Balls Wool Dryer Balls - I LOVE 'EM!! They have been in every load of laundry since Michelle dropped them off and I've had no problems at all with unravelling. I like them a lot better than the plastic ones because they are so much quieter. (I have enough noise in this house with 2 boys!) I also like that they are scented and our clothes smelly yummy when they come out of the dryer! As for drying time, I usually set the dryer for 70 minutes for our cloth diapers and everything is completely dry except for the hemp inserts for the Thirsties Duo Diaper and the snap in for the GroVia diapers since they take longer to dry. I usually put those on the drying rack in the laundry room to finish drying. With the wool dryer balls, I set the timer for 60 minutes and EVERYTHING was DRY!

The Cutesy Tushies site should be up and running TODAY! Michelle will be selling the Monkey Balls Dryer Balls for $5.95 each. There will also be several different types of handmade cloth diapers including diaper covers and pocket diapers, which I'm also currently testing! If you are interested in Michelle's products or would like to contact her, you can visit her website at http://www.cutesytushies.com/.


Cutesy Tushies provided me with Monkey Balls Wool Dryer Balls 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 - Getting his face wet!

Toddler Tuesday - Fun at the Fair!

Last week was the WI Valley Fair at Marathon Park. As far as I can remember, this was Tyler's first fair in Wausau. Since I exhibited in the open class I had a week long pass and the boys were free to get in, so we took advantage of it. We went to the fair every day - meeting friends, looking at exhibits, petting animals and learning about agriculture. Oh yeah, and going on rides too! Unfortunately I forgot my camera all except one of the days (so unlike me!) so there are no fun pictures of Tyler and his friend Wyatt on the rocket ship ride or playing in the corn, soybeans and cottonseed in the Ag Adventure Tent. Also no pictures of Tyler petting a cow, after which he promptly corrected me by saying, “It’s a CALF mom!”

However, there ARE pictures of Grammy taking Tyler on the ferris wheel!! This was Grammy’s first time on a ride in…we’ll just say quite some time. :-) She was a little nervous, but Tyler chose her so she “had” to do it! It was a blast watching from the ground with Trevor, almost as much fun as they had on the ride!

And what’s a trip to the fair with Grandma without a carnival game?!