Where on the Web is Bert? April & May Edition #BertSighting

Woops! It's been a month since I updated this. Sorry! Needless to say I've been all over the web this past month so click the links and check it out!

Thirsties Written by Mama Monday - Weekly blog post for Thirsties

Sorry Betty: I shouldn't have judged so quickly. - I've been watching Mad Men on Netflix Instant lately and that of course has made me view life a little differently.

Happy Earth Day! What Changes Have You Made? - The changes that I've made to become more eco-friendly has really spurred on by my using cloth diapers on both of my children.

Oh... That Shirt Again - Has your child ever gone through a favorite piece of clothing phase? Mine has...

More Than a Maid and Cook - I wrote this after a particularly rough week with Brennan, my oldest son. It was one of those weeks where I stopped and thought to myself, "This is why we have Mother's Day."

I'm an Aplix Babe, What are You? - I prefer aplix to snaps on my cloth diapers, what about you?

Diaper Junction's Family Fitness

Running for Beginners - How to take up running the easy way without harming yourself.

Childhood Obesity and Green Light Foods - How to teach your kids how to eat healthy and make good choices.

Do You Need a Pep Talk? - Get motivated to kick start your healthy life!

Diaper Junction Blog Posts

Why YOU should choose cloth wipes over disposable wipes!

How to Care for Your Wet Bag

#SpecialMom Sponsor Review: Jamberry Nails, Definitely Worth Your Pretty Penny

I was sent product to review in exchange for this post, however, all opinions are my own. I did not receive any monetary compensation for the review of this product.

So there's this girl, Rachel, and she lived down the hall from me my freshman year of college and we have a ton of mutual friends. Rachel is the kind of girl who has a ton of friends, lights up a room when she walks into it and knows all the fashion do's and don'ts. When I saw that Rachel was selling this product called Jamberry Nails I really wanted to understand what it was about. Given our history together and what I knew about Rachel my guess was that it was fashionable and easy to use since she's a busy mom of two just like me. I looked at her website briefly, got interested in the product but kind of forgot about it since we were in the middle of moving into our new house. Well, not even one week later Rachel sent me a Facebook message asking if I wanted to do a review and giveaway for a set of wraps. There's no way that I was going to pass that opportunity up!

Let me tell you a little bit about Rachel, well, at least  the stuff I haven't already told you. Rachel's married to her college sweetheart Adam, who works in the finance industry. Rachel stays at home with her two children, Susie (2.5 years old) and Charlie (13 months), but in a previous life she was a nanny and then the director of The Liz Logelin Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps those who have lost a spouse. You may have heard of Matt Logelin, the author of the NY Times bestselling book Two Kisses For Maddy. Anyway, Rachel started the foundation with Matt as a way of honoring his wife, Liz, who passed away 27 hours after their daughter, Maddy, was born. Why am I telling you all of this? I'm telling you this so that you'll understand Rachel's huge heart for helping people; part of helping people is by making women feel pretty even when it's only on her fingers or toes!

I had to ask Rachel what drew her to become a Jamberry Independent Consultant since this is such a new company and this is what she said, 

I love having my nails painted but I am hard on my hands and my polish would always chip and peel within hours of putting it on.  Even if I went to the salon and got a manicure it never lasted.  When I was invited to my friend's Jamberry party I was pretty intrigued.  I bought a few sets and as soon as they came I put them on.  I LOVED them and they lasted for 16 days before I took them off!  I also put some of the Junior wraps on my daughter and she was so excited!  Everywhere we went people were asking about our nails and where we had them done.  

What exactly is this awesome product that's called Jamberry Nails? Simple. Jamberry Nails are nail shields that adhere to your fingernail and toenail when warmed with a hairdryer. The shields are non-toxic, gluten free, latex free and are made in the US. If you're concerned with your own skin and your child's skin you should look into Jamberry nails as a safe and inexpensive option to nail polish. There are over 300 designs for you to choose from too and one sheet of shields can be used up to three or four times. Here's a picture (to the left) of my sheet after applying my Jamberry to my toes. I'll easily have a few more times of applications with this one sheet. There are also shields designed specifically for youth nails so man are those designs sweet! I can just imagine Kendall stylin' with her squeaky (yes, I bought those shoes for my daughter!) sandals and purty Jamberry Juniors nails!

A sheet of nail shields (or wraps as they're also called) costs $15 plus shipping and handling. With at least three uses out of one sheet think of the money you'll save by not having to go to a nail salon? The average manicure or pedicure costs $25 (manicure) and $35 (pedicure) each time plus a tip. If you're able to get at least three applications out of your Jamberry Nails sheet you'll look like you spent salon prices but really it was only $5.

The application for the shields is really easy, I promise; simply peel off a shield, warm it with a hairdryer, apply to your nail and press firmly with a cuticle shaper. Then to seal the shield onto your nail you'll use your hairdryer again pressing firmly with your finger or cuticle shaper. It was so easy and it took me about a half hour which I imagine will become faster the more familiar I become with the process. Here's a demo video so you can see just how easy it is:

I cannot rave any more about this product but I'll leave you with another picture that Rachel posted on her Facebook business page, she calls it the Jamberry vs. OPI challenge to show you Jamberry's staying power.

Pretty telling, huh? A Jamberry shield can last up to three weeks on your fingers and up to six on your toes. Think about it...feel pretty...and get in touch with Rachel!

Buy it: Rachel has set up an online event during the duration of the giveaway for your to take a peek, ask her questions and purchase nail shields for yourself or a friend. Click here to visit the event.

Win it: Win a set of shields for yourself in the Something Special for Mom giveaway event! Click here.

#FluffyMail Review: Omaiki The Upper Crust of AIOs

I was sent product to review in exchange for this post, however, all opinions are my own. I did not receive any monetary compensation for the review of this product.

Canadian born and made cloth diaper company Omaiki sounds beautiful, doesn't it? That's because the company's first language is French. Oui! Okay, the name "Omaiki" is not French. Omaiki cloth diapers were created by two friends, two mothers, Anouk and Ariane, who both wanted a sustainable diaper that would help protect the world that their children were growing up in. "Omaiki," like I said, isn't a French word; it's a conglomeration of Anouk and Ariane's children's names.

The price point of Omaiki is on the higher end of the all-in-ones (AIO) at $28.50, however, the design and feel of the diaper does warrant the price point. With hidden layers of organic cotton and bamboo the Omaiki makes for a very trim, soft diaper. To be honest, the diaper looks classy. When I opened the package and saw the Omaiki my first thought was how well made the diaper was. You should also note that the diaper is a one size diaper meaning it should last you from birth to potty training. Kendall, my daughter, is 23 months old and weighs approximately 24 pounds so as you can see she has quite a bit more room to grow into the diaper. When you view it that way $28.50 is not a bad deal, especially if the diaper holds up as well as it looks like it will.

Because the Omaiki is an AIO it has an insert that's sewn to the diaper, not into the diaper like a fitted. This is done to create faster drying times much like the Smart Bottoms AIO that I reviewed for you this weekend. It also comes with a snap-in insert so that you can add extra absorbency when needed.

Other than loving the way this diaper looks I am going to say that it has the standard features of any other AIO on the market. Now, we've been using the diaper since late March and the Velcro has held up, the diaper hasn't leaked at all  and the fabric hasn't faded from washes that occur multiple times a week. That being said I think this diaper will be able to make it through birth to potty training in one pretty piece.

As far as nighttime diapering goes I would not use the Omaiki AIO for overnight use. I did this once to test it out for you and man did we have soggy sheets in the morning. I merely place the snapable insert into the diaper, put Kendall in it and 12 hours later found a very wet baby, pajamas and a need for clean sheets on her crib. What else did I expect though? The girl sleeps for 12 hours or more each night; I was kind of stupid for only using the diaper on her. I do love my Omaiki for outings. It's trim which is awesome if you don't want to carry around a bulky diaper bag. The other benefit, because it's 70% made of bamboo, is that the little guy can really hold it's moisture in.


So would I purchase the Omaiki AIO? Yes. I probably wouldn't make my entire diaper stash Omaiki AIO diapers but I think that a good quality diaper, even if it's on the higher end for price, is something that should be in every diaper stash. You need a diaper that can keep up with your kiddo's lifestyle while they're still toddling around in diapers. From what I can see (remember that I've only had this diaper since the end of March) the Omaiki AIO will stand the test of time and you can feel safe purchasing it.

Want to buy it? Purchase one right here by clicking on this link. 

Or you can win one of your very own by clicking on this link.

#FluffyMail Review : One Smart Cookie; Smart Bottoms

I was sent product to review in exchange for this post, however, all opinions are my own. I did not receive any monetary compensation for the review of this product.

You've probably seen a ton of reviews on Smart Bottoms' Smart One, an all-in-one (AIO) diaper. I haven't read any of them because I knew that I was going to be reviewing one too so I didn't want to be influenced by what I read. If I had read the reviews I'm certain we'd all come to the same conclusion: the Smart One 3.0 is one smart fluff in a sea of AIO's begging to stand apart.


First and foremost, allow me to introduce you to Christy, the owner and creator of Smart Bottoms. Christy has been married for ten years to Geoff; they have two daughters who are four and five years old. Interestingly enough, both Geoff and Christy come from entrepreneurial families so it's no wonder why this dynamic couple click and why they have a successful cloth diaper business. When she's not being a savvy cloth diaper business woman she can be found in the great outdoors of beautiful Michigan either enjoying the sun and sand dunes or sledding down a hill with her girls.

I like to know from the designer's perspective what makes their diaper stand out from the rest and of course I had to ask Christy,

Most of our products have at least one, if not several, defining features that really set them apart from the rest. The Smart One is our keystone product. It is our organic, one-size, AIO diaper. It features a unique design that allows for a parent to customize absorbency without bulkiness. It also dries faster than other organic AIO’s on the market (only 1 drier cycle needed!), even though it boasts 10 super absorbent layers of organic cotton! Our Too Smart Cover has a unique leg adjustment option that allows it to fit from 6-35 lbs. It also is the only cover on the market that offers both a wipe-able interior as well as super soft fleece leg casings. Our Smartfold is most definitely the most absorbent prefold on the market! This is the perfect option for even the heaviest wetters! The 2x3x2 design has a unique construction that allows for optimal absorption rate, which is critical for heavy wetting toddlers. Just because this product is super functional doesn’t mean you lose any of the comfort! These diapers are made with a super soft and fuzzy organic cotton and hemp fleece. We also offer unique trainers, swim diapers, and wet bags.

I can attest to the Smart One's trimness. I love this feature of the diaper in particular. If Kendall's wearing a pair of pants that may be a little on the tight side for her adorable fluffy bum I automatically reach for the Smart One. As you can see in the picture the legs of the diaper kind of fold in making this puckering in kind of effect. I'm not a sewer at all so you'll have to excuse my use of non-seamstress verbiage. See in the picture? I hope you're stackin' what I'm baling!

What Christy says about the absorbency is absolutely true! I actually put Kendall in the diaper and then we ran out to Ikea for a few things for our new house; after two and a half hours the diaper had held up. No leaks. If you can see how trim this diaper is you'll understand why I was amazed. I dry my diapers on low and the Smart One does need a little extra air drying time but it's not much at all. I could probably dry my diapers longer but I ruined my first batch of bumGenius 3.0's by doing that so I'm a little hesitant that history will repeat itself.

I will say that I did not try this diaper out at night. I'm certain that with a few doublers this puppy can last for 12 hours but I do not know if this is true from firsthand experience. That being said, if you want a trim diaper for your skinny baby the Smart One has to be on your list.

Now what's really interesting to me is the fact that Christy's eldest daughter was not cloth diapered. The thought hadn't occurred to her, "About six days after our youngest was born, I was changing her diaper and found the clear beads from the inside of her diaper stuck to her bottom...That was the first time I realized that the diapers I was putting on my brand new, perfect little baby contained some weird, unrecognizable chemical compound. I started researching just exactly what they were made out of and made a decision that day to cloth diaper." Christy was completely new to the world of cloth diapering and envisioned using our beloved grandmother's flats with huge diaper pins and plastic pants. 

After purchasing brand name diapers online and having unsuccessful experiences with her normal weight but skinny legged baby, Christy started thinking about what would make the perfect cloth diaper. Then her daughter started getting blister-like rashes around her legs; this obviously troubled Christy. A few deductions and trial and error runs with different brands, Christy and Geoff realized that their daughter was one of the 25% of kids who are allergic to polyester. "That was when I decided that we needed to create a diaper that used organic fabric, was suitable for skinny babies, and was made here in the USA," Christy explains, "We source all of our raw materials (except the hemp) from US companies and we are committed to manufacturing here in the United States! We have seen firsthand the impact small business have on communities.  Our commitment to produce and source here in the US is creating and sustaining jobs across the country."

Smart Bottoms, a company that strives for excellence by producing "products that are truly unique and ingenious." Take a look at their shop and you'll find much more than cloth diapers, you'll find a lifestyle, a culture of living organically and sustaining the American economy.

To buy your own Smart One or any of the other products available through Smart Bottoms, click here. 

To enter to win a Smart One of your very own completely the Giveaway Tools form found on this page.

#SpecialMom Giveaway has Started! Win from Jamberry Nails, Thirty-One Gifts and Memories in Clay

 

The month of May is a special time to celebrate Mothers. Whether you are a mom yourself or you're doing something special for your own mom, the Something Special for Mom Giveaway Event is for YOU! A great group of bloggers have come together to show you special items you might like to receive or give as gifts this month. You'll be able to enter to win these great products from May 10th-26th thanks to the Blogging Mamas Network! Be sure to hop around to all of the participating bloggers, in the linky below this giveaway, as they have some great prizes to share with you! Make sure you also enter the Grand Prize - a $250 Gift Card to Mía Mariú! One lucky Mama is going to look so pretty with all that eco-friendly makeup!

And now for FirstTimeMom's prize package!

I have to be honest; I wish that I could enter this giveaway for myself! Our sponsors are all mothers and let me tell you, they want for you to feel special because you are. Here are the prizes, heck I'm going to call them gifts because this one's for you, Mama!!!

For you we have:

• A product of your choice from Timoree's Thirty-One Gifts
• $15 Gift Card to Rachel's Jamberry Nails
• A $60 Gift Card to Memories in Clay

Depending on what you decide to win that's roughly a retail value of $80! These women are amazing and I'm so thankful that they've chosen to bless you all with this giveaway. If you feel inclined head on over to their Facebook pages and groups and tell them thank you for their hard work as moms and business women! 

Entry-Form

And don't forget to hop around to the other blogs for your chance to win even more gifts!

According to Jenny, So Easy Being Green, the Blogging Mamas Network, and the Something Special for Mom participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prize obligations.

#FluffyMail Sponsor Spotlight! Nommy's Nappies = The BEST Nighttime Diaper I've Tried.

I was sent product to review in exchange for this post, however, all opinions are my own. I did not receive any monetary compensation for the review of this product.

If you have a child older than nine months and sleeping consistently through the night, either waking once to nurse or not waking at all, then you probably know the difficulty in finding a nighttime diapering solution that works. My son, who's four and a half years old now, was proficient at being a heavy wetting. It took me months to find the right absorbency to keep it all in. I was not comfortable with any kind of cloth diaper that wasn't a pocket so that greatly limited my choices. Then I had Kendall in 2011 and because I had more experience with cloth diapers I ventured out of my comfort zone; I entered the world of fitted diapers. I'm not looking back and here's why:

1. The absorbency is unmatched. You cannot find a more absorbent diaper than a fitted and it's not as scary as you might think it is. Simply add a cover, wool or PUL.
2. If you use a wool cover it allows for your baby's skin to breathe which is a good thing when using diapers that have PUL and TPU as the waterproofing material.
3. The prints are so darn cute!!

Allow me to introduce you to Sarah, the Memphis mama behind my new favorite nighttime diaper, the Nommy's Nighttime Nappy! Sarah is a mama of one to her little man, Thomas (age 3) and has been married to her high school love, Chad, for ten years this June. By daytime Sarah is an audiologist specializing in adult hearing impairment and by night, well, she's making beautiful, soft, fluffy cloth diapers! Sarah and her family also love biking on Memphis's Greenline System. 

Now, don't mistake the name for Mommy's Nappies, it's specifically Nommy's Nappies. Sarah and her husband affectionately called their son Thomas the nickname "Nommy" since birth. It was obvious with the alliteration that comes from Nommy's Nappies that Sarah just had to use it as her shop name. With so many different fitteds on the market what makes Sarah's diaper stand apart from the rest? I just had to ask her and here's what she said, 

I believe I was one of the first to make pocket hybrid fitted diapers the way I do it - 4 layers of material throughout the body. Many hybrid fitteds replace the absorbent inner core layer with polyester fleece to repel liquid. I believe that the purpose of a fitted is to have absorbency throughout the body of the diaper, so I kept the absorbent layer, added the poly fleece layer next to the outer knit, and put in a stay dry layer with a pocket opening closest to baby. The added benefit of a wicking layer next to the skin helps some babies stay dryer and more comfortable all night/naptime long, and the pocket opening means you can customize this diaper throughout your child's diapering years. 

Sarah's not kidding; there have been mornings where Kendall wakes up and the outside of her Nommy's feels damp to the touch. That's after 12 hours of solid sleep! Sarah came up with her nighttime design because of two frustrations she experienced while cloth diapering her own Nommy. She says,

This design came from two of my hang ups - 

1. I hate spraying poop off of serged edges. Exposed soakers just frustrate me because I am a little anal (pun intended!) about spraying every single bit of poop off my son's diapers before pailing them. 

2. Nommy has always been sensitive to sitting in wetness, and anyone who knows me knows I LOVE my sleep, so keeping that baby's bum dry is a top priority. 

As for her inspiration? She says she's inspired primarily from Facebook explaining that the constant evolving nature of the cloth diapering industry challenges her to make her product better than what she has done before. "All the questions and ideas floating around constantly remind you that there are different ways to do these cloth diapers, and most of them are valid," Sarah shares, "When I see a perfect diaper someone else has made, it makes me want to be better." I can't wait to see what a better Nighttime Nappy looks like!

I'm not lying when I say that I love this diaper at nighttime. The inner fleece of the diaper is incredibly soft to the touch and because Sarah adds that extra wicking layer of fabric it does a very nice job of keeping baby's skin dry. I will tell you that you do need to prep this diaper adequately before nighttime use. I was so excited to use my diaper when it came in the mail that I did one prepping and then had Kendall wear it at night. Not a good decision; she leaked through her PJs. I know better though. Now the Zorb insert comes separately from the hybrid fitted but I think it's worth your dollar. Sure you could use another pocket diaper's insert just as well but I don't know if the diaper would hold up as well as it has for me overnight if you do this. 

The only downfall for the diaper is also its best feature: the thickness of the diaper and having it fit over a cover can be tricky. I've found that I typically have no problem when I use a wool cover or soaker over my Nappy, however, if I use a smaller fitting PUL cover it doesn't provide good enough coverage. Then the diaper touches the fabric of Kendall's PJs and the wetness gets wicked up by the fabric of the PJs. It's a very small downside to the diaper but that's why you should read reviews before purchasing a diaper! Take my advice and make certain that whatever cover you use it has good coverage. 

Do you need to find a new nighttime diapering solution? Check out Nommy's Nappies on Facebook or on Etsy for pricing. And don't forget to enter the Fluffy Mail giveaway for your chance to win one of your very own!!