let's talk CLOTH.

So, here's the deal. We have been making some serious changes lately and things have been BEYOND hectic. I am so so sorry I have been MIA.
Tons has happened since I posted last. We moved into a new place, we switched Milo to cloth diapers, I have started a new business endeavor... Talk about overwhelming.


Let's talk cloth diapers.
What's the difference? What's the point? Why did I switch?

When I had Milo, we were living at my husband's grandmother's house. Things were weird for me there and doing laundry was a huge pain in the butt. I didn't even want to try cloth diapers because it seemed like more of a pain than it would be a benefit. Milo is 8.5 months old now and we switched about a week ago. Let me tell you, I am LOVING it. I really do wish I would have just started out with cloth from the get go.
The difference between cloth diapers and disposables is obvious; but it is more than just reusing one, and throwing away the other. The cost is the biggest difference. In the first two years, expect to spend over 2,000 in diapers for EACH KID. And we all know not every toddler is potty trained by the age of 2.
I bought milo 5 cloth diapers and I have been washing them a few at a time during the day so we dont run out until our next shipment gets here. for the 5 diapers and two extra inserts, I spent $50. I ordered him 9 more and a few extra inserts, and spent another $50. And with that $100, he will be set on diapers as long as I do one load of cloth laundry per day. You can't tell me that alone isn't worth it! Cloth diapers are both frugal and eco friendly! And every crunchy mama, young or old, can love that!
I switched for those two reasons, but also for the fact that they're CUTE! There are so many different prints and colors. the possibilities really are endless! I promise, it's the way to go.
Not to mention, the resale value is almost as high as the retail value. So, in all reality, cloth diapers could be almost free!

When I was preparing for the switch, I found these links extremely helpful.
https://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/detergentchoices.htm

http://www.happybabycompany.com/Cloth-Diaper-Info_ep_45-1.html

for the love of food.

We are finally getting settled into our new place and I am absolutely loving it. I love having my own kitchen to cook in. I can finally cook without frustrations of being in someone else's kitchen.
I have tried a ton of new recipes just being here for two weeks and hubby is LOVING IT. Milo is too, actually! Let me tell you, that kid is an eater! He chows down on some pork chop. Loves his veggies. Goes crazy over bread and potatoes. What can I say? He's a foodie and carb lover just like his mama!
Out of everything I have made in the last two weeks, Milo's favorite has been the homemade popsicles I made for him. I was looking for a healthy alternative for ice cream, which me and my hubby eat on a semi regular basis after dinner.
I make smoothies almost every morning for breakfast. I love them and all the endless flavor combinations.Plus, they're fast,easy, you can take them on the go, easy clean up. All around, a great start to my day! After making these smoothies for multiple days in a row, and Milo really liking them, I decided to make him some fruit popsicles.
I bought a big bag of frozen fruit from Costco, it has pineapple, mango, strawberries, and papaya. I just threw a bunch of the fruit in my blender, a tiny bit of all natural fruit juice, some water, about a cup of yogurt, and a banana. Once I blended that all together I just poured it into popsicle molds and let them harden. The next night I gave him one and he went absolutely bananas over it. It's something that is so simple, pretty cheap, and it also helped sooth his gums since he is teething yet again.

balancing the bar.

Life has been moving so fast in the last month. From hubby being out of town, my laptop breaking, etc. But that's life, and we have been flowing with the wind.
So! With everything happening, I havent gotten to post in awhile. In that time, Milo has almost mastered crawling. Last time I posted, Milo was teething. He has since then cut his teeth and is getting more. Needless to say, he has been one cranky baby.
I really hate teething. there is nothing enjoyable about it. Then all of a sudden, they pop through and you have your kid back! Like magic (;
We are preparing to move in a few days and Milo being cranky does not make that any less stressful, it actually makes me want to pull my hair out. And of course Zachery isn't much help when he is fussy.
Moms don't get enough credit. People say "oh you just stay at home with the baby all day? I'd love to sit at home all day." reality check... You probably wouldnt. A lot of people aren't cut out for mom life. Especially young-mom life. Trying to balance a social life and family life. That might be hard to all moms, at any age. But at 21 most kids are in college and just wanting to party.
I had a friend come visit from New York that I havent seen in a good 10 years. It was so hard to see him the week he was here because  I couldn't just drop what I was doing to meet up and hang out. I couldn't just get up and get ready and go out to the bar. It's tough, and people without kids, guys especially, just don't understand... But I wouldnt have it any other way. Putting Milo to bed, and spending time with him during the day, and watching him sleep, trumps all. ALL.

Sick and tired of being sick and.... teething.

Where do I start? Milo has been sick AND teething for the last week or so. For anyone who hasn't experienced this, you're very lucky. It's definitely not fun. 

But on the bright side his two top teeth are pretty have cut almost completely through! That means the teething is almost over, for now anyway!

Zachery has been in Portland all week so I have been rocking it out, single mom style, since Monday. And will continue that until next Friday!

Funny story, we were FaceTiming & Milo heard zacherys voice and completely tried to attack the phone. It was so cute he actually recognized his daddy over the phone. Love those boys :)

Needless to say this week has been full of craziness! One minute Milo is happy as can be, the next minute he is screaming because I have to suck the snot out of his nose! So not fun, but someone has got to do it, right?

Plus side to sick days? We get to babywear & cuddle all day! 

mad men

The last week has been crazy busy for us. My husband works for a company that does marine decking. Well, when they don't have work in Seattle (where we live), he has to travel and stay down in Portland for a period of time. This time, It's two weeks... As far as we know at least. So, we have been getting ready for that, he actually leaves first thing tomorrow morning.
It always sucks when he's gone because for one, he's my hubby and I will obviously miss him For two, Milo is to the age where he recognizes his daddy, and he is a total Daddy's Boy. Let's not forget he will ALWAYS be a Mama's Boy, but lately he has been reaching for his daddy more than he ever used to. It's really cute, actually.
On top of that, Milo has been sick AND teething. Two things that should never never ever go together... When it does happen, I refer to it as "Hell." It's a dark, sad, scary place. A place with screaming babies, slobbering and snot nosed monsters, and a mama who is zombified from sleep deprivation. My poor baby has had a runny nose so bad that at one point he was blowing snot bubbles from his nose. GROSS. The teething thing will be over any day now, praise Jesus. His two top teeth are going to bust through those gums any minute, I can feel it! Then he will have FOUR teeth. which is so crazy to me... He's growing up WAY too fast.
Two things that have saved my life the last few days: A nasal aspirator and my boobs. Yes, my boobs. Or if you aren't breastfeeding, non-medicated saline drops will do the trick. Since Milo has been so stuffed up, what I do so he can breathe while he eats, sleeps, or sucks his paci; I suirt a drop of breast milk in each nostril, let it sit for a few seconds, suck out the mucus with the aspirator, and when you get everything out of his nose and suirt a little more breast milk in each side. Breast milk, honestly, cures all! I promise! From pink eye to diaper rash, breast milk can help it! If you do this with the saline, you dont have to put the second dose in after you suck his nose.
I am literally falling asleep as I type because my lovely son has decided to wake me up constantly through the night, which I'm not used to at all because he has usually slept through the nights.... So, mama's, I feel your pain.... It's bed time.

Below is a list for a bunch of different uses for breast milk. Brought to you from a group on Facebook called Breast Friends, check 'em out!

Pink eye, sties, eye redness/soreness/puffiness – apply a few drops in the affect eye(s), 4 times a day until symptoms are gone

Diarrhea – breastfeeding your child helps prevent and treat diarrheaDiaper rash – apply and allow to air dry

Cold sore – apply and allow to air dry

Warts – apply and allow to air dry

Minor cuts, burns and scrapes – apply, allow to air dry then bandage as needed 

Stuffy / runny nose – squirt a few drops in each nostril

Sore / cracked nipples – apply and air dry

Ear infections – squirt a few drops in affected ear

Insect bites – apply and the itching will go away

Rashes, eczema – wash with clean water, apply milk and let air dry

Acne – wash face and apply breastmilk with fingertips or a cotton ball (real cotton, synthetic can irritate the skin)

Chicken pox – apply to sores and will help with itching

Sore throat – drinking breast milk will help fight the infection

Tooth decay – breastmilk does not grow bacteria

Plugged tear ducts – squirt a few drops in the corner of the eye (by the nose) a few times a day

Contact lenses – dry lenses or run out of solution? Substitute breast milk, it’s sterile

Leg ulcers – apply a few drops of breast milk

Cancer – some cancer patients use breastmilk to supplement their cancer treatment, and are successful 

http://amomsblog.wordpress.com/2007/12/20/can-breast-milk-cure-cancer/

Breast Cancer – breastfeeding can help prevent breast cancer in the mother

Osteoporosis – breastfeeding may help prevent osteoporosis in the mother

Diabetes, heart disease, childhood cancers, ear infections, obesity – breastfeeding your child can help prevent these diseases.

wrikles & fine lines - breastmilk diminishes them

Hold the boulders!

Today I learned the importance of a good bra. Usually I go to Ross or somewhere cheap, Guess my size, and be on my way. I was never measured or fitted. Being a mother who breastfeeds, my boobs went from huge to ginormous after I had Milo, but I didnt buy a new bra. I honestly thought they were fine. Well, I was very, very, VERY wrong.
I got sized today and the woman at Victorias Secret told me I was a 36DDD or a 38DD as my "sister size." Guess what size my other bras at home were.... 36C. No wonder I was spilling out of them in all directions!
The moment I put on the correct size, my whole life changed. My boobs looked AMAZING! I looked thinner, it was a thousand times for comfortable, my back fat roll wasn't as noticeable. It was great!
As most of you know, Victoria's Secret has their semi-annual sale going on. I bought two bras which were normally $59 each but they were on sale for $34. YES. $34! Thats basically half priced in case you didn't know.
Milo will be 7 months old next week on the 8th. He still nurses about every 2-3 hours and goes about 6 hours at night. I tried the nursing bra's and honestly, I think they're a waste of money. I didn't understand the point of unclasping it when you could just pop your boob out of the normal bra. So, in my opinion, I say skip the nursing bra and get fitted AFTER your milk comes in and regulates. Spend the money on a GOOD bra. Let me tell you, it is SO worth it!

put your mama face on

Being a young mom, looking good is pretty high up on the priority list. how I do this with a 7 month old is beyond me. Usually I sit on the floor in front of my big mirror, criss cross apple sauce style, and sit him in my lap. From there, he scoots, rolls, messes up my organized boxes, chews on brushes, mascaras, pretty much everything he can get his hands on...
My husband always tells me "Babe, you don't need makeup." or "You look better without it." typical hubby things... I go Natural on occasion, but every woman, ESPECIALLY post partum moms, want to look pretty. I'm seven months post partum and like most new mothers, I have my insecurities with my new, strange body.
Anyways! Let me start off by saying that I am not a make up artist, I'm not very good at it, my normal day I only wear foundation and mascara. Dont get me wrong, I try and try and practice over and over, but my makeup will never be anything out of the ordinary. My two year old cousin could probably do what I do. This blog is all about the average young mom, and I know a lot of average young moms suck as much as I do. Okay let's be real... I'm not THAT bad... well I will let you be the judge of that.
I always always ALWAYS start with a moisturized face before I apply any makeup.
Starting with a fresh face, I squirt my light foundation on the back of my hand, in this case I used Flower. I also squirt my face color match foundation right next to it. I use Urban Decay Naked, OBSESSED with this foundation. With the lighter foundation I form a triangle, under my eye, down the side of my nose, and up the the other side of my eye. I apply the Naked foundation all over my face and blend the two together. Using the lighter foundation in that triangle creates a highlight and brightens your face.

After my foundation is applied I take my bronzer and contour. From the top of your ear to the corner of your mouth, create a line about two inches long. This sculpts your face and makes your cheek bones really pop! The best thing about this bronzer is it makes your face smell like chocolate. YUM. After bronzer, I apply blush over the apples of my cheeks.

Using my Naked 3 palette from Urban Decay, I use the lightest color (strange), and apply all over my lid. Once that is all over, I use "Nooner" in my crease. And blend blend blend blend blend! BLEND. Once my shadow is applied, I use a liquid liner from sephora. Its in really weird looking pen, but let me tell you, I love this product. It is so easy to use. For mascara I use Benefit "They're Real." My lashes suck! Theyre so short and stubby and this mascara makes a huge difference.

After all this, pencling in my brows is a MUST. In one picture below you can see the dramatic difference between penciling them in and leaving them natural.

Once my face is complete, I touch up my face and set it with a translucent powder.
Below is my step by step transformation and some links to the products I use and a YoutTube video of my favorite make up artist in the online world!

http://www.sephora.com/product/productDetail.jsp?keyword=URBAN%20DECAY%20Naked%20Skin%20Weightless%20Ultra%20Definition%20Liquid%20Makeup%20P374830&skuId=1434919&productId=P374830&_requestid=3753

http://www.sephora.com/product/productDetail.jsp?keyword=SEPHORA%20COLLECTION%20Smart%20Liner%20P379325&skuId=1507532&productId=P379325&_requestid=3886

http://www.sephora.com/naked3-P384099?skuId=1573336

http://www.sephora.com/product/productDetail.jsp?keyword=BENEFIT%20COSMETICS%20They're%20Real!%20Mascara%20P289307&skuId=1343938&productId=P289307&_requestid=4078

http://www.sephora.com/product/productDetail.jsp?keyword=TOO%20FACED%20Milk%20Chocolate%20Soleil%20Light%2FMedium%20Matte%20Bronzer%20%20P309709&skuId=1511831&productId=P309709&_requestid=4167

http://www.youtube.com/user/Jaclynhill1