If you follow me on Twitter, you know I’ve been “tweeting” about wanting to make my own baby food and possibly going the route of cloth diapers. Most all my girlfriends have said to me, “Oh yeah, making baby food is easy, but good luck with the cloth diaper thing!” (Sigh) Which made me think, “What the heck am I thinking? Cloth diapers!” Do I really understand what I’m getting into here? Yet even with some hesitation the desire is still there to at least try them.

I never thought I’d be that kind of mom who would want to make her own baby food and buy something other than her beloved Pampers. But, I started thinking about it more and more.

I breastfeed. Huge breastfeeding advocate over here. (Waves hand) Why not make baby food and try cloth diapers as well? If I want the natural approach, why not go all the way? Why not save even more money AND help the planet??

I try and do my part for God’s creation. We now have been recycling for almost 2 years now, and most weeks have more recyclables than trash. Go.us. Yet every time I throw one of Gavin’s diapers away I feel…. guilty. Are you aware that it takes 500 years for a diaper to decompose! Yikes, because I was not. Think about how many diapers are just sitting in land fills, right now! Gross. And I, like so many, are just adding to that number:( Ugh.

Now I have been researching this, I have. I have been looking into many brands of cloth diapers. It can be overwhelming, I must admit. I keep coming back to this one brand in my research.The brand that best fits me and my needs I think, and hopefully Gavin’s as well, are gDiapers.  It sorta makes me feel like I could maybe do this.

I know if I do decide to go this route it will be an adjustment. It will take a while to get used to. I may miss the ease and convenience of disposable. It will be more work, and added steps. I’m sure that starting out it will be a good chunk of change. All of this I’m prepared for. And still want to try this.

Then there is baby food. I already enjoy cooking. Why shouldn’t I make food for Gavin too? One book that helped was “1.2.3 Cook For Me“. Great info and easy-to-follow recipes. Another great source for making baby food is wholesomebabyfood.com. Every thing I needed to know to help me get started came from these two resources.

So last night I made some. I whipped up some apple sauce. SUPER.EASY. (As everyone told me it would be) The true test? Would my taste-tester approve? Already Gavin’s a way better eater with solids than Landon was, but last night we hit a new level of love for solids. He opened his mouth, grabbed my hand and shoved the spoon in his mouth with every single bite. Loved.it.

I’m not sure but I think I saw him give me two thumbs up;)

Now I wonder….will he do the same for gDiapers?

I honestly didn’t care for the longest time. No interest what so ever. I like to see myself as one who goes against the crowd. Swims against the current. The lone fish, doing her own thing.

But really, who am I kidding?! At some point I give in and find myself jumping on whatever bandwagon is coming to town, well eventually anyways. Always late, but jumping on, nonetheless.

Thanks to my own mother, (who owns all the books) I’m hooked. I’m captivated, engulfed, and perhaps a tiny bit obsessed.

As embarrassing at it may sound, I’m in love. In love with a character named Edward Cullen.

Apparently I’m revisiting my teenager years or something.

I am currently halfway done with the 3rd book in the series. Flying through them with great speed. Pausing long enough to feed one of my children, wipe a butt, or change a diaper. I’m staying up late as the clock ticks away, loosing sleep just so I can see what happens next with the great love story.

I’ve read many many books. I’ve read many many series. By far these are the best, hands down.

I only could dream of writing books that people couldn’t put down or get enough of.

I’ve had a few friends just give birth recently. They have been asking me questions about breastfeeding, and my favorite breastfeeding products. Thankfully both times I have been super blessed with a great supply and positive nursing experiences. I am so pro-breastfeeding because I enjoy it so much and love the benefits it brings my baby and I. So I decided to do a post about some of my favorite breastfeeding necessities. Below are some products that I simply couldn’t live without on my nursing journey.

1. The Boppy Pillow. This thing, as most of you mamas know, is a God-send. A must have for your first few weeks after your baby is born. When the boys were newborns this was so helpful for me. As they get bigger I use it more for tummy and play time.

2. Lansinoh Topical Treatment and Medela Tender Care Lanolin Even if your little one latches on great, this is still a must have the first few weeks when you’re nursing around the clock.

3. Lansinoh Soothies. Again, great for in the beginning when you need some comfort and relief. Pop them in the fridge and put them on after each nursing session. Ahhhh.

4. Lily Padz. I mean seriously?! Awesome product. I loathe breast pads because they are bulky and itchy. These are so comfortable and easy to use. LOVE.THEM. When Gavin started sleeping through the night, I wore these to bed so I wouldn’t leak. They worked great.

5. Ameda Purely Yours Breast Pump. This thing is amazing. I much prefer nursing over pumping, but when I need to, this is my best friend. I use it every morning after he nurses. It’s affordable, durable, quiet, light weight, doesn’t hurt me, and is easy to clean. And I love the accessories it comes with.

6. Avent Manual Breast Pump Though technically this is my back up pump, I still really like it and use it on occasion. If I travel and don’t want to bring my Ameda, this comes along.

7. Lansinoh Breastmilk Storage Bags and Avent Breast Milk Containers. Hands down, my two favorites for storing breastmilk.

8. Gilligan & O’Malley Nursing Bras. My regular bras are this brand as well and recieved Comsumer Reports thumbs up! LOVE me some Gilligan and O’Malley bras, and they only come from my favorite store ever! (Target) So when I saw that they made nursing bras, you can imagine my excitement! And to be honest, I loathe nursing bras and would find myself on an never ending journey to find the perfect one. So these? Rock.

9. A Nursing Shawl. I used to just use a blanket in public. Gavin is a grabber and pulls the blanket off every time. I didn’t want to give perfect strangers a free show, so I bought one of these. He doesn’t get hot, it stays put, and it’s stylish. My friend even thought I made it myself. I noticed this one doesn’t get great reviews, but for me this one works great.

10. KellyMom. My go to website when I had questions/concerns. It even came in handy with my second as a refresher’s course.

Yes, things look different around here, yet again. I found another template that seemed to fit my personality a little better, and let’s face it, I really like having three columns. I can’t help it, I do. The only person this pained was my brother who just days ago spent time tweaking my other one.

He must really love me. ;)

And thanks to all who left comments saying you liked the other one. I did as well, but I just stumbled upon one I liked loved even more.

So today’s post is not about templates and such. It is about trying to be frugal.

Perhaps it was when we were about to have Gavin or maybe it was the economy, or maybe both. As 2009 approached my husband declared to our growing household that ‘09 was going to be the year of frugality! His exact words, not mine. (And he may or may not have raised his arms in the air when he said it.)

At first I sorta cringed to be honest. What was I going to have to give up or cut back on? But I agreed. OK, so ‘09 was/is going to be the year of frugality.

For starters, we began coupon clipping. Sadly, I’ve never been one to clip coupons. I’m lazy when it comes to that sorta thing. But I gave it a try, and now I like it. It only takes about 15 minutes of prep time. Each week I cut them out of the paper. I also signed up with a great website called CouponMom.com. They send me emails of deals and such and I’m able to print the coupons right off of my computer.

Another thing we’ve started doing is meal planning. Again, too lazy before to try this. Now? Love it. Not only do we try new meals, but it along with the coupons helps with the grocery bills.

Like the coupons, meal planning takes a little extra time and effort. Usually about 30 minutes total of prep time for getting meals together for two weeks and coupon clipping, but in the long run it’s well worth it. Plus, it makes cooking even more fun because I always have a new dish to try and look forward to. When shopping, it helps you stay on task of getting only what’s on the list.

I’m also a fan of consignment stores. I’ve always been a fan of Once Upon A Child for the kids, but now there’s one for me as well. And it doesn’t stop there. The meals that I plan come out of cookbooks I buy here. I’ve purchased some nice finds, including this one, which I’ve been wanting for some time now.

So how about you? Have you cut back? Watched your saving and spending more closely? Are you a coupon junkie? Meal planner? Garage sale jumper? Have you always been thrifty or are you like me and are finding new ways to start being smarter with money?

I miss writing. I miss connecting with people through this outlet, instead of just “tweeting” with them. Actually, I kind of miss my blog, and I’m pretty sure that she misses me as well. Perhaps what I need is a change of scenery? So I decided it was time it needed a fresh new look. I had the same layout for almost two years, so it was time for a change. And maybe, just maybe, a new look is just what I need to get back into the swing of things? Thankfully, I have a go to guy that knows all about CSS and HTML codes and stuff. I can tell him that I want this color instead of that, that font instead of this, move this here, take something out, and add something more, etc.

So we shall see if this helps…. So, what do you think of the new look? Is it a keeper?