Prefold Party Day 3!

Welcome to Day 3 of The Median Mommy's Preference for Prefolds Party!  Prize Pack #3 is another amazing pack, full of wonderful handcrafted cloth diapering goodies!

Green Mother Crafts is the result of Jo and Angela's more than 20 years of experience cloth diapering!  Founded with a commitment towards the earth, Green Mother Crafts' goal is "to make affordable products that are functional, stylish, and have a positive impact on our environment."  Selling locally for 3 years, Green Mother Crafts recently expanded to begin selling their earth-friendly products online.  GMC's beautifully crafted items range from mama cloth, to wet bags, to cloth diapers and covers.  I had the opportunity to try one of GMC's Hybrid Fitted diapers (and LOVED it), you can check out the review here.  You can check out her latest creations and special offers on her Facebook page here.

The beautiful creations of Rumor Has It are the handywork of Constance.  I was drawn to Constance's Etsy store by the beautiful fabrics and designs she uses to create her handbags, wallets, burp cloths and blankets. You can also find her on Facebook here.

Gotcha Covered Diapers is the handiwork of Emily Hicks, having started creating diaper covers for her cloth diapering daughter.  Once she started, Emily said that she "fell in love with designing and making these!" You can purchase any of her fun and funky prints, with sizes fitting 2-40 lbs., in her Etsy store here.  You can also see her latest additions special offers posted on her Facebook page.

Amy Washington is the talented seamstress behind Mama Bear Baby Wear.  Mama Bear Baby Wear offers a range of items appealing to natural parenting aficionados: carriers, wonderful wool covers and homemade lanolizing spray, training pants, diaper covers, hybrid fitted diapers and more!

Snappi Baby, makers of the gadget that made diaper pins obsolete -- The Snappi!  Check them out on Facebook!

One lucky winner will receive:

1 Diaper Cover & 1 Set of Cloth Wipes from Green Mother Crafts
1 Diaper Cover from Gotcha Covered
1 Beautiful Set of Prefolds/Burp Cloths from Rumor Has It
1 Hybrid Prefold Diaper from Mama Bear Baby Wear
1 Pack of Snappi Baby Diaper Fasteners

Enter through the form below:

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Giveaway Form:

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From the Stash anniversary sale AND an exclusive coupon!

I have some very exciting news for you all plus an exclusive coupon code!

As you all know I am very pro-cloth diapers.
Having personally started our family out on a tight budget; cloth diapering is what made it possible for us to have me be a stay at home mom.
1 in 3 families struggle to diaper their babies and we were the 1.

And while we started out with a very simple and inexpensive cloth diaper stash some families struggle to even do what we did.
Which is why I am such a big supporter of Cloth For A Cause.

From The Stash which offers quality used cloth diapers and more is celebrating their one year anniversary in an amazing way! $1 from EVERY sale in the month of July is being donated to Cloth For A Cause!

Now you might not think that $1 is going to make a huge difference but it really can. 

It could go towards getting new elastic to replace dead elastic in diapers, new snaps, or even shipping costs. I even found some Brand New Prefolds on From the Stash's website for $1.

So a dollar can go a lot farther than you might think.

I actually asked one of the lovely ladies from CFAC how does a dollar help and this was her response:

"Every dollar that is donated to CFAC goes to helping us get diapers out to needy families. Before a cloth diaper is loaned out, it's stripped and repaired. A dollar can buy us a spool of thread to help us replace elastics. It can go towards buying elastic and buying detergents to make sure that the diapers are free of contaminants and safe for use. It also allows us to set families up with a bit of detergent so that they can safely start using their diapers (and washing them) right away."

How awesome is that?! Every diaper that is sent out is completely ready to go directly onto baby! No washing and no prepping needed!

So up above you saw the Buy More Save More percentages, HOWEVER, I have an exclusive coupon for all of you! For being one of my readers you get 5% off your purchase with NO minimum! So spend $5 and still get 5% off AND $1 gets donated to CFAC! Everyone wins!!!

Come on...you know it would make you happy to get some fluff for your own baby's bum AND help another momma put some fluff on her baby's bum too!  Just enter "THANKFULFORTHORNS" at the check out to get 5% off your purchase no matter how big or small it is!

I would love for you to comment if you use this code and let me know what you got!
Don't forget they don't JUST sell cloth diapers...there are also lots of other goodies on the website so go check it out!

Prefold Party Day 2!

Welcome to the second day of the Preference for Prefolds Party, hosted by The Median Mommy!  Today I have another amazing prefold-related prize pack!  Please check out these amazing sponsors below:

Founded in 2000, Babykicks is a family-owned and operated business based out of Maryland, making cloth diapers and accessories with natural and organic materials.  Known for their hemp diapers & soakers, Babykicks are luxoriously soft, incredibly absorbent, and possess anti-microbial properties.

Kirsten Schultz is the artisan behind Sew Little, crafting everything from diaper covers, inserts, wipes to carriers.  Her assortment of items, and colorful prints, make Sew Little a must visit store for new or expecting mamas!

Hybrid prefolds seem to be the newest craze in the cloth diapering world, and Adrianna Knits is the place to go for them!  Adrianna creates beautiful fitted prefolds, and will even convert your old prefolds into fitteds (I'm thinking about doing this with my toddler-sized prefolds).  Not limited to diapers, Adrianna Knits is the perfect place to get adorable knitted hats for your newborn!  You can visit her on Facebook here.

Snappi Baby, creators of the pin-less diaper fasteners, Snappis -- one of the greatest inventions since sliced bread!

One lucky winner will receive:

BabyKicks prefolds: 1 each S, M, L
1 fitted prefold - Adrianna Knits
1 diaper cover - Sew Little
1 set cloth wipes - Sew Little
1 pack of Snappi diaper fasteners


You can enter through the form below:

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Giveaway Form:

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Prefold Party Day 1!

Welcome to The Median Mommy's Preference for Prefolds Party, July 1-21!  July marks The Median Mommy's 1 year cloth diapering anniversary, and what better way to celebrate than by highlighting her favorite cloth diapering option -- The Prefold!  With so many boutique-y diapers out there, the prefold is often an overlooked and underrated cloth diapering option.  To help spread the word (and prefold love) this month-long celebration is going to feature THREE great prefold prize packages and lots of posts pertaining to everything...PREFOLDS!

Without further adieu, let's introduce the first prize pack sponsors:

Bummis holds a special place in my heart, as their unbleached organic cotton newborn prefolds were the first cloth diapers on my little guy's bum.  It was Bummis that made me fall in love with prefolds, and doubt that anything other than a prefold would be able to contain those explosive early breastfeeding poos.

Sew Little Stuff is a wonderful Etsy store, with handcrafted items by Kirsten Schultz.  For cloth diapering parents, Sew Little Stuff is basically a one-stop shop, offering everything from pocket diapers, diaper covers, Mei Tei Carriers, wipes, wet bags and more!

And lastly, Snappi Baby, the makers of the gadget that eradicated diaper pins and makes diapering with prefolds a breeze -- The Snappi!

A HUGE thank you to all our sponsors!

What is included in the newborn prize pack, you ask?

• 1 Bummis Newborn pack, with 12 newborn prefolds and 2 wrap covers
• 1 Sew Little Stuff diaper cover and set flannel wipes
• 1 Pack of Snappi diaper fasteners

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Think, dream, create.

Lately I've felt like I've just been in survival mode.
With having two littles of my own and then adding two more little ones I've just simply been doing what I need to do to get by,
But I've really felt a large void in my life.

I need to create.

I've always enjoyed doing crafts and things with my hands since I was young.
As a young girl I could lay on the floor and color for hours on end.
As I grew older I got into paper crafts and beading.
In my teens my great-grandmother taught me how to crochet and I learned to knit because of a special little girl I babysat.

While I still love to do all of those things, I rarely find the time to do most of them.
As a wife and mom I, like so many others, put aside the things that I find joy and pleasure in to meet everyone else's needs first.
But in the last week I've found I have a yearning to do some of those things again.
So I've decided I'm going to find or rather make the time for myself.

I know it won't be easy as I love my family and it is so easy to put everyone else (Read I'm a total people pleaser).
But I also know that by me taking time for myself to think, dream, create, and finding joy and pleasure in doing something with my hands again will also benefit my family. So really I'm doing it for them right? ;)

I've also been saying for, oh who knows how long, that I want to open an Etsy Shop. 
My goal is to get it up and running by the end of this year. Guess I should probably get going on it huh?

What do you do that is simply something you enjoy and do for yourself?
What do you do to keep yourself from feeling guilty taking "me time?"

Where does the time go?

I was driving home after running a quick errand or two and I was listening to the radio.
This simple but profound statement hit me hard.

"The days are long, but the years are short."

I've been feeling run down, ragged, and frustrated.
Parenting is hard work.
It's the hardest job I'll ever love.
And the only one I will ever gladly do 24/7/365.

It was such a good reminder to hear that, though these days right here, right now are long and hard, my years are numbered with my kids.
I came home with a very different view of my sons and my husband.
I remained deep in thought all day long and made a very conscience effort to stay engaged and calm all day.

Then yesterday, just a day or two later after hearing that line on the radio, I saw how short the years really are.
I saw a couple of the boys I use to babysit when I was younger.
They didn't look like boys anymore.
They didn't smell like boys anymore.
They didn't sound like boys anymore!

The years are short.

I don't know as I have seen those boys since I got married.
The last time I know for certain I was at their house was May 2009 and I don't even think they were there.
The oldest has an 18 month count down till he can start driving and a 48 month count down till graduation
The youngest just had his 7th grade school orientation.

Boys I have known since they were 3 years old and 6 months old.
Boys I use to play Lego's and PlayStation with and swam in the pond with.
These little boys who would only eat broccoli the way momma fixed it. (And my broccoli, well, it wasn't the way momma did it.)
These little boys who I would help get ready for and get them put to bed... aren't so little anymore.

Their dad told of how when the oldest turned 8 he told his wife how he was halfway to driving.
He got smacked for that comment. ;)

And then I realized...
If those boys grew up that fast, how much faster are my own two going to grow up?!

Sure, the days are long right now.
But before I know it three more years will be gone.
My oldest will be 6 in three years. He'll be in school, probably playing T-Ball, and building with Lego's on his own.
My youngest will be almost 3. He'll want to do everything big brother is doing, along with all the normal 3 year old stuff.
These years are going by too fast.
I need to start embracing the long days a little more.

A new season of life.

I have really wanted to get more blogging done lately but honestly; I'm having a hard time figuring out this new life.
Our schedule has been changed around a lot since I started babysitting in March.

I babysit two kiddos four days a week. A boy who is 2 years old and a girl who is almost 6 months old.
Two of the days I have them from 11:00am-3:30pm and the other two days I have them usually around 7:30am-3:30pm but sometimes they come as early as 6:30am depending on if their momma has to go in early. That usually only happens a coupe of times a month and we typically know ahead of time. On average though they're here closer to 8:00am.

My husband works second shift. He has to be to work for a meeting every day Monday-Friday at 2:30p, then his shift runs from 3pm-11pm.
After he gets home at night he needs time to unwind and relax before going to bed at night.
This has been a really big challenge for me as, well, I miss my husband.
I want to stay up with him and get to spend time alone in the quite of the evening but I need to get enough sleep that I can be the parent I want to be.
I'm finding that its a tough balance.

My mornings with four kids is pretty crazy to be totally honest.
On our short days its make lunch, get all kids fed, and three out of four down for naps (Monkey my *GASP* 3 year old!, no longer takes naps. Boo.)
The longer days are different as my kids typically sleep till 9a. I have some time alone with the two kids I babysit, then make breakfast, clean up from breakfast, change diapers, feed babies, make lunch, feed everyone, change diapers, naps, throw in more diaper changes here and there, and then their dad is here to pick them up. It's crazy, a lot of fun, but crazy. And the hardest part is that I feel like I don't see my husband much.

Add to that some tough parenting lately with our 3yo and a still pretty clingy 10mo. So there hasn't been a whole lot of extra time. And this momma is tired. I know this is a season in my life. I know it's one that wont last forever. Right now though while I'm in it and needing to adjust to this life I'm finding things, my blog namely, are getting neglected more than I would like.

I hope you will bear with me and continue to check my blog. I have some great events planned and just need to find the time to get them all up and running. There are some wonderful events I'm going to be apart of that you can get a sneak peek to the right of my blog. And I have some products I'm currently testing and reviewing for you! Two of which are from the Puj company!! And there will be a giveaway for at least one of the two so stay tuned!

Thanks for being a fan and for understanding that I'm a mom who's still trying to figure out this crazy but wonderful life.