Happy Halloween

We've had way more than our share of rain this year. I was really hoping that the weather would be NICE for Trick or Treating. It rained most of the morning, but stopped just after lunch. It was really looking like we had a chance, then about 5:30, it started to rain. It rained & rained & rained for a LONG time. We usually go out to Trick or Treat around 7 pm. Hubby put his coat on & went out into the road to see how bad the rain was out from underneath the trees. He came in soaked after about 3 minutes and told the kids the unpleasant news....it was raining too hard to go.

Marissa & Melanie were especially devastated. We told them to keep their costumes on & we would see. Hubby & I talked about possible alternatives, but it was already almost 7:30 & our van is STILL not working, so we really didn't have any option other than waiting to see if the rain would clear. Hubby pulled up the weather Doppler on the local news website & checked to see what the storm was doing. For a while it looked as if there was no hope, then at about 8:20 a hole started to develop on the map. Marissa came to whine about not getting to Trick or Treat & I told her that Daddy was working on it. She went to Daddy to see & he told her "I'm trying" She came running back to me all excited to let me know that HER Daddy was going to make it stop raining! It really was the cutest thing. A few minutes later, I took the kids out onto the porch to get pictures of them in their costumes. We looked up & down the street, there weren't any kids out trick or treating & there were barely any lights on. Just then, Hubby came out & told the kids it was TIME to Go!! They were thrilled.

We went up the hill outside our house instead of our usual down & quickly found a few houses with lights on. As soon as Marissa received her first piece of candy her face lit up & she came running to tell me all about it. We spent about 45 minutes going to all the houses in our neighborhood with lights on. We didn't see any other kids the entire time. While we were in the cul de sac behind our house, it started to pour again. The kids didn't seem to care. It took us another 15 minutes to make it home, and even then Melanie was NOT ready to be done.

Leg Hugger Review

Leg Huggers are leg warmers for babies. Melanie received this style in the mail for review. They are made of bamboo and are super soft & as you can see super adorable. Melanie couldn't wait for me to get them out of the package. I put them on her around lunch time & was very surprised to see she was still wearing them at dinner time. Melanie really isn't big on wearing clothes most of the time, but she LOVES these. When it was time for bed, she cried when I tried to take them off. I decided to let her sleep in them. Melanie wears a 3T in pants, the Leg Huggers are just long enough to reach from the top of her thigh to her ankles. They are one size fits all. The fit is snug at the thigh, but not tight. The pattern is adorable. They keep her legs warm while still letting her show off her adorable cloth diapers & the BIG thing, she LOVES them!

Leg Huggers come in a ton of cute patterns & are reasonably priced at just $10 per pair. They have free shipping for orders of $50 or more. Check out their Facebook page for special promotions!

More Halloween 2007--Friday Photo Flashback

Melanie was almost 6 months old for her first Halloween. She didn't mind being in a costume in the house.
Marissa had just turned 2 & was very excited, this was the first year she understood what Trick or Treating was about. Maggie was a fairy.
Morgan was Harry Potter
Melanie was unsure about being in her costume in the stroller.
She quickly decided that she did NOT like Trick or Treating.

Bon Bon Cupcake Review--Things I LOVE Thursday

I was recently sent a pair of Bon Bon Cupcake microfiber ruffle leggings to review. I had fallen in love with them the first time I visited the webpage. They are the epitome of ADORABLE! One of the things that I missed the most when I only had boys was ruffles & fancy dresses....I LOVE ruffles & fortunately for me all three of my girls are girly girls!

When they arrived, they were packaged in a clear box, inside was what looked like a fancy cupcake sitting on a spotted tissue paper tray. I tried to take a picture, but it didn't come out well. When I showed it to Marissa she squealed with joy! Marissa is 4 and the pair we received are a 2T-4T, they fit her with a bit of room to grow. They come in sizes from newborn up to 8 yrs old, Maggie very disappointed they don't make her size. The legging material feels very durable, yet silky. We've now washed them several times & they still look new, unlike most of the tights that Marissa has worn. As you can tell, from this picture, Marissa LOVES them. This type is called Double Layer leggings, there are actually two different types of ribbon in the ruffle. The legging itself is a pale pink. These retail on their website for $22, which originally seemed kind of expensive to me. The quality & durability has actually swayed me & I'm considering buying Marissa & Melanie each a pair to match their Christmas dresses....I think the white on white basic leggings would look fabulous with their red dresses!


If you are in LOVE with ruffles, I highly recommend checking out the Bon Bon Cupcake website & don't forget to take a look at their sales....I saw some pretty good deals!

I really want one of these!!!

Kim from Dirty Diaper Laundry is having a giveaway right now for a Baby Behinds Minky Magic All....this is an All in One diaper that is minky on the outside. Minky is my favorite fabric and to top it off, these diapers have snaps!

Aren't these colors gorgeous!

Wouldn't it be nice to WIN a Christmas present or two?

That is my hope for the next couple months. I'll probably be entering a lot of toy related giveaways in hopes of winning a few things for the kids Christmas gifts. I'm also really watching the sales & specials of both online stores & brick & mortar stores.....if I can't find it on sale I probably won't be buying it.

Baby GoodBuys is giving away a Little Tikes Picnic Table! Check out All ChildrensFurniture.com for your favorite brands like Little Tikes, KidKraft , and more!

How I first learned about cloth diapers....Cloth Diaper Bloggers Carnival #4

This post is part of the Cloth Diapering Bloggers and Dirty Diaper Laundry hosted Cloth Diaper Carnival that is held every month. Many bloggers get together and write about the same topic. This month is “Where did you first hear about/ see cloth diapers?”

When I was a tween, I remember my Stepmother using cloth diapers on my baby sister. They were big rectangles of cloth, put on with pins & covered with a pair of crinkly rubber pants. They smelled bad & the laundry area where she kept the bucket to soak them smelled even worse. When I was pregnant with my first (1987), I didn't even consider using cloth diapers. Money was tight, but I decided I would cut our costs by exclusively breastfeeding....if I didn't have to buy formula, I would have enough money to buy disposables! Breastfeeding worked out for us very well & I never felt an ounce of guilt for using disposables.

A few years later, my best friend had her first baby (1990). She lived in Los Angeles & knew about all the new trends. She showed me this really cool "wrap" that replaced diaper pins & plastic pants....I was intrigued, but my baby was 9 months old & there wasn't any place locally that I could buy these magical wraps. When my friend's baby outgrew his wraps, she gave me one & I packed it away with all my baby gear. Over the years we ended up using disposables on 4 more babies.

In July of 2008, I was trying to get our budget slimmed down in preparation for Christmas expenditures. One of the money saving ideas I found online was switching to cloth diapers. I looked at a LOT of websites and quickly became overwhelmed. Most of the forums I found were geared to expectant parents planning to use cloth diapers on their newborn...my baby was 14 months old. While looking at one of the sites, I clicked on a link for retailers & was THRILLED to discover that there was a local cloth diaper STORE, where I could look & touch & ask questions. My biggest fear was that I was going to spend a bunch of money & end up with something I didn't like. Before going to the store, I did some more research & narrowed down what I thought I wanted and could afford. I knew as soon as I held my first truly modern cloth diaper that I was going to LOVE using them on my baby!

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