Thankful Thursday

I've seen this on a few other blogs, and I think it's a great reminder to us all to be thankful, even for the little things in our lives. So on this Thankful Thursday, here are a few things that I am thankful for:

* A wonderful small Bible study group of girls who are constantly there to support and encourage me. They are such a source of strength and inspiration. They hold me accountable, inspire me, and offer their friendship.

* An awesome group of mommy friends. They have are so fun to be around, and I'm loving getting to know each other more and more, and it will be fun to watch our kids grow up together.

* Sewing class! I've only had one class so far, but I'm loving it! Can't wait to start my first project

* New friends

What are some of the things you're thankful for?

Green Chic Mama Winners!

The winner of the bumGenius diaper is lucky comment number 81!

And the winner of the gift certificate is number 188!

Sending out emails right now! Remember that winners will have 48 hours to respond or new winners will be chosen.

Thanks again to Green Chic Mama for sponsoring this fabulous giveaway! Don't forget that Ali offers 10% off your first order as well as free shipping on orders over $75!

Wordless Wednesday - Hat Shopping

Hat shopping with the boy has convinced me that I need to learn to knit!

Sposie Confusion

My son was in the church nursery several times this week thanks to various events like MOPS and Mom's Luncheons. We usually send the boy in a disposable diaper in order to make things easier on the nursery workers. This past Thursday, however, I had a book club meeting in the morning, and completely forgot to take him out of his cloth diaper before dropping him off. When I returned, they had placed his wet diaper in a plastic bag even though I had a wetbag in the diaper bag. The nursery worker (not his usual nursery worker) commented that she had never seen anything like his diaper before (he was wearing a bumGenius). She said she didn't know what to do with it. To add their confusion, I also had a GroBaby biosoaker in the diaper bag. Imagine their surprise when they realized that the soaker did not have tabs and that the pad had to be attached to something else. Luckily I also had a regular disposable diaper in his bag that they eventually found.

When I got home, I related this story to my husband, and when we went to put more sposies in his diaper bag, we realized that we were out (another benefit of cloth...you never run out!). I sent him off to the store to pick up a pack. Unfortunately, we have no idea what size he wears in sposies! The last pack we bought a couple of months ago was a Pampers 1-2. I told him that we would probably need to size up, but to check the weight ranges. Well he came home with Size 3 diapers, since the boy is almost 15 lbs and the size 3's start at 16 lbs. Needless to say, the diapers are HUGE on him!! Who knew buying sposies would be so difficult?

Luckily, we dropped him off on Sunday evening with his usual nursery workers. This time, however, I told them that he was in a cloth diaper, and that I had a wetbag for used diapers. The best part is that they were completely fine with his cloth diapers! This is a huge praise, as hopefully we won't have to buy anymore disposables!

DryBees Fleece Night Times

When I was searching for an overnight solution, I contacted the nice people at DryBees and inquired about their Fleece Night Time Pocket Diapers. We're big fans of the DryBees Hybrid AIO's, so I knew that the fleece diapers would be a great overnight solution. Drybees was kind enough to send me one to try out.

The diaper is made with a heavy-weight windpro fleece on the outside, which is extremely waterproof, yet breathable. Windpro fleece is a heavy fabric, so these diapers are generally more bulky than your typical PUL covered pocket diapers. They're a great solution for overnight and particularly for heavy wetters. The diaper has USA milled microsuede on the inside of the diaper that wicks moisture away from baby's skin, gentle elastic on the legs and waist, and fold over laundry tabs.

The Fit:

These diapers fit great on my skinny 5.5 month old. The elastic on the legs and back is gentle, yet strong enough to contain messes. The diaper did not leave any red marks, and would have had enough give in order to fit a chunkier baby. The medium size was slightly big on my son, as he's on the small end of the weight range. The sizing is generous and will allow him to grow into the diaper before needing to size up. I would have liked to have seen crossover tabs for a better fit around the waist. I had one leak with this diaper, until I figured out a better insert combo to use. Since then, my son wakes up dry.

Pros:

- Great, breathable material

- Strong aplix

- Gentle elastic on legs and waist

Cons:

- Bulky, especially if you have to add extra inserts (not too much of an issue overnight, though)

- No crossover tabs making it hard to fit on my skinny boy

DryBees Fleece Nighttime Pocket Diaper from Jill on Vimeo.

Win it!

DryBees is offering one of my readers a large fleece nighttime pocket diaper in sage! To enter, visit the DryBees website, look through their other products, then come back here and tell me your favorite item.

Extra Entries (leave a separate comment for each thing you do):

- Become a follower of my blog (or be one already!)

- Follow @familyofcloth on twitter, and tell me your twitter id

- Tweet about this contest being sure to mention @familyofcloth, for example: DryBees fleece night time pocket #clothdiapers #giveaway @familyofcloth http://tinyurl.com/mob6jt (Be sure to leave the permalink of your tweet!). You may tweet daily for extra entries.

- Blog about this giveaway for two extra entries (leave two separate comments with the website address of your blog post)

- Subscribe to my blog via email and let me know in a comment (You can subscribe by entering your email address in the box in the right hand column)

The contest is open to US residents. Giveaway will end 10/2 at 8 p.m. central time. Winner will be chosen via random.org and will have 48 hours to respond to my notification email, or a new winner will be chosen.

Winner!

Congratulations to the HazelAid winner, lucky comment #47! Sending you an email right now!

bumGenius & Green Chic Mama Giveaway!

I have a confession to make. Although I have happily cloth diapered my son during the day, using cloth diapers at night really scared me. My son had been wearing his cloth diapers during naps, but there was just something about going overnight that overwhelmed me. And it didn't help that the first time I used cloth at night my son woke up two hours later with a soaked backside and leg (Upon closer inspection, I realized that the insert of that particular diaper had crept out of the back and that the leg guessets weren't tight enough). After my first disasterous attempt, I gave up on using cloth overnight. Eventually, the disposable diapers also began leaking as my son started sleeping through the night. Frustrated, I consulted a great group of cloth diapering mamas online about the situation. Overwelmingly, almost everyone suggested using a bumGenius 3.0 pocket diaper. Figuring that I had nothing to lose, I ordered two to try out.

The first night I double stuffed the diaper, put my son to bed, and crossed my fingers. When he woke up 9 hours (!!!) later, he was completely dry! No leaks! Ever since, I have been using my double stuffed bumGenius diapers at night with no issues. And no more disposables overnight! These diapers are truly a great solution, especially for overnight. Check out the great features:

Pros:

- Easy to use. The aplix closure resembles disposable diapers, which makes it easy for dads and babysitters.

- Comes with two inserts so you can customize absorbency

- Microsuede liner keeps baby's bottom dry (great feature for overnight!)

- One size diaper, which allows the diaper to grow with the baby (Manufacturer says it will fit up to 35 lbs)

Cons:

- bumGenius aplix and leg elastic has been known to wear down over use. Would be nice to have a snap option.

- Microfiber inserts have been known to cause stink. Inserts might need often stripping.

When I was looking for a reputable place online to order these diapers, I checked in with my friend Ali over at Green Chic Mama. She started her business in May of 2009 when she started using cloth diapers and organic products on her son, but was disappointed with not having a good in-person store to shop at. She calls it "Grren Chic Mama" because she's green, yet also chic. She operates on the belief that you don't have to be "earthy dirty looking"... you can wear high heels and lipstick, and still help our children and the environment. She opened her store both online and in person. In addition to her website, she also offers classes and hands-on shopping. She has phenomenal customer service, too. When you shop at Green Chic Mama online, you are made to feel like you are physically in her store.

Green Chic Mama also carries natural skin care products that are made by work at home moms. You can be assured that all products are eco friendly and natural. Because they are a new store, they carry a limited line of products, although they are growing with the goal of carrying all of your favorite cloth diapering brands. As of right now, she carries only brands that she personally uses and recommends to others. She believes in the theory that it is easier to sell a product when you believe in it.

Buy It!

Green Chic Mama carries the bumGenius 3.0 pocket diapers, as well as many other popular cloth diapering brands and accessories.

Green Chic Mama is also unique in that she offers 10% off first orders as well as free shipping on orders over $75! Not too many stores offer BOTH!

Win it!

Green Chic Mama is generiously offering one of my readers a chance to win a bumGenius 3.0 pocket diaper (limited to in store stock)!

AND

She's also offering a $10 gift card to a second winner!! How cool is that?!

To enter you must:

Visit Green Chic Mama and come back here and tell me your favorite product that she carries.

For additional entries (Be sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do):

- Grab Green Chic Mama's button from her blog and add it to you sidebar.

- Follow @greenchicmama and @familyofcloth on twitter. Leave your twitter id.

-Tweet the contest, being sure to mention both @greenchicmama and @familyofcloth. You can retweet once daily for extra entries. Be sure to leave the permalink of your tweets!

- Become a fan of Green Chic Mama on Facebook (or post if you're already a fan).

- Follow Family of the Cloth on blogger or on google reader

Closes September 23 at 8 p.m. CST. Open to US. Winner will be contacted via email and will have 48 hours to respond, or a new winner will be chosen. Please make sure your email address is visable on your profile or leave it in your comments.