Holiday Guide: Gifts that Give Back!

Do you have a "do-gooder" on your Christmas shopping list this year? Or someone who loves wine? Let me tell you all about ONEHope!

ONEHope wine is all about serving wine and giving back to communities.  These award winning wines give 50% of profits from every bottle to a different charity.  Examples include breast cancer and ovarian education and research, funding literacy education, providing meals for hungry kids, disaster relief training for military veterans, planting trees, pet adoptions, heart disease education, the list goes on. ONEHope Wine has varietals in almost every kind you can think of and a few that are special and a little more hard to find.

I've been loving drinking ONEHope Wine because while I'm going to be enjoying wine anyways, I know that I'm also using my dollars towards doing good!

So this holiday season if you're looking for something a little extra special as a gift, take a look at some of these awesome presents that give back to charity as well.

And yes - did those glitter bottles catch your eye? Join my exclusive facebook group to learn the BUBBLY + SPARKLY winter sale! All bottles of bubbles (Brut, Demi Sec, Sparkling Rose) and the gorgeous ONEHope glitter bottles are 20% off! 

The brand new 2016 reserve Argentinian Malbec was released today as well!

Even if your Christmas sweetie isn't a wine lover, there are tons of delicious oils, marinades and sauces that will add extra pop and zing to your holiday entertaining platters. All of which still benefit charity! 

 Our shipping map below shows the states where we are able to ship wine and wine gifts, but we have some great non-alcoholic options like coffee and our new line of ONEHOPE Kitchen products that can ship to any state! All gift boxes and crates ship for a flat $10 nation-wide.

So if giving gifts with a purpose is on your radar this Christmas, check out these beautiful gift boxes and delicious varietals that give 50% of profits to charity. If you have any questions on suggestions or pairings, leave a comment below!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. 

Funky Fluff LUX Newborn Cloth Diaper Review

Back in 2013 I was approached by a brand I had never heard of before to do a cloth diaper review. It would turn out to be my #1 go to for overnight diapering and has held up better than any other diaper in my stash. Which brand is it? Funky Fluff! Funky Fluff is a family owned business in Canada that has high standards in their product quality; enough so that I've been a happy camper to stand behind them all these years.

And now here I am with baby #3, with 66 months of continuous cloth diapering under my belt and not only am I still using the original Funky Fluff diapers that I reviewed in 2013, I now got to add their newborn line to my stash! Holden was born this past summer and like his older sisters, he was started in cloth diapers from the beginning. A lot has changed with each child on what is available on the market for newborn cloth diapers and I was really excited to get my newest squish into his very own Funky Fluff diapers.

In the last 4 years, Funky Fluff has done just about as much growth as my own little family has. They revamped their original design with their 2.0 diapers, then released their LUX line, added athletic wicking jersey as a liner material and most recently added their newborn line. Each iteration of their design for their diapers has truly expanded on features that I love and the quality of the diapers has stayed the same. As I mentioned before, the diapers that I used on my oldest, Penny, are still in rotation on my current stash with my youngest. I can't name any other brand of cloth diapers in my diverse stash that hasn't had to have any amount of repair over the last 5 years that isn't Funky Fluff.

So what can I say about their newborns?

• They are made to fit babies 4-12 lbs, and are simply a smaller version of the LUX one side diapers. Holden was 9 lbs 9 oz at birth and his first cloth diaper was Funky Fluff Thunderstruck. He was on the bigger end of the range, however he fit into them well past 5 weeks of age. That's a pretty good run for a newborn sized cloth diaper and a bigger baby.
• Just like its "one size" big brother, the Funky Fluff newborns come with 3 rows of rise snaps and feature the same internal snap system for inserts to create either a pocket, all-in-one or all-in-two diaper system. 
• The liner is bamboo terry, which is buttery soft and natural against your brand new babe's bottom. I love bamboo because it's super absorbent, a fast growing renewable resource and is less prone to retaining stink and bacteria than synthetic materials. The inserts provided are also made from layers of bamboo and just make for a great system to retain the massive amounts of fluids that come out of newborns.

 This is Holden at about 10 lbs.

You can find them online on their website or at retailers in the US and Canada.

Disclosure: I received product in exchange for my honest review. No other compensation was provided. All photography and opinions are my own.

Sneak Peek: Just Between Friends of Marysville - Mount Vernon consignment sale!

Remember when I told you that the Just Between Friends of Marysville / Mount Vernon spring sale was coming to Skagit County? Because of how much money I save by shopping at these events, and in turn consigning my kids' outgrown clothing, I don't have to shop at retail stores at all through out the year! Woop woop!  Today I spent **3 hours** pouring through the pre-sale to find the best deals on clothes for my kids, and tonight I'm going to give you a sneak peek at what you can find at the sale this weekend!

 Quite adorable! They staged a few different items to make it look like a nursery right by the cash register.

 Most JBF sales provide the big blue IKEA bags for you to use while shopping, but this time around JBF Marysville - Mount Vernon had shopping carts! Quite handy when you have a pre-schooler tagging along and you can (ahem) let then Netflix binge while you peruse the racks. No shame here.

 Sports apparel is always a favorite! I picked up Seahawks and Oakland Raiders sweatshirts.

 So cute! Tons of well made and like-new handmade items.

 Have your pick and find the best deal!

This may have been one of my best steals. 3 excellent used condition Bum Genius 4.0 cloth diapers with inserts. These retail for $20 each, and after 5 years of cloth diapering 3 kids, with many of my originals still in rotation, it was irresistible to snag a pack to freshen up the stash for Holden.

So what did I come home with? Even after shopping at these events for the last 5 years, I was amazed at how low the prices were.

There ya have it!

This sale is on now through October 1 at the Skagit County Fairgrounds in Mount Vernon Wa. See full details here.

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Just Between Friends of Marysville - Mount Vernon. 

No other compensation was provided. All opinions and photography are my own.

Omaiki Mini-Ö Newborn Diaper Review

Are you thinking about taking the plunge for cloth diapers with your newborn? I've used cloth diapers exclusively for all three of my kids and each time around I've learned something new. Holden arrived this summer and while he was over a pound heavier than his sister before him (and over two pounds heavier than his oldest sister), we still had a good run at newborn cloth diapers and I wanted to share our experience with Ömaiki Mini-Ö newborn cloth diaper.

They come with an adjustable waist line that uses aplix ("Velcro" style) closures, which is helpful for the wide range of belly sizes that newborns may have. The diapers two sets of rise heights, also perfect for snapping down to a smaller size if necessary.

The Ömaiki Mini-Ö diaper is an all-in-one style cloth diaper in which the absorbent insert lays flat on the inner part of the diaper, but hangs loose so that washing and drying are less energy intensive. Most AIO cloth diapers get a bad rep because although they are a completely enclosed one piece (making them very easy to use, especially for those not accustomed to cloth diapering), they take more water to completely wash and more dryer time to fully dry. This design that flips the insert out, but keeps it connected to the diaper, aids in faster turn around time on this diaper. And that's a big help because as you know...newborns used A LOT of diapers! The absorbent insert fabric is bamboo viscose with organic cotton, with a polyester topper to wick away moisture quickly. Bamboo is by far my preferred material of choice because it is so absorbent and retains a lot of moisture. 

"Little" Holden was born weighing 9 lbs 9 oz and was my biggest baby. With my daughters (7 and 8 pounds, respectively) it took a little bit of time after birth for them to really seem like they fit into even newborn cloth diapers, but this guy wasted no time. However, because of his larger size at birth and very quick weight gain, we used these diapers for a shorter period of time than I would have expected to use had it been for my girls. Such is life!

At about a week old and roughly 10 lbs, Holden fit into the diapers quite nicely. The rise of the diaper didn't interfere with his umbilical stump healing. Because this diaper was developed for newborns, his skinny newborn legs were wrapped perfectly with no leaking.

The Ömaiki Mini-Ö diaper fits babies from 5 lbs through 3 months, however in our experience Holden fit the diaper most comfortably through about 12 lbs (which was one month of age). 

Disclosure: I received product in exchange for my honest review. No other compensation was provided. All opinions and photography are my own.

Sneak Peek: JBF Everett - Monroe Fall 2017 Sale!

As you know, The Pierogie Mama loves her some Just Between Friends (JBF) sales and today I made the trek from Skagit County down to Monroe for the Just Between Friends of Everett - Monroe sale at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe.  I lived in Monroe until last year and part of my heart still lives with the community, and I also know where to find a good sale! Friends, I drove over an hour to go. This one is good!!

Just Between Friends is a nationwide consignment event that takes place several times per year, typically in the fall and spring.  At "JBF" you'll find everything you need for maternity, baby and child through teen. Local families consign their gently used and new items for 50-90% off retail prices. It's my favorite place to shop because I can get everything they need for each season for literally a fraction of the price of what I'd pay at the store. Not to mention, children outgrow clothes so quickly that it makes financial and ecological sense to buy used.

Today I got to shop at the pre-sale event (find out how you can shop early for the next sale!), which got me in the door before the public sale opens tomorrow. Consigning and volunteering is where it's at! But don't despair, there is SO MUCH inventory at this sale that there are thousands of amazing finds waiting for shoppers through this weekend.

This is one of my favorite games to play with myself - how much did I pay? The approximate retail value of this lot is $263, I'll post the answer at the bottom of the post!



Here's some snaps of what I found today. 

 Can I just pause for a minute and say THANK YOU EUNICE (the owner of JBF Everett - Monroe) to have a designated space where you can unload everything that you've found, lay it out and decide what you'd like to keep and price check? I pulled out probably a dozen pairs of leggings from the racks and was able to set them out to get a better look at prints, compare sizing and prices before whittling down to how many I wanted to take home with me. This scatter brained mama thanks you!

 This isn't me, this is my friend Monica :) She is a proud mom of twin boys and it was her first JBF sale! When she came home she sent me a text that said "Man I got so much stuff. I spent 145 dollars and I got 9 pairs of shoes, 1 rain jacket, 3 hoodies, 2 nice sweaters, 3 sweats, 5 long sleeved tops, 6 jammies, 1 button up, 5 books, a gallon sized bag of hot wheels and 6 plastic dinosaurs. I think I did okay!" Yes Monica, YES YOU DID!!

 This is a great sale to stock up on holiday jammies and outfits!

 All kinds of strollers - I saw quite a few double strollers at this sale.

 Babywearing! Did you know that JBF inspects most items for safety and recalls?

 Not only can you find gear and clothes for every age, but toys are a huge part of what families are consigning too!

And there you have it, my friends! Be sure to head out to the sale today through September 16th. You can find all of the details at http://everett.jbfsale.com/ and on their facebook! 

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Just Between Friends of Everett - Monroe. 

All opinions and photography are my own. No other compensation was provided.

Answer from the first picture on the blog: I paid $116 for 13 items! The baby swing was $45, and brand new they retail for over $100!