2015 Wrap Up

Hi everyone! I am checking in at the midway point of my trip to Germany. If you've been following along on instagram, you've seen a ton of posts on some of the awesome sights that we have visited. By the way, you don't need to have an instagram account to see the pictures, so do go on and check them out!

Whether you've been following along with me for the last *almost* 4 years or have jumped in just recently, fret not - in the new year I'll be sure to "re-introduce" myself as it's been a long time since I've really done it officially. A lot changes when you start a blog in the month before you expect your first child, when 4 years later you find yourself with two daughters that are pre-school and toddler age. And a blog that has grown and maintained over that whole time and all you really needed was somewhere to write out your thoughts in a somewhat coherent manner! Anyways, I digress. Back to 2015.

Here's a round up of my 9 most popular posts of 2015 from Instagram -

1. I finally made Monte Cristo waffles. So good, but fair warning - the raspberry preserves are not easy (read: impossible) to clean off your waffle iron. Lesson learned. 2. Though I've been a babywearing mama from the beginning with Penny, just a few months ago I dove into the world of woven wraps. My dear friend That Mama Gretchen and I took a mama's night out and took MommyCon Seattle by storm. I fell in love with Cassiope Wovens and was positive that one way or another, I would be leaving MommyCon with a wrap. I took a chance, entered in Cassiope Woven's giveaway and I was the extremely lucky winner of a limited edition MommyCon exclusive wrap. Woo hoo! That's what you heard if you were at the announcement of the giveaway - I wooped with careless abandon. So here you see my Ruby and I in our first wrap job. 3. Here is an old fashioned, no calories spared pound cake made from no less than 10 eggs from my own chickens. I started keeping a small flock of backyard chickens right before Ruby's birth in 2014 and have been so in love with the delicious eggs these girls provide. This photo reminds me that not only should I make this again, and that I need to share this recipe with you, but also that I should at some point make a post about how my flock of 5 increased to a flock of 9 over the summer. Ooops. 4.  2015 was a year of a ton of work travel for my husband, and one time while he was out of town I treated myself to an avocado mask after I *thought* the girls were asleep. I heard Penny call for me, so I came up to comfort her. I forgot about the mask and she FREAKED out. She had no idea who I was, and I had to convince her that I am mama and not some random person. 5. This is the view from Zugspitze, the tallest peak in Germany. More pictures are on instagram, but I do promise you that I will give you the full details once we come home.  6. I have so much love for my husband, but there is very little more that tugs on my heart strings than when I see him wear our girls. One of our family traditions (which has been a tradition from his family of origin) is visiting family bible camp in the Okanagan mountains in British Columbia. This picture is from family camp this year while agate hunting.  7. Cloth diaper reviews & giveaways are still going strong on the blog! 8. Another babywearing daddy shot! 9. Sharing recipes is another favorite on the blog, and this past summer I shared my ever favorite summer recipe - lime cilantro chicken tacos.

And finally, if you need any more reading beyond what I've shared above, here's a few of my favorite blog posts this year too.

• Love salmon? I do too. Here's two ways that I absolutely love to cook it. 
• Visiting zoos and aquariums is kind of my thing. We did quite a bit of travel in 2015 and I absolutely loved the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. 
• Babywearing takes me everywhere - even the pool!
• I got a little crafty this year and did a bit of a Pinterest copy. Do you have a child in your life that loves model cars? This model car photo frame is so easy!
• With a team of friends, I sewed over 160 cloth menstrual pads for girls in developing countries. 
• On that same thread - why are cloth menstrual pads awesome?

Thanks for sticking along with me this year!

Don't miss out on the chance to win $20 PayPal from me as a New Year gift!

Why cloth pads are the bomb & review of Öko Creations Cloth Pads

I've been a "mama cloth"/ "R.U.M.P.S" / "cloth pad" user for almost two years - and it all started when I dove into this for my postpartum with Ruby. Talk about jumping into the deep end!

Since that time I've had about 9 cycles and I'm so glad that I've made the complete switch to reusable menstrual products. I'm a cloth diapering mom, so it made sense to also make a change for myself. Periods, menstruation or "Aunt Flo" aren't really topics of conversation that we usually have in our culture but let's just unveil that stigma for a second and talk about a few really key points on why cloth pads are the bomb.

1. Your period overall will be better. Many women report that by switching to cloth pads that their cramps aren't as painful and their periods are lighter and shorter. I can personally attest to that! Mine used to last about 9 days prior to switching to cloth and now I average about 5 days. One might call me a conspiracy theorist, but part of me wonders if all those extra chemicals in disposable products affect the menstrual cycle to last longer because that means you need more of their products and they get more money. Even disregarding that, cloth is a beneficial alternative because you are now removing that chemical contact with your body. Montsano stays out of my vagina.

2. Cloth pads are way prettier than disposables!  I actually look forward to my period because I get to look at the pretty patterns. I know that parents get hit with the "fluffy bug" when it comes to prints and cloth diapers...but seriously, I was not prepared for the level of excitement when I saw unicorn print pads. It's a little empowering, isn't it? Instead of the blah pads from the store you get to choose what you like and it kind of represents you. You might quickly find yourself re-evaluating the hum drum boringness of another cycle to thinking about the great social impact it has on you and all of mankind. But I digress, that is a very deep topic for another day!

3. You will save boat loads of money. In this day and age, women menstruate for about 40 years or more. Think about your average cost of disposable products per month. Cloth pads can be an "expensive" start, just like cloth diapers or most other reusable alternatives, but the long term financial benefits outweigh greatly. Take this: you spend $8 on disposables per month, which comes out to $3840 (without any breaks for pregnancy, postpartum, etc) in your fertile lifetime. Instead, you purchase a starter stash of 8 pads (for a conservative 2 day stash) and you have an investment of $80 that will last you many years.

4. You're being earth friendly. Pads, tampons and disposable diapers take 500-800 years to decompose. As mentioned in Reason #3, your stash will easily last you 3-5 years. Meanwhile, you are no longer adding a disposable impact on our Earth. The process of creating disposable products is also very damaging to our environment.

So now that I've gotten you on the cloth pad band wagon, let me introduce these lovelies to you.

 Öko Creations won my heart last fall with the ever adorable snail hat and I was so excited to get to try cloth menstrual pads out. I've become a bit of a pad addict due to my current endeavor and found it serendipitous that my cycle started the day after I prepped these.

Like other Öko Creations products the material and build quality was excellent.  Öko Creations is a family owned and run business with deep roots in eco-ethics in the textiles they choose and actions within their workshop. This is a business who not only cares about my lady-business but the impact of their work too.

The topper and core are an organic cotton and hemp blend, meaning they are extremely dense and absorbent. The feeling of the natural fibers is soft and helps you feel dry. You don't have the issue of 'compression leaking' like you might with other core choices. Like many cloth pads, it includes a hidden waterproof layer to prevent leaking; but it's not PUL like most. In fact, it is the first pad that I am aware of to use a breathable waterproof layer that is best related to Saran-wrap. The result is a very trim pad with high absorption efficiency.  The wings that snap together under your underwear to prevent shifting. Even though they are trim, I have zero problem using them overnight. These have quickly become a favorite!

 

You can buy them online and follow on facebook instagram pinterest

 

Disclosure: I received complimentary product in exchange for my honest review.

No other compensation was provided.

Handmade merino infant hat from Öko Creations

This post was originally published as a part of 

Green Mom's Network Handmade & Eco-Friendly Holidays
________________

Bald babies. I got em! It wasn't until Penny was almost 2 years old before she grew a respectable amount of hair, and as a result hats are simply a part of our lives around here.

What catches my eye when it comes to shopping for a new hat for my littles?

-Anything that reminds me of an animal - it's got to be cute!
-Material; I look for high quality, alternative fibers, durable and organic where ever possible. Bamboo or wool are a favorite.
-Mode of manufacture: was it hand-made or at least ethically made?

I was so excited for Ruby to test-run an Öko Creations Merino wool baby hat! I have been a facebook fan for a while and am honored to get to share about their product and company with you.

Merino wool is highly desireable as a textile because the wool is so versatile in heat retention as well as breathability. Especially for those bald baby heads, you want something that keeps their skin warm but not causes them to overheat and sweat; because then you've got a wet hat and that's much worse than not wearing a hat at all. Best of all, organic merino wool is naturally antibacterial!

Oko Creations hand makes all of their products; has an intense focus on responsibility for the environment and to their customer (by providing the best quality materials as well as limiting environmental impact) and based on their awesome facebook and instagram feed it's fun to work there too! :)

It's important to me to support and share about businesses just like Öko Creations. Hand-made products are so special because you can just imagine the dreams and inspiration that went into the product that you hold in your hand; in this case, I know that someone lovingly made this hat with the idea of my little girl in mind. It was important to Marie-Noël and Melanie Beetz, the owners, and their seamstresses that Ruby and other babies are kept warm and healthy by making the commitment of higher quality materials and sustainable practices. And that, instead of the ease of picking up a $5 hat at a local chain, is why I will continue to support hand-made, small businesses like Öko Creations. And I hope you will too! 

And let's face it, this hat is adorbs. So adorbs, in fact, that Penny has dubbed it as Ruby's "snail hat," because the two peaks remind her of snail antennae. And snails are kind of her current obsession.

Isn't she a stinker?

In addition to the very cute snail antennae, I like that it covers her ears and back of her neck appropriately. She just looks so cozy and squishy. And that little tongue - well, that's kind of her signature expression right now.

These hats come in two sizes (NB-3 months, 4-12 months) and Ruby is in the larger size. The material is stretchy and forgiving, I can see her using this hat well past her first birthday. It doesn't feel like wool either, it feels like an interesting mix between bamboo and wool to me. It's well sewn and even when Ruby is done, I can see using this for another baby down the road. ;)

Öko Creations is offering a Pierogie Mama reader one too! Öko Creations is based in Canada, however if you are in the US and want to place an order, send an email to info@okocreations.ca and they will take your order and arrange for US shipping.  They are working to make US ordering easier. 

This giveaway is over - thanks to all for entering! 

Keep an eye out for more Pierogie Mama Giveaways.

Disclosure: I received product in exchange for my honest review, but as always, all opinions are my own and I only share what I love!