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.

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.

Oko Creations for all that Post Partum Stuff

 Let me preface this post by saying that post partum recovery is a pretty sensitive mess, 

so naturally you can expect that I'll be pretty frank with terminology. Thanks for reading!

Yay! He's here! Even though I'm on a self-induced maternity leave, there's one set of items that I wanted to talk about with you that have made turning that corner of post partum recovery a lot easier. Oko Creations was so awesome to send me a few of their products aimed at giving me some soft, gentle relief during that tender time - nursing pads and heavy flow cloth menstrual pads for lochia (post partum discharge).

The first time I ever tried cloth menstrual pads was during my post partum recovery with my second child, Ruby. And I'm seriously so glad that I did! I had an interesting tear that led to a prolonged, tender recovery and I couldn't imagine suffering through that with paper pads. So, that honestly really positive first experience, while truly diving into the deep end, encouraged me to continue to use cloth pads / mama cloth for when my cycle returned at about 10 months post partum.

Now that Holden has arrived (!!!), I am excited to share again my experience in using cloth pads during post partum recovery. Another preface that I'd like to mention is that while Oko Creations does not have a designated post partum size and shaped pad (yet), I can personally recommend it based on my experience. My normal menstrual flow is pretty typical, not too heavy and not too light. 

My post partum recovery was much faster this time around, which was shocking to me given how big he was and how much work I had in pushing him out. My daughters were just under 7 pounds and 8 pounds; Holden was 9 1/2 pounds. My second birth took much longer for me to recover due to an interesting tear and I was very surprised that I didn't tear at all with Holden. I experienced a very heavy, typical post-birth flow for about a week (during that time I used dedicated post partum sized pads from a different brand) and used my Oko Creations heavy flow pads for the following two weeks of heavy lochia flow. The heavy flow pads were perfect for this phase of post partum recovery. The length was just right to make sure there wasn't any spills while I was still laying in with baby and the super absorbent hemp topper and core didn't stick to me like disposable pads had done for my first post partum recovery. 

The biggest difference that I could see between the heavy flow and the regular size pads from Oko Creations was that the heavy flow are longer and also featured dual wings to help secure the longer pad around your underwear. Both pads feature 3 layers of absorbent hemp material and a unique integrated waterproof breathable layer (which has been explained to me that it looks and feels a bit like plastic wrap; it's not as thick as traditional PUL). For as absorbent both sizes of the Oko Creations pads are, they are very trim and are my favorite to reach for during regular to heavy flow days in my cycle! 

Now let's talk breast pads. I typically leak during the first 3-4 months of nursing; after that my milk seems to regulate and I don't have super strong let down. I like to use reusable breast pads because just like cloth menstrual pads and cloth diapers - I'm all about reduction of waste and cloth just feels better to me!

Oko Creations has two types of breast pads; hemp and merino wool toppers.  I got to review the hemp pads, but have reviewed their oh-so-adorable handmade merino wool baby hat in the past (which we still affectionately call "the snail hat." The pads are made with two layers of hemp fleece (the same material that the cloth pads are made from) and backed with waterproof PUL. This prevents any leaks through your pad, bra and shirt. These thick pads made to be super absorbent so they do show through a thin nursing tank or bra, so I either wear a secondary layering shirt or save these for night time. From 2 weeks of age Holden has been sleeping straight from 9 pm - 4 am.  I have definitely put my time in for long night nursing sessions with my daughters; I know exactly how big of a blessing this is!! But the cost is super full breasts in the early morning that are ready to feed that baby! While nursing him on the first side, my other breast is well protected with my Oko Creations breast pad without any leaking. I feel confident because the same hemp material that I trust in my menstrual pads is catching my extra milk in these pads and the PUL backing makes extra sure that it doesn't go any further. 

Oko Creations is a family owned based in Quebec, Canada. All of Oko Creations products are handmade and ethically produced locally with sustainability and long term quality in mind. 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. I am proud to support hand made, family owned businesses (even at the higher cost) because you know that supporting their products supports a dream.  Check out their work shop - it's such a friendly and homey atmosphere!

You can find out more of Oko Creations products on their website and follow along on facebook.

Disclosure: I received product in exchange for my honest review. No other compensation was provided.

All opinions and photography are my own. 

Nic & Elli Maxaloones!

Can you believe that I've been a cloth diapering mom for 4 years and had never ever given maxaloone pants a try?

As a mom of girls in cloth, it's not always easy to find pants that fit over their fluffy butts. Dresses and skirts have always been a daily fashion must have for both of my daughters when they learned to dress themselves, but living in the PNW we don't get very many bare leg days. But it is darn near impossible to find leggings and pants that will fit over a fluffy bottom, because childrens clothing is designed with a disposable diaper in mind.

Recently I got the opportunity to check out Nic & Elli's maxaloones and I am hooked. What are maxaloones? They are "grow with me" style pants, with an adjustable waist band (think - yoga or maternity pants) and leg cuffs.  Because the leg cuffs are easily adjustable they are perfect for babywearing to cover those sweet ankles and keep a wide stance for the hip spread across the bum. They fit kids from 6 months to 3 years old! This is a major bonus for me since I have two girls, just two years apart! Yvonne, the owner, hand cuts, serges and top stitches each of the seams to ensure each Nic & Elli piece has maximum durability.

Nica & Elli maxaloones are made with a stretchy lycra cotton blend. The waist band, leg cuffs and bottom are matched with a contrasting color to the main legging color. We absolutely love the delicate girly print of the pink lace! It coordinates with so many of Ruby's outfits.

We are in love with these leggings and they are truly a "grow with me" style pair. Even big sister Penny sneaks them on, every once in a while.

Enter to win a pair of your own Nic and Elli maxaloone pants!

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Disclosure: I received a pair of Nic and Elli maxaloone pants in exchange for my honest review. No other compensation was provided. 

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!

MommyCon came to Seattle...and I went!

Get your ticket for Mommy Con 2016 early! They always sell out, and here's a $5 code to get you started!

For the last few years my blogging bestie, That Mama Gretchen, and I have been pining away for a conference that we can attend together and to piggyback a mom's night out on. It's not easy, you know, when you've got two mamas who are on alternating years for pregnancies and birthing babies! But the fates aligned; MommyCon was coming to Seattle and even though Gretchen was in the final stages of her pregnancy with Baby #3 and I had not yet taken a night away from Ruby, we did it. We did it!

We split a hotel room at Motif, where the conference was to be held the following morning. After battling Friday evening Seattle traffic we checked and quickly made our way down to Frolick for an evening snack and a drink for me. There's something about a friendship that allows you to pick up and catch up with each other's lives, without missing a beat, even though it's been almost a year since we last saw each other in person. Well, keeping up with each other's blogs and social media kind of helps that.

Neither of us knew what to expect from MommyCon, even though we had heard great reviews. We stayed up late, talking about woven wraps, birth stories (one of our favorite repeat conversations), blogging life and real life. It was well after 1am before I shut my eyes and I couldn't wait for the following morning.

So what can I say about MommyCon? I was completely unprepared for exactly how great of a day that I would have. All of the vendors - spot on. I loved chatting with each business and met some people I had chatted with online and met new favorites. The brands ranged from cloth diapers, breast feeding support, babywearing, mama cloth, natural products for children and mama and so much more.

Between checking out the booths I attended several great talks - Cloth Diapering led by Jennifer Labit (owner of Cotton Babies), Wrapping 101, Co-sleeping and Beyond (so my life right now), Sex After Baby and Boobs and Bottles (both by Jessica Martin-Weber, AKA The Leaky Boob). I was so thankful that they were spaced out throughout the day because if I had to choose between any of those I'm sure my heart would have broken. Each of the vendors were so helpful and not pushy at all, which just makes everything so much better. I also was the lucky winner of a Cassiope Woven wrap that was a MommyCon exclusive - more about that later - but the excitement of their scavenger hunt was a fun addition to the day.

MommyCon is more than just a conference; it was a rejuvenation of what it means to be a mama. There were so many examples of a mother there, whether they breastfeed, bottlefeed, wore their baby in a soft structured carrier, wrapped them methodically, pushed them in a stroller or what was covering their bottom. It didn't matter if she had spikey rainbow hair or wore her business casual suit to attend. We were all there for the same reason - to gain community in this great journey of life and to better ourselves. For the first time in a very long time I was in a room with hundreds of other women and rather than worrying about the Mommy Wars, we all came together as we are.

Get $5 off your 2016 ticket by using promocode PierogieMama16!

Did you go to any of the MommyCon conferences?

Tell me about your favorite part!

Don't miss That Mama Gretchen's 7 favorite things about MommyCon post too!

Disclosure: I attended MommyCon Seattle 2015 as a media member and received a complimentary ticket. But seriously, I am so glad that I went and I plan on going any other time that this awesome event comes to my local area. And you should too!

Be Careful When Line Drying Your Diapers - guest post from Zephyr Hill Blog

The blog is on a bit of a hiatus while I work on recovering my laptop from a recent mishap between Ruby, a cup of coffee and the keyboard. Yea...that happened. So thankfully my good bloggy friend Anne came to my rescue and took over my blog for a post. Anne is a great resource for everything cloth diaper, be sure to check her blog out!

Be Careful When Line Drying Your Diapers

Line drying is a great way not only to save energy, but also to benefit from the stain-fighting power of the sun. However, there are a few things you'll want to be aware of when line drying your cloth diapers. I've made a few mistakes along the way, and would like to share a few tips.

1. The weight of a wet, heavy diaper can loosen up elastics over time. To save wear and tear on the elastic, try draping fitteds, contours and AIO diapers over the line instead.

2. The sun can fade stains, but too much can be a bad thing and colors will begin to fade. One way to get around this is to turn the diaper inside out, thus protecting the sun-sensitive fabric. This is not a concern if you're drying flats or prefolds, however.

3. Avoid mishaps by bringing in your diapers as soon as they are dry. Too many times, I've forgotten about the laundry outside and it got drenched in a rainstorm, pooped on by passing birds or soiled from dust and dirt carried by the wind. Nosy pets, especially ones who love to jump or climb, can also cause mischief.

4. Keep your diapers looking good by using clean clothespins with no rusty parts. My favorites are the rust-free, UV-stabilized Hills clothespins. I've had my set for nearly 4 years and they still work great and look great.

5. Diapers may come off the line feeling a bit stiff or crunchy. Try the "air fluff" feature on your dryer for just a few minutes. Toss in a few tennis balls or wool dryer balls to boost the softening effect.

Do you have any line drying tips for cloth diapers?
    Anne is the creator of the family-oriented Zephyr Hill Blog. A busy homeschooling mother of seven, Anne enjoys cloth diapering, cooking and trying to convince her husband to add yet another animal to the family.

Camping While Cloth Diapering

When parents consider the pros and cons of cloth diapering, they go through different scenarios where they envision it being difficult – typically travel. It’s a break from the routine, might be difficult to find a suitable place to wash the diapers, and then there’s also the transportation issue. Sure, it’s easy to temporarily switch to ‘sposies for a short period of time, but cloth diapering is totally versatile and not difficult to accomplish outside of the home.  

We exclusively cloth diaper with the exception of travel via plane. Camping with cloth, on the other hand, I've got down pat. We've gone camping about half a dozen times with cloth from a weekend to a week at a time. In the coming week we will be camping for a week at my husband's family church camp in the Okanagan region of British Columbia. It's a very remote area (as in, drive at least 45 minutes to get to the closest wifi location) and whenever we visit I like to imagine what it would be like to live like a pioneer. 

 Along the way I’ve found a few tips on how to make it workable.

• Cut down prep time at camp and keep it all in one place. If you use pockets, stuff your diapers at home. Then bring the diapers, wipes, detergent and wetbags in their own container (like a big duffel bag, rubbermaid or even a laundry basket). I have a big travel bag that I’ve dubbed “The Fluff Bag.”
• Engineer a “camp washer” or take a look at this gal’s DIY bucket washer video.
• Pack clothes line and clothes pins. That’ll be pretty important to dry them effectively!
• When in a pinch, use your travel wet bag as a portable washing machine. Genius! Planet Wise tweeted this idea – and I couldn’t agree more!

When we camped for the full week we utilized the camp washer with the instructions from the video above. We boiled water and tried to replicate our wash cycle at home as best we could. Are the diapers going to be as clean as they are at home? Likely not. You can bring disposables just in case. Plus, you definitely get street cred for washing your cloth diapers like a pioneer!

Some notes:

• Prefolds always wash and dry quickly. If you don’t normally use them, but have some stashed away (we primarily used prefolds when Penny was a newborn), bring them back out for camping.
• Remember to adjust your detergent use based on you’ll be using less water.
• Check out Dirty Diaper Laundry's annual Flats Challenge to get some ideas on how to wash diapers by hand. It's a good idea to know how to wash cloth diapers by hand in case of an emergency! 

Have you camped with cloth diapers before? 

What tips would you add? 

If you haven't, what concerns do you have?

Find more of my cloth diaper related topics here

Summer Cloth Diaper Giveaway - Little Monsters

Welcome to the 4th annual Summer Cloth Diaper Giveaway Hop hosted by Mommy's Favorite Things and Mama's Baby Cupcakes. This hop is focused on items you'd want/need for everything cloth diaper related! After visiting my giveaway, make sure you use the linky below to take a look at the other 20+ blogs and see what they have to offer for you and your little one! Each blog has a minimum prize package of $25 per winner. 

Be sure to enter the Grand Prize as well where one lucky US winner will receive the $152 prize. With great sponsors like Best Bottom, Planet Wise, Buttons, BabyKicks, Winning Colors Baby and Little Bear Bums this package offers a little something for everyone or a great package for someone wanting to start cloth. 

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Little Monsters cloth diapers has been on my "must try" list for a long time! I fell in love with their designs when Penny was a brand new babe because they had a print with a giraffe on the bottom. The embroidered bottoms are such a cute touch!

Pocket diapers are the staple of my cloth diaper stash. They are the easiest to put on and you don't have to ever worry about the insert sliding around. They are called "pockets" because you stuff the insert into a pocket in between the outer waterproof PUL material and the soft fleece inner material (that goes against baby's skin). You can stuff pocket diapers with a variety of materials, microfiber inserts being the most common. A microfiber insert is included with Little Monsters diapers.

The bottoms of Little Monsters diapers are very unique - they each feature an embroidered design. I was always curious how the diaper remains leakproof in spite of the embroidering, as that is a concern any time you make a hole in the PUL materia. Little Monsters was one step ahead of me and they've included an additional backing of a second layer of PUL behind the embroidered area so that leaks don't get through the stitching.

 Across the back you'll find the pocket that you stuff the inserts inside. They've added an additional band of elastic to help keep that pocket closed (no worries about inserts wiggling out!) and creates a better fit on baby.

The multiple rise settings allow these diapers to fit most babies from 9 - 35 lbs. These fit perfectly on Ruby, who is 15 months old and 22 lbs. She's got chunky thighs but with the right snap arrangement I don't have to worry about leaks at all!

Want to try one for yourself? These adorable diapers are sure to turn heads this summer!

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Disclosure: The Pierogie Mama, Mommy's Favorite Things, Mama's Baby Cupcakes and the Summer Cloth Participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors who don't provide prizes.

Catch the Moment: Week 15

A picture a day, for one year.

Again..life got the best of me and I am severely behind in posting my pictures. This week, for whatever reason, I am super mushy and reflective. Here's pictures of my life.

 This is another post in the making, which is regretfully also way behind schedule...but lately I've been partnering with my local women & children's consignment shop and I co-hosted our local Great Cloth Diaper Change event with Grow With Me Boutique. This year I've made it a goal to be present in my community; whether it's as a cloth diaper educator, proponent or encouragement to mothers.

This silly girl of mine. I thought that a 2 year old with a newborn was tough - but I've learned that 3 is even harder. Does it ever actually get "easy"? Probably not. But in the midst of the "no you're not"s and the bazillion questions, she sneaks in one of these silly little smiles and my heart just about bursts out of my heart.

 Lately we have been taking evening family walks, usually keeping the kids in our double stroller so that Adam and I can actually take a brisk walk and focus on conversation between each other rather than making sure that Penny stays safe from the quite steep drop into a creek that's next to the trail. On this evening, Penny gasps with wonder at the field of "bubble flowers," and wanted to pick some. These normally pesky weeds were seen as magical wonder in the eyes of a toddler, who picked each one delicately and presented me with a huge bouquet. She very quickly followed up with "ok, now let's blow them out!" and she blew with all her toddler might, pretending that it was nature's birthday cake. This memory I will treasure close to my heart, forever.

So this day was one where the trenches of motherhood were deep with sticky mud and I was just stuck. I try very hard not to complain about it ever, because in all reality it is such an amazing gift for me to get to spend this time with my children. It is a short season and one day I'll be an old woman who will look fondly back at it. But this day, I just had enough. Somehow my husband knew and he brought home an extremely special treat - a whole pie from our local boutique pie shop - Snohomish Pie Co. It reminded me that even though the days may be hard, my partner will always be at my side and will pull me out of the muck.  

 I guess this week is a very reflective week for me! We were hanging out in the backyard because again, it was an unseasonably warm April day and we had to take advantage of sprinkler time with popsicles. Miss Ruby had finally gotten over her aversion of grass so I was happy to watch her toddle around as she watched her older sister run and shriek through the sprinkler. Adam came home early that day and snapped this picture of Ruby and I. Sometimes it's so hard to come to terms that I am a mama of two, that I've been entrusted in the very important task in raising these girls.

While being a mom of a very opinionated, head and heart strong 3 year old can be hard, it has so many rewarding moments. Sometimes when I am upset with something silly, disobedient and ultimately not important, she stops me and holds my hands and just tells me how beautiful that I am. She compliments my long hair, or my pretty smile and great hugs. She thanks me for making a snack for her earlier that day, and strokes my cheek. Where did she learn this??? It stops me in my tracks and I take a breath to slow down my frustrated heart. On this day she had grabbed my camera and I was showing her how to use it and take pictures. She turns it over to me and says "now you take a picture of me. See how beautiful my shirt is?" This also stopped me and I tried to explain to her that it's not that shirt that makes her beautiful or worthy of a picture. Her sincere heart is just gorgeous to me, and I hope that it teaches me a lesson or two about what is important in life.

On the very rare occasion, Penny wakes up earlier than Ruby. Penny is so much like her dad, and their sleep habits are no exception. They could sleep in until noon if I (and Ruby) let them. This morning she creeped into my bed and whispered "can I give Wooby a kissy-kiss?" and ever so gently gave her little sister a kiss. She silently crept over to the other side of the bed and snuggled in on my other side.

Catch the moment archives

These aren't on Instagram, but most others are!

Win a 3 pack of Lotus Bumz Cloth Diapers or a pair of Doodle Pants leggings!

For the second year in a row, I am excited to be a part of the Cuckoo for Cloth giveaway event! Zephyr Hill Blog and ConservaMom are two of my favorite cloth diapering bloggers and they've coordinated a fun giveaway event for us cloth loving families too. After reading my post, be sure to check out their grand prize package (includes items from Funky Fluff, GroVia, Wink Diapers, Margaux & May, Zookaboo and Geffen Baby), as well as the link up of bloggers at the bottom of the post, because we each have a fluffy giveaway of our own too!

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I've been a cloth diapering mama for 38 months and through two kids. Whew! As a blogger I have gotten to try out over two dozen brands of diapers and countless cloth coordinating accessories. But wanna know about two of my favorite fluffy items? Lotus Bumz and Doodle Pants! Keep reading to find out how you can win!

Lotus Bumz diapers are pocket style cloth diaper, meaning they made of two layers - an outer layer of waterproof PUL and an inner layer of moisture wicking fleece. The back end has an elastic secured opening that you "stuff" an insert into which is what soaks up the mess. Lotus Bumz cloth diapers come with a microfiber insert, but are compatible with pretty much any brand or material of insert available. My own stash is made of probably over 20 different brands, styles and material choices of inserts and they all fit in very well.

The diapers are called "one size," meaning that they will grow with your baby from newborn to potty training. You adjust the diaper size by the rows of center snaps and fit around the waist using the hip snaps. My girls are 2 years apart and for about 10 months I cloth diapered both of them - it was super easy to adjust the fit for the infant vs the toddler.

You also can't beat the seriously adorable prints that you can find! 

Click over to read the full Lotus Bumz cloth diaper review. 

Enter to win a 3 pack of cloth diapers from Lotus Bumz. The winner will get to choose boy, girl or gender neutral prints (based on stock availability). 

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Doodle Pants have been a long time favorite over here. It all started when Penny was learning how to walk and I realized just how hard it is to dress a cloth diapered little girl. Because seriously, diaper bulge is just unnecessary. Since then I've been in love with them because they are such a comfy fit and are versatile throughout most of our temperate weather here in Washington.

Because I'm a baby wearing mama, I also try to make sure that the clothes my kids wear are comfortable for them too. I've worn Ruby for at least 6 hours a day for the first year of her life; including visits to the grocery store, running around at the zoo, play dates and cooking dinner. Most pants ride up when a baby is in a soft structured carrier and it would be so sad to find her poor little chubby calves and ankles cold. Doodle Pants always stay where they need to be and stretch just right to keep her comfortable. So not only are they fluffy butt ready, but they are babywearing friendly too! Double win in my book.

You can now coordinate your favorite Doodle Pants leggings with their new clothing line, like toddler sweatshirts, onesies, t-shirts and play dresses to match your Doodle Pants.  I especially love the sweatshirts because the hole is a little larger than standard to easily fit baby and toddler heads through. Doodle Pants is also offering  a 15% off discount on by using the code PIEROGIE15!

As a separate prize, Pierogie Mama readers can enter to win a pair of Doodle Pants leggings too!

Entry-Form

Disclosure: The Pierogie Mama, The Zephyr Hill and ConservaMom blogs are not responsible for prize fulfillment. Please refer to the terms and conditions particular to each giveaway. Good luck and have fun!

The Great Cloth Diaper Change 2015: Grow With Me Boutique

I am so excited to share this exciting event with my local ladies! If you are in the Seattle or North South area check this out!

Have you heard of the Great Cloth Diaper Change? It's an event curated by the Real Diaper Association and it is in it's 5th year! It is an annual Guinness World Record attempt (and broken each time!) where the goal is to get as many cloth diapers changed simultaneously Hosts have registered around the world provide a Guinness qualified location where participants can be a part of an amazing record breaking attempt. Penny and I have participated twice, in 2012 and 2013. In those years the records were 8,251 and 8,301 diapers changed (respectively). Last year there wasn't a location within driving distance to us, but this year I have partnered with Grow With Me Boutique in Monroe, WA to host for our local area families!

The goal of the GCDC is to raise awareness of cloth diapering in our local communities. Cloth diapers has certainly become a buzz word and may be viewed as "the cool thing to do." While cloth diapering certainly has created it's own community of parents, there is a vast price range of cloth diapers that can make diapering affordable for every family. I had two children in diapers for a 10 month period, and my oldest officially potty trained at 31 months. I can't imagine the cost that many families pay to diaper their children for that period of time. I was so thankful to have learned about cloth diapering, find resources and grow a stash that fits my budget and comfort level. Read more about all my cloth diapering tips and journey.

Cloth diapering is cool, but the biggest perk is truly the cost savings. A standard cloth diaper stash that will last from birth to potty training and washing every 3 days is typically in the $250-300 range. But cloth diapering doesn't have to be an all or nothing change. It can be a diaper a day or only at home. Any amount of cloth diapering that you do will save you money, all that changes is how quickly you will break that initial investment cost. 

So if you're in my neck of the woods, head out to Monroe and change your baby's diaper at Grow With Me Boutique on April 18, 2015 at 10:30a.

Grow With Me Boutique and I have already gotten a ton of fluffy prizes for those who attend!  Keep up with all the details by joining the facebook event:

GCDC @ Grow With Me Boutique

and most importantly reserve your free ticket now! Space is limited and you will need to pre-register in order to participate in the event. We will be doing a prize drawing before the actual change so be sure that you are there at 10:30a! But don't worry, there will be special sales and other goodies following the event!

Have you participated in the Great Cloth Diaper Change?

These are the rules laid down by the GCDC for all eligible participants and locations:

• Each location must have a minimum of 25 participants (each participant must be 18 years of age, or older). You must bring a partner to help witness your changing buy taking photographic evidence.

• Baby being diapered must be 39” tall or shorter.

• The clean diaper must be 100% reusable and commercially available.

• The event location must be accessible to the public.

• The diaper change must take place in an area that is only accessible to the participants, the babies being diapered and the witnesses. This area must have a closely monitored, and clearly defined, entrance and exit.

• The The Great Cloth Diaper Change must take place promptly at 11:00am, local time. 

• Photographic documentation of the event is required, and all photographs submitted as evidence become the property of Guinness.