Chocolate Hair / Vanilla Care

Hi friends,

I know I mostly share about fluff and life with an infant with you but I will, from time to time, share great blogs I've found or blogs I've been introduced to or my friends' blogs...  Right now, I want to share my friends' blog with you...  Chocolate Hair / Vanilla Care.  In her blog my friend, Rory, chronicles her life as an adoptive vanilla mama to a chocolate girl.  Rory and her husband adopted their daughter "Boo" when she was just 6 days old.  They are such a wonderful family that were made to be together!  Rory does AMAZING hair styles on Boo and teaches her readers how to do them too!  Now, I don't have a daughter that I can do these hair styles on, but Rory also shares lots of other great things with her readers, like I recently learned a LOT from her regarding sunscreen, search her blog for it! 

Here's what Rory says about her blog: "In addition to chronicling everyday activities such as growing hair, products, and step-by-step instructions, I also talk about what it means to be a vanilla mama of a chocolate girl, and how we explore identity, respect, and empowerment, using hair as our common language."  She really is a great mama and wonderful person!

If you are interested in learning about adoption or how to do chocolate hair, Rory & her blog are a great resource!  Please go check out her blog and follow if it is of interest to you (and do please share with others!). 

Also, check out Rory's giveaway!  She won an Apple iTouch and she's going to give it away to one lucky reader!  Here's the link to her giveaway: http://www.chocolatehairvanillacare.com/2011/06/im-sharing-my-winnings-with-one-of-you.html  Hurry though, the giveaway ends on Thursday, June 30th at 5:00pm PDT!

But please don't stop at the giveaway, check out the rest of her great blog!  You'll enjoy it! 

Thirsties Thursday Giveaway!

Okay readers!  This might be a weekly blog, lol!  Thirsties Thursday Giveaway #3 is up on their blog!  GO check it out.  Thirsties is an amazing company... Good luck!
Here's the details from their website... but you have to go there and enter (can't enter from my website!)

Thirsties Thursday Giveaway #3 includes:

1-Thirsties Duo Wrap (in your choice of size and closure)
2-Thirsties Duo Hemp Prefolds
How Do You Enter ? (5 EASY WAYS!)
1) Post on your Facebook wall AND tag Thirsties that you entered the “Thirsties Thursday Giveaway”. Leave a comment in reply to this post that you posted on your wall and the date that you posted.
2) Become a fan of Thirsties on Facebook. Leave a comment in reply to this post and let us know you are a Facebook fan.
3) Follow Thirsties on Twitter. Leave a comment in reply to this post and let us know you are following us on Twitter.
4) Join our Thirsties Newsletter. (Sign up below “giveaway rules”.) Leave a comment in reply to this post and let us know you have signed up for our newsletter.
5) Subscribe to the Thirsties Blog Feed. Leave a comment in reply to this post that you are subscribed.
BONUS 5 Entries:
Write a blog post about this week’s giveaway on your blog and link back to this post. Leave 5 comments in reply to this post that include:Your blog name, the url of your post, and entry # (1-5)
Giveaway Rules:
U.S. Residents only. No purchase necessary to win. Void where prohibited by law. Eligible entries MUST be posted by end of day, June 22nd, 2011. A winner will be randomly drawn and posted on this blog on Sunday, June 26th, 2011

Traveling with an Infant, Part 1

It goes without saying that an infant requires A LOT of stuff...  one would think that the smaller you are, the less stuff you require; however, they would be wrong.  For the past 7 weeks my DS and I have been away from our home.  (DH has been away too, just on the opposite coast for a USMC class.)  We flew back to California to visit family & friends and we stayed at my brother & sister-in-law's house.  We had a great time and it was such a blessing to stay with family...but it's still not home.  You don't have all the things you are used to so it throws off your routine a little.  We adapted well to the change in environment, DS barely even missed a beat with the 2-hour time change!  We didn't have everything in our normal routine at home (including daddy!) but Granny helped make us feel more at home by purchasing a few items for us (like an entertainer, a booster seat, toys, a COFFEE maker, etc).  AND we had some extra hands when we really needed them with Granny, Aunti and Uncle around!

To make this 2,100 mile journey for 7 weeks, I was able to pack us in two suitcases, a diaper bag, and computer backpack.  We did also have the stroller and carseat that we had to check at the gate every time we got on a plane (held DS in my lap - yea for free fare!) but I carried DS in the sling and pushed the stroller with everything in it to lighten my load.  In our two suitcases (and I have the matching set where they nest in each other and the smaller one is considered a carry-on) I packed enough clothes to only have to do laundry every week and we really stretched it longer, I think I did laundry 5 times while we were there (not including diapers, but we'll get there).  I packed us plenty of clothes (all of DS' 3 month, 3-6 month and 6 month clothes), some smaller toys, a few books to read, toiletries, 3 pair of shoes, 18 cloth diapers, fabric to make more cloth diapers, shopping cart cover (we used it a lot!), towels & more.  You name it and I probably packed it, haha!  On the return journey, we had significantly more because DS got lots of new clothes and toys from Granny.  Even with shipping TWO 14x14x14 boxes home (mostly with the fabric and clothes that DS doesn't fit in anymore), I still had an extra bag at the airport!  It was so nice to not do laundry every two days like I do at home; I really don't mind doing laundry, it's way better than dishes, but it's still nice to get a break!

DS did GREAT on the plane!  I flew with him when he was 1 month old and that went well too (he mostly slept and ate!).  But these last two flying experiences, he was much more active and bouncy.  He was such a good traveler!  He nursed or slept for every take-off and landing except the last one coming home, and even then he never complained and just happily sucked on my finger as we changed altitudes.  He was happy laughing or bouncing or playing or happy-squealing the entire time when he wasn't nursing or sleeping.  Everyone commented on how good he was, how cute he was, and how happy he was... made this mommy very proud!  I am also SO grateful for all of the wonderful people I met along the way who helped me navigate the airports with all my luggage and DS.  At every point in my journey, someone was offering to help me.  It truly was refreshing to know that there is so many helpful and generous people out there!  And it is also so nice to be able to chat with them while they are helping me too!  The flight attendants were also very helpful and kind too.  It really was a great experience traveling, the only thing that would have made it better is if I was traveling with hubby too!

I did became a little lazy with cloth diapering (we used sposies for most of the trip, scandalous, I know!  But even the biggest Fluff Fanatic might not CD 24/7)... however, there was another reason for my laziness with using cloth: we've got some major stinkies going on!  I stripped the diapers before we left Alabama, but it didn't work.  So once we got to California I rocked a soak with some Rockin Green Classic, then soaked in Funk Rock and then washed in Classic and triple rinsed, but it didn't work out so well, we still got ammonia smell after using the diapers.  Admittedly, I should have been using Hard Rock because the water in California is soooo hard, but I didn't think about it at the time.  After much research online, I've decided to try rockin another soak once we get home (we have more to our vacation, won't be home for another 10 days or so, yea! - that's part 2)...  I'll be using Rockin Green Soft Rock (because that's what is recommend for where we live), more funk rock and LOTS of water.  I'll tell you how it goes and if it gets rid of our super stinky mess!

I'm sitting in a hotel room waiting anxiously for DH (and passing time by blogging =P).  His flight came in a day later than ours so we just stayed close to the airport rather than having to take a shuttle 2 hours home just to come back again the next day to start our vacation (of which, I still don't know where we are going or what we are doing!  DH has kept it a surprise!).  It was great being in California with friends and family (and we will miss them) but I'm so ready to have my hubby back!  We didn't do "tourist" things while in Cali, we really just hung out with friends & family, went to church and went to a couple of street fairs.  

Oh!  DS did fall in love with doggies!  My bro and sis have 3 dogs; a Boggle, a Pit Bull and a German Shepherd-like dog (the latter two are both rescue dogs!).  The GS-like dog was his favorite because he would come up and lick DS' toes and hands and face (which mommy compulsively washed afterwards, haha) and would then lay his head across DS' lap and go to sleep, it was too cute and we have lots of pictures to show for it!  The Pit Bull is the princess of the family; she is not only one of the sweetest dogs I have ever met (and the biggest kisser!) but she is also a trained Therapy Dog.  She regularly visits nursing homes and slobbers all over the patients while they love on her and tell her how beautiful she is.  The Boggle is the most well behaved (surprisingly so, he was the MOST rambunctious puppy I'd ever seen!).  Mr. Boggle is also the sneakiest one of the bunch....  he can steal a bone from the others without them knowing it or steal a muffin out of his mommy's purse without disturbing the contents; he's a regular Houdini!  DH and I have talked about getting a dog for ourselves, and we would LOVE to do so, but since we live in an apartment we are just worried about the amount of care we could truly give the dog while we have a 6 month old too... we'll see where God takes us on that one!

Enough of my long-windedness, DH is due any minute!  YEA!  After we finish our vacation, I'll blog about the rest of our journey.  I wish we would have been able to try out some cloth diaper traveling systems (like Flip or gDiapers) rather than sposies, but we didn't really plan to change our normal CD routine...maybe next time.  In the end, I guess it's really all about being flexible and doing whatever works best for you in the situation you are in.

Anyone have any great travel stories to tell with their LO?  I'd love to hear them!

Why "Fluff Fanatic"

Well, the name is pretty obvious... I'm a fluff fanatic!  However, I feel like the blog name needs a little more explanation... I first learned about cloth diapers from my friend who had 5 kids (she now has 7 =D)... she was using Cotton Babies' Econobum prefold diapers and covers.  She also had some of Cotton Babies' bumGenius one-size diapers for when babysitters/church nursery workers needed to change a diaper.  I fell in love with the idea of cloth diapering then (it was almost 6 years ago) and it was SO easy!  I didn't decide to cloth diaper for the environment, although there is a significant impact on the environment by using cloth; disposables are estimated to take around 500 YEARS to decompose in a landfill, yuck!  (Also did you know that the Pampers bag recommends you dump the poo in the toilet before you dispose of the disposable diaper in the trash... I don't know anyone who does this!)  I didn't decide to cloth diaper (at first) because of the health benefits to our child, although there are many including keeping baby's bottom dryer and keeping chemicals from disposables away from my baby's sensitive bottom!  I mostly decided to cloth diaper because of the cost savings.

During the first month of our DS' life, we used disposables.  I had some cloth diapers, but we lived in an apartment that didn't have a W/D for the first two weeks; then we moved to my mothers for two weeks before moving to Alabama.  (I also didn't have the right size cloth diapers, I didn't buy infant size (oops!))  In that four weeks we used approximately (yikes!) 365 diapers (about 14/day for 4 weeks)... We used Pampers Swaddlers, with an average cost of $0.25/diaper, for $91.25/month. (*note: everyone's diaper usage varies depending on their child, we really did use about 14 diapers per day  because our DS is a heavy wetter and he didn't like pooping in a wet diaper, haha!) According to Pampers, they expect you will change about 10 diapers per day on a newborn, therefore about 280 diapers per month, average cost of $0.25/diaper, for $70/month.  Either way, that's A LOT of money!  For $70/month you can get anywhere from 25 prefolds (at $1 each) & 5 covers (at $9 each) to 7 pocket diapers (at $10 each).  That's A LOT of cloth!

In our stash before our DS was born, we had 6 one-size pocket diapers, 36 regular prefolds and 10 covers.  I had bought ALL of them on either sales or seconds and had only spent about $160.  That's less than two months worth of disposables in our house!  Since then I have added to our stash (spending about $80 to get 8 more pockets, 18 prefolds (in infant size!) and 6 more covers).  All in all, I've spent about $240 on our entire stash and have more than enough diapers to do laundry every two or three days.

Since our DS was born, I've become even more of a fanatic!  I have found so many great companies that have great cloth diapers and I have found some companies that have GREAT deals on their diapers (for brand new, not seconds or preloved).  I can't wait to try them all out!  Besides, there are SO many CUTE prints out there for cloth diapers!!  =D

For more benefits of cloth diapering check out The Real Diaper Association's diaper facts.

Thirsties Thursday Giveaway

Okay, there are a lot of great giveaways going on at anytime on the internet... especially for FLUFF!  One such company with a great giveaway on their blog is Thirsties, Inc.
Thirsties, Inc. is a great cloth diaper company with all of their products made in the USA!  Here is a little bit about their mission (note: info straight from their website, here for convenience):


The mission of Thirsties, Inc. is to make it easy and affordable for every family to choose cloth while simultaneously investing in our local economy and sustainable business practices.
We are committed to building our business in a sustainable manner by focusing on the health of our babies and the environment. Only the best USA-sourced components are chosen for our products in order to reduce our carbon footprint, to help support domestic textile mills and our local economy, and to ensure that Thirsties diapers will last wash after wash. We are committed to creating only the highest quality products and dedicated to providing exceptional design and unparalleled performance while saving you money.


We are very proud of the fact that all Thirsties products are USA-made by a group of very talented women, many of whom work in the comfort and convenience of their own homes. With your support, we are able to employ more staff each year, helping to support more families in our local community.
Each and every aspect of the design of our diapers is carefully considered, and all fabrics and components are vigilantly selected for their extremely high quality. Thirsties, Inc. strives to provide the very best products available for comfortable, leak-proof cloth diapering while operating in accordance with superior ethical business practices.


Now, I have not had the pleasure of trying these diapers yet on my DS.  However, I have a cloth diapering friend who LOVES them and says that a Duo Fab Fitted is the only diaper (double stuffed with Hemp inserts) is the only thing that will keep her heavy-wetting DD (dear daughter) dry overnight.  I can't wait to try these on my DS, he is such a heavy wetter too!
Thiristies is starting a new feature on their website, "Thirsties Thursday Giveaway" and this week happens to be their FIRST ever Thursday giveaway!  Every week they will offer a new giveaway from their products!  What a great way to add to your stash!  This week they are giving away 2 (yes TWO) Thirsties Duo Fab Fitted Diapers (in your choice of color).  Go check it out and enter!  But hurry, this giveaway ends June 8th, 2011!  Good Luck!
http://www.thirstiesbaby.com/blog/thirsties-thursday-giveaway-1/

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog!  I went back and forth on whether to start a blog or not... Pros:  I enjoy writing and I enjoy helping others find deals & steals, sharing my LOVE of fluff (it really is an addiction!) and other money saving or baby friendly ideas and items. Cons: I have a 6 month old "high needs" baby and therefore little time, lol.  In the end, I decided "why not"...  if I blog everyday, that's great.  And if I blog once a week, that's okay too!  This blog WILL be a friendly one where people can share their views, so please be nice and respectful and not mean.  Remember that we do not have to have the same opinions as others do, but we still have to respect what others believe.  You may educate, but not demean.  I will speak of my family in general terms, but I will not go into specifics or details of my family dynamics out of respect and privacy.

My hope for this blog is for it to be an outlet for me, a place to find deals & steals (when I find them), a place for advice and wisdom to be shared, and a place where I can *hopefully* write reviews and do giveaways!  (If you own a business, and want me to do a review & giveaway on my blog, please email me at 1flufffanatic@gmail.com).

A little bit about me:
I am married to an amazing man who also happens to be a Marine and currently a college student.  I am a baby-wearing, breastfeeding, co-sleeping, cloth diapering SAHM (stay-at-home-mom) to a 6 month old DS (dear son).  He is both a joy and a challenge!  We have dealt with thrush and reflux in my DS' short life so far and have conquered both (or at least I hope so!).  We moved away from my home state of California (and away from family & friends) when my DS was 1 month old.  I have to say that I am enjoying our new home in Alabama very much, but I do miss my friends and family (especially when I need some "mommy" time, lol)...  I believe in a BIG God who can do BIG things in our lives if we just allow Him to work through us.  I believe that the Bible is THE Word of God.  I believe that "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved"  Romans 10:9.  I am not perfect, I have my flaws, but my flaws make me who I am, who my husband loves and who my God cherishes.