Confession

I.....have a confession. I don't know where this fits in the scheme of things, but I can't talk to many people about it, because they'd think me nuts. My husband thinks me nuts already, he's not on the same page at all. I am torn, unsure, and hoping things shift for us financially in a major way! Why? Because that's the #1 thing that will shift hubby's mind about moving forward at all. We need to be in a better financial position for sure, and that is the only reason I think of myself as crazy.

What is all of this nutty crazy talk, already? Well, it is widely known among our family and friends that I have wanted three children for a long time. Three seemed to be the magic number, a healing number if you will, since my brother and I had a third sibling who was lost late in pregnancy. We now have two beautiful and healthy boys, the elder is 3 years, 4 months, and the younger will be 6 months tomorrow. The crazy thing is....the absolute second my second son was born, as I was looking into his face - in complete shock and wonder at this new life...I thought - no, I KNEW - I could do this not just one, but several more times. I want a houseful of kids, a bundle of them to fill our home with laughter and tears, with fun and with fights, with drama and love. I want to spread my wings out wide and take them all under, show them what love is and means and how to grow into loving, caring, wonderful adults who can make changes in this cruel, yet beautiful world. I want to shower a houseful of kids with kisses and tickles, with wise words and wisdom, as well as prove to myself and them that they are more wise than I ever will be. It's such a blessing and a fantastic opportunity to be a mother, a parent, and I want not just two, or three, but more - however many will bless us.

Crazy, I know...but I will see it through to whatever point that may be - so long as my hubby agrees he has the heart to share, and we have the money to make things work.

Now to squeeze my little...while he is still little.

The Green Band-Aid (Guest blog)

I'd like to welcome Allison Brooks as a guest blogger on Greenish Me. Allie writes: The Green Band-Aid How to make a holistic first aid kit Households all around are more than likely to have a standard first aid kit somewhere in their house, car, or purse. Though these are a useful thing to have around the house, especially if you have a child, or you are accident prone, what would you do if the cleaning pads and antibiotic creams were out of date? Luckily, there’s this thing called nature, which is often overlooked, that can help you with just about anything. This opens the door to so many different holistic cures that can offer relief, speed up healing, and be less harsh to your body. Below is a list of a few common homeopathic and natural remedies to help treat the common household accidents. But before we dive on in, I would like the say that “common household accidents” are not all that can be treated by homeopathic remedies. The list is endless for treatment, and some have been adopted in the medical community as treatment complements. Now, in integrative cancer institutes, holistic and natural therapies are being offered to patients suffering from cancers ranging for simple skin cancers to aggressive ones like pancreatic and mesothelioma cancer. Much more information can be found in the Healthy Medicine posts on this blog. And back to the list: Emu Oil Emu oil is the oil rendered from the fat of an emu. It has a long history of being used for the treatment of fevers, arthritis, and cuts. Today, this natural remedy has a variety of uses, including minor burn relief, reducing pain and swelling and the treatment of insect bites and stings. Emu oil is also an extremely effective moisturizer, and can be used to treat dry skin, eczema and psoriasis. Ledum Palustre Ledum Palustre is most commonly known as Marsh Labrador tea and is known for it fresh white flowers. This homeopathic remedy is used to treat puncture wounds, insect bites and pain resulting from rheumatoid arthritis. Belladonna For those of you that know what Belladonna is, you might know it as the Devil’s Berries for the fruit of this shrub is very toxic. But handle in the correct way, this remedy is used to treat a variety of conditions, including colic, earache, fever, sore throat, headache and upset stomach. Calendula Succus Calendula Succus, closely resemble Marigolds. This yellow-flowering plant has a long history in treating many skin ailments and wounds. As a topical remedy, calendula is used to treat ailments such as minor cuts and bruises, chapped lips, dry skin, rashes and insect bites. It can be also be taken orally to treat ulcers and upset stomach, and gargled to treat sore throat. Hypericum Perforatum Also known as St. John's Wort, hypericum perforatum is typically used in the treatment of depression and anxiety. For first aid purposes, it can be used to treat shooting nerve pain, especially in the hands and feet. Arnica Arnica belongs to the sunflower family and is a common visitor in the Spring and Summer months. Medicinal uses for arnica include headache relief, as well as the treatment of pain and swelling of muscles, joints and ligaments. The roots of this plant can also be used to form a liniment for sore muscles. Symphytum Also known as comfrey, topical uses for Symphytum include relief from bruises, burns, cuts, scrapes and inflammation. Administered orally, symphytum promotes healing in broken and fractured bones, and also relieves joint pain. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ About ~ My name is Allie and I went to the University of Mississippi. I earned my degree in biomedical anthropology and now I am currently studying in the field to finish an ethnography on the effects of biomedicalization on Bolivian cultures, but relate on other societies as well. I love to guest blog on my time off to past time and spread the word.

And so it begins...

So! Has it been too long??? Of course, that's my MO. However, I am (yet again) attempting to actually blog here - with a couple of motivational tools. I am going to join up with February's 29 Day Organizational challenge hosted by Organizing Junkie, and I've also started the 30 day Pilates Challenge on PilatesAnytime.com. Backtracking - As you can see from the previous post, I now have two beautiful children, both boys. C was born in October...and although he is only 3 months old, I suddenly feel incredibly lazy! And, how is that true? many ask me...I have two kids. Yes, I have two, but I know many with more. But children aside, I have been looking around at my surroundings and searching within myself for ways to improve. I have a lot of inspiration to declutter, not only my home, but my own emotional stagnancy. I've held myself back in a lot of ways over the years and I feel it's time to start a new way. I can't say I've ever really held onto this feeling before, although it has passed through me, but this time I want to take hold and charge forward. In all honesty, having children has always been a high priority of mine, and now that I actually do have the plural of chilDREN, and not just a child, I feel a little bit more complete (although certainly not done...but that's another story!). So, on the quest to declutter my home, I begin next week with the February challenge, and I will be linking up at the end of the month to show progress...the main thing to consider is WHICH room to choose??? And for my post-pregnancy body I've begun the 30 day Pilates Challenge. Yesterday was Day #2, and today I ended up stuck for several hours waiting for my car to get finished, so I haven't found my time. Sorry excuse? Perhaps. But I will pick back up at Day #3 tomorrow. :)

Photo Card

Family Snowfall Holiday

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And the winner is...

First of all, my apologies for taking the better part of the week to fill this giveaway! Unfortunately, my grandfather passed away last Sunday, and my week has been a whirlwind. Back home now, here is the answer you're waiting for!

Maia G! Since entries were low, I just had my son pick a number out of a hat, and it was #3, comment, "I follow your blog via gfc". She has been contacted via email as well.

Thanks for entering, and have a great day!

Seventh Generation Free and Clear diapers Review & Giveaway

Update: Due to low entries, I will be extending this giveaway until July 31, 11:59 EST.
Thanks! ~Julia


As a cloth diaper enthusiast, I rarely have the opportunity to use disposable diapers. This is, of course, mostly by choice - I love my boy in cloth too much to opt for 'sposies! He has, in his 2.5 years of life, spent a total of 22 days in disposable diapers. Truth be told, 9 of those days he wore cloth at night since I really don't trust disposables to hold in all he has to offer.

That said, when opting for a disposable, I turn to the more environmentally friendly companies first. Seventh Generation is one of the top options on that list for me. So, when I received an offer from MyBlogSpark to try out, and review the new line of Free and Clear dipes offered by Seventh Generation, I decided to go ahead and give it a whirl.

My pack arrived the day before we took off for my mom's fourth of July weekend. While I have always brought cloth with me to her house in the past, I figured it was an opportune time to try out the disposables. So, off to the store I went to purchase a package of Seventh Generation wipes to match (why use cloth wipes with disposable diapers? I know, I know, I could have, but I didn't), and we took off for NJ.

T was overjoyed with the package of diapers...he walked around the living room before we left holding them and exclaiming over them. This excitement didn't wane with the option to put one on when we arrived at our first destination, a friend's house in NJ. He thought they were great! Of course they are super easy to use, the fit is great, and they clean up easily. Most of my complaints come only from the comparison of cloth to disposable, and not of these diapers in particular.

What do I like about the Seventh Generation diapers?
~ The ingredients are listed right on the package.

~ A major complaint I have with most disposables is that I can smell a wet (urine filled) diaper the second a child wearing one comes into my immediate range. With these diapers, it's not so overwhelming, and I assume (with no factual basis) this is because Seventh Generation uses both SAP (super absorbent polymer or sodium polyacrylate)and wood pulp as absorbents, rather than just the SAP.

~ Seventh Generation is consistently working toward creating a healthier product for family and the planet, and the new generation of the Free and Clear diapers are no exception. The packaging is now smaller and recyclable wherever you can return plastic bags (as in supermarkets). They've cut back the amount of wood pulp used, and attempt to cut the overall space each package contributes to landfills.

In the past, I have erroneously assumed the pigmentation of these diapers was due to the lack of chlorine bleaching in the processing of Seventh Generation diapers. As written on the package, "The color of disposable diapers is typically achieved through the addition of pigments. This is also true for the brown layered materials in Seventh Generation diapers." Reading more from the Seventh Generation website, I learned that without such pigmentation, disposables would be virtually see-through, and after direct feedback from consumers, the company decided to continue using the safe brown pigment in their diapers.

After three days away, I still have half a package of these diapers to use. I'm saving them for a rainy day. As in the past, I will continue to reach for Seventh Generation as an option when necessary, like when T had impetigo and I had to strip all of our cloth diapers. It's still up for debate as to whether I will use disposables for the meconium days when baby #2 arrives this fall. If I do, I may opt for these dipes as well. We'll see!

As a part of my participation in this review, Seventh Generation would like to offer a package of Free and Clear diapers through MyBlogSpark to one lucky winner on this blog. Interested to try a pack of your own? Please enter, and spread the word!

Want to try the diapers out before the giveaway closes? Seventh Generation has offered a $2 coupon to my readers. You must have a coupon printer installed to print this out. Find the link here.

Giveaway will be closed to new entries July 24th, 2011 at midnight Eastern Standard Time.

To enter the giveaway, you MUST answer the following question and leave your email in this comment:
What do YOU think about the new Free and Clear diapers?

Extra entries:

Follow my blog through Google Friend Connect and leave a comment that you do. (1)

Go to the Seventh Generation website here and tell me one thing you learned about these diapers in a comment. (1)

Leave in a comment your own preference for diapers, cloth or disposable? Brand? (1)

Refer another person to this giveaway and have them leave a comment you sent them, and you both receive an extra entry! (no limit)

Thanks so much, and good luck!

Updates

For anyone who happens to stop by occasionally...hello again!

I am currently 5 months pregnant with baby #2. I got pregnant at the end of January, and by the time I hit 5 weeks, nausea hit. It increased incrementally until I could no longer keep a thing down, including water or most beverages. Ginger ale worked for the most part, but I was still dehydrated. Anyway, at 20 weeks it all passed, and here I am heading into the sixth month and feeling alive again.

Better news for you, I've decided to participate in a review & giveaway hosted by MyBlogSpark! I am a devoted and faithful cloth diaper user, I even stuck through it when I couldn't bear the smell of my son's poops in combo with the detergent I was using at the height of my nausea. Many a time, I thought I would put them away and get some 'sposies to get me through...but a change in detergent and several washes later, I pulled through the worst of it.

Anyway, all of that said, this spark review is for a pack of Seventh Generation's new diaper line:Free & Clear. I will be receiving the diapers soon, and after using them a few times will conduct my review & giveaway. Please keep posted for the info on that!

Hope to see you soon. :)