A Daniel Tiger Birthday Party

My Sweet little Grant turned 3 a few days (okay... weeks...) ago and all he requested was a Daniel Tiger birthday party with a "BIIIIIIIIIIIIIG cake!" and that's what he got. To be honest, he wasn't going to get a "biiiiiig cake" because cake decorating is irritating, but when I screwed up his cupcakes the night before, a big cake is what he got (after Erik went to the store for baking mixes...)

A ridiculously huge thanks goes out to my sweet, one-of-a-kind, m&m separator (see O the Owl centerpiece) and photographer extraordinaire BFF, Mandy, who literally went through hell and high ... snow (it was blizzard-ing at her house near Ft. Drum, NY the day before) to get here for G's party, and then snapped these great pictures out of the goodness of her heart so I didn't have to (and so they'd be prettier...).

November Things Fell By the Wayside...

...and don't even ask about December!

I haven't been doing a great job of keeping up with Grant-isms lately, and I'm so irritated at myself for that!

The other day I was looking at old posts when I couldn't sleep and came across the one about how G read his Noah's Ark book (here). It's so sad/funny/life affirming that so much has changed in such a short amount of time. I'm so glad I started keeping up my blog again. I can't believe what I had already forgotten.

So I need to get back in the saddle. And here we go!

G: My Daddy not like sprinkles.
S: Oh?
G: My Daddy a Soldier. Soldiers not like sprinkles.

G: This clementine is too squirtie.
S: There's worse things in life than a squirtie clementine, don't you think?
G: I doubt it.

G: I really like this new Christmas music, Mommy.
S: This isn't Christmas music, bud.
G: That not HoHo singing?
S: No... It's Johnny Cash.

G, upon seeing Erik's tattoo: Nice birdie, Daddy!

G: Mommy said only naughty people ride motorcycles.

G: I miss Sar'nt Hall. He's a hard worker.
E: Oh yeah?
G: Not like my Mommy. She stays home.

G: I'm pretty nervous about going to school.
S: Why?
G: You know Mary Had a Little Lamb? It's fleece was white as snow! And everywhere Mary went, the lamb would go too! And it followed her to school and made the children laugh and play, laugh and play. (incredulously) AND THEN THE TEACHER TURNED IT OUT!!!
S, dying of laughter: You don't have a lamb, so I'm not sure what the problem is.
G: IT'S COLD OUTSIDE!!!!!!!

Sangria + Baking

I swear I only had one glass.

Annnnnd then a half of another glass while I baked Nutella cupcakes with my BFF for G's birthday.

And then around 10:30PM, Erik went to Wal-Mart for a couple of cake mixes (I requested two, just to be on the safe side...).

While he was gone, I had to throw out my muffin tins.

 

 

Remind me not to try a new recipe the night before Grant's next birthday party.

She Really Does Smile

One Size Diapers

Cloth diapering makes me feel like I know a big secret that only a few select others do. I don't know why not everyone does it. It takes a bit of trial-and-error, but after a week or two, it's smooth (and cheap, and blow-out free!) sailing. Thus, my mission to educate the masses.

A few weeks ago, I posted 5 Reasons Why I Love Cloth Diapering, which can be read here. Today I bring you 5 Reasons I Love One Size Diapers.

First though, what is a One Size (OS) Diaper?

It's a diaper with snaps along the front that allow you to size it to fit your baby properly. Because of these snaps, they can fit from about 7 pounds all the way up to about 35 pounds. Imagine buying one set of diapers for your child(ren). Ever.

Why do I love them? Let me count the reasons.

I love them because they're sizable. You can choose one "size" snap to accommodate the thighs and another snap or Velcro (very dad/grandparent/babysitter friendly!) to accommodate the belly - and this is after you have set your "rise" snaps to determine your diapers "size".  You can choose one row of "rise" snaps for your newborn and another for your toddler - all on the same diaper! Or buy the completely snap/Velcro free kind and have a completely customizable experience.

My Favorite: Bum Genius Freetime, (on medium rise).
 Click here to shop for yours!

I love them because they're adorable! Why look at Elmo or Bert and Ernie (or whoever the heck it is on everyone's disposables) when you can look at your baby in "her" color? Oh, my baby is the only one whose "color" has already been determined? (It's purple, by the way.) Then look at your baby in YOUR favorite color!

I love them because they're cheap! OS diapers pay for themselves in spades since they fit most kids from infancy to potty training, and can then be reused when you have another kiddo, sold, or given to other families. Every time I change my baby I think "I just saved 35 cents!" and each time I look at a laundry basket full of clean diapers I feel like a millionaire! It doesn't take long to make back your initial investment.

I love their convenience! When the "Polar Vortex" roared through here last week I didn't have to drag my kids out into the cold to stock up on diapers. All I had to do was put on a pot of soup and snuggle with my babies in front of the fire. Similarly, I love that all I have to do is push a couple of buttons on my washing machine and I have a whole new "box" of diapers at the ready!

And last, but most certainly not least...

I love them because of the footprint they DON'T leave on our Earth. I'm not the crunchiest mama out there, but I do think about the Earth we are leaving behind for our Little's. Did you know it takes a disposable diaper several hundred years to biodegrade? Can you imagine the piles and piles of rotting diapers we're going to have laying around our planet in just a few years? Cloth diapers really help to alleviate that problem, and one size diapers are even more environmentally efficient - because instead of buying a set of diapers for a newborn, a small set, a medium set and a large set, you can just buy one OS set. You'll save money, natural resources and a little bit of the Earth, all at once!

Oh! I already said they're adorable, right? Because they are.

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