Thursday, March 29, 2012

Thankful Thursday 3/29/12

Happy Thursday!

Today I am thankful for...

1. My husband, Vance. I know I write about him all the time, but seriously...he is THAT amazing, and I am THAT thankful for him. He keeps on encouraging me in my weight loss (as I am him) and supporting me by being on this journey with me. I love him. Infinity and 'yond.

2. My sweet friend, Cami. She, too, is encouraging me in my weight loss journey. She emails me asking how I'm doing, sends me suggestions for exercises, keeps up with my weight loss blog, etc. While I do have Vance (and other friends on myfitnesspal.com who keep me accountable) it's nice to have a girl friend who is healthy and in shape encourage me! I love her to itty bitty pieces!
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3. My weight loss thus far. As of this morning around 6:45am, I have lost 12.5 lbs in less than two weeks. I'll take it! :-)

4. The kickboxing workout I just did. Whew. I haven't made it through the entire 45 minutes yet. It's kicking my butt! HOWEVER, I only made it 10 minutes last week and I made it 20 this week (I do it Thursdays when Max, the little boy I nanny for, is at preschool.) According to myfitnesspal.com, during those 20 minutes, I burned around 460 calories. Sounds good to me!

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5. The beautiful weather! To me, Spring is perfect! I love being warm, but not super hot. I love the flowers blooming and the grass being green. By the time Summer rolls around NC, our grass turns less green and more brown from the heat. I enjoy having to wear a sweatshirt in the morning with my yoga pants and then just a tshirt (and yoga pants) by the evening when I go home. It's lovely!





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Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Thankful Thursday 3/22/12

ThankfulThursday

Today I am thankful for...

1. myfitnesspal.com. It helps me keep track of the calories I've eaten/will eat through the day and how much I'm burning with exercise. :-)

2. Losing approx. 6 lbs this week. Official weigh-in is Saturday morning, but as of Tuesday, I had lost 5.5 lbs, so maybe it'll be more? Even if it's less, it's still SOMETHING! I have a long journey ahead of me, but am encouraged by such a great start!

3. My husband, Vance. He keeps me encouraged and is working along side of me to lose weight! I love him dearly and am grateful he chose me as his wife.

4. My doggies! Petey and Cinnamon hung with us for 2 miles when we walked the other day. We tied them to the fence (we were walking a track) for the last mile. They were so tired afterward, but were happy!

5. My jobs. I've been working a lot (worked 55+ hours last week) between them both, but I am grateful for having not one, but two jobs, in an economy which is STILL trying to recover! Every little bit helps!

Max Snuggling
Did you write a Thankful Thursday post? Link up with us at First Day of My Life's blog!






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Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Rump Arounds C.D.L.C. Cloth Diaper Review/Giveaway

Woohoo! Bring on the fluff love! As you may or may not recall, AFT's first cloth diaper review was about a Rump Arounds Two Snap Pocket Diaper. Well, I am pleased to announce yet another Rump Arounds review and this time, a giveaway!


Basic Info.
Business Name: Rump Arounds
Owners' Name(s): Nadia Krebs, Jennifer Wasner and Miake Elliot
Business Bio: The environment is the one thing growing up as a child that my mother Nadia was always passionate about, she lives and breathes for her children and to better this world. I grew up watching her developed from the ground up (for the community not personal gain) a recycling center, and to this day is committed to bettering our environment and earth! (Written from Jennifer's pov.)
Opening Date: June 1, 2011
Reason for Opening: Our business came about on a venture to provide flexible work schedules for busy WAHM’s at the same time as making a commitment to bettering our environment. We are able to help supply families with affordable good quality cloth diapers so more families can hopefully afford to help join our commitment to the environment.
Types of Products Sold: Rump Around carries 4 different styles of Pocket Diapers That include: One Snaps, Two Snaps, EcoRumps Bamboo, and the C.D.L.C Pocket Diaper. Rump Arounds offers a few different styles so that we are able to meet the different needs of each child. We also carry wet bags, wet/dry bags, inserts, change pads, 100% cotton flats, 100% cotton cloths, mini diaper cakes, biodegradable flushable liners, and reusable menstrual pads.
Price Range of Products: $2-11
Website URL: www.rumparounds.ca
Facebook URL: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rump-Arounds-Affordable-Reusable-Diapers/229864637040449
Product Reviewed: Creme De La Creme (C.D.L.C.) Pocket Diaper
Washing Instructions: Please Click Here

For review purposes, I was sent an Emerald Green C.D.L.C. OS Pocket Diaper seen below.
Back View of Rump Arounds FB Stock Photo
Front View of Rump Arounds FB Stock Photo
Inside View of Rump Arounds Stock Photo
Review:
I TRIED to do a video review, but the sound and the video weren't matching up well, and quite frankly, I didn't have the time to go back and do it again, SO you get a typed up review, which I hope is equally as stellar! (I will try my darnedest to do a video review next time, though!!)

Sizing/Rise:
OH MY GOODNESS!!! What a wonderful diaper! It has 4, not 3, FOUR different sizes, making it truly a OS diaper. I can totally see this fitting a newborn (Rump Arounds' website even claims a preemie can wear it!) all the way up to a 3 year old who is still in diapers! The weight range Rump Arounds says it will fit is 5-35 lbs (depending on the height/width of your child.) I can TOTALLY believe this to be true. Max is 21 months and a semi-lanky fellow. He has a littly belly, but not much. He wore he diaper on the "medium" setting (one snap from the top) and about halfway in on the snaps for the waist. it fit him snuggly, but he was not uncomfortable.

Close-up shot on Max (the coloring is truer in the slideshow)




Fit/Trimness/Look:
I LOVE the fit of Rump Arounds diapers. So far, I've tried the 2 Snap Pocket Diaper and the C.D.L.C. They both fit about the same, which is absolutely amazingly! They are snug, without cutting into baby's back or legs. They do not leave red marks on baby's belly. With one insert in, the bulk between the legs is minimal and has never bothered Max in the slightest. He is super active, rough and  (like most boys that are almost two) and has never behaved differently in a Rump Arounds cloth diaper compared to when he wears 'sposies. He actually seems to prefer the cloth diapers. (See the image in the slideshow below where he's examining the diaper? After he looked at it he said, "Good!" Ha!) Adding inserts in for nap/nighttime will make the diaper bulkier, but that is the case with all cloth diapers. There's no getting around it! Even with doubling the insert, though, the diaper doesn't gap from the waist and/or leg holes! (Using two microfiber inserts.)



Absorbency/Length of Wear:
Using the microfiber insert that was provided with this diaper, Max made it for 7 hours (I highly recommend changing your child more often than that!) with this diaper on, which included his nap (3 hours or so.) Max, as he's gotten older, has turned into a heavy wetter. In 'sposies, if I don't change him right before he goes down for nap, he wakes up soaked and often times soaks his sheets. If he goes to bed in anything but a night time 'sposie, he and his sheets are soaked. (Not trying to be gross, just making sure everyone understands how much of a heavy wetter he is!) In this diaper, he could have gone another couple of hours and still have been fine. The insert was only 3/4 "full" and the lining of diaper was dry! I would very easily put this diaper with two inserts on Max overnight and have all of the confidence that he and his sheets would be dry in the morning! Plus, with the double gussets, poop is MUCH better contained and HIGHLY unlikely to leak. (Max never pooped in this diaper during our trial period, but I have no doubt in my mind that the inner double gussets would have contained the poop no questions asked!

Recommendation:
I whole-heartedly give my 100% approval and recommendation for this product! 2 thumbs up! 5/5 stars! Gold medal. Stamp of approval! If you're looking for a premium cloth diaper that is cute, (c'mon! it says Rump on the butt!) high quality, fits well, budget-friendly, and kid-tested, mother-approved, I highly recommend the Rump-Arounds C.D.L.C. OS Pocket cloth diaper!

(Giveaway below!)

Pinterest Wordless Wednesday 3/21/12

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Tuesday, March 20, 2012

My Fitness Pal

I don't have a full post on this blog today, but I do want to make a quick mention of this cool website that Vance and I recently joined, thanks to the referral from my aunt, cousin, and cousin's fiance. It's called myfitnesspal.com. It's pretty awesome! To read more about the jump start to my current short-term weight loss goal and myfitnesspal.com, please visit my other blog and read my most recent post, Sunday Walking.

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Saturday, March 17, 2012

Happy St. Patrick's Day '12!

Last year, I wrote this post about St. Patrick's Day goodies. It has a couple of links to some yummy Bakerella desserts, so you should definitely check it out! ;-)

The other day, I came across a pin on Pinterest that made me want to click over to the actual site from where it was pinned so that I could enlarge it and read the entire thing. I highly suggest you click on this image and enlarge it and/or click on the source link to see it on history.com. It's a short read with some fun facts about St. Patrick's Day! I learned a thing or two, so I bet you will, too!
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An easy St. Patrick's Day craft that shows the Trinity! All are separate petals, but still all a part of the same shamrock!
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Care to give this tasty green treat a try? Frozen Pistachio Pie! This looks de-lish! Finally! A green dessert that isn't mint! :-)

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Other fun St. Patrick's Day links:
St. Patrick's Day History: Traditions and Symbols of St. Patrick's Day
St. Patrick's Day Jokes and Riddles For Kids
St. Patrick's Day Printables For Kids
St. Patrick's Day "Lucky" Subway Art

Happy St. Patrick's Day!







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Friday, March 16, 2012

Happy 17th Birthday, Hannah!

First off, I need to/want to say...

HAPPY 17th BIRTHDAY, HANNIE!!!!

Photo Copyrighted to Vance Bailey Photography.
P.S. If you save this image, I will track you down and CUT you!
Hannah is my youngest sister. She was born on March 16, 1995 at 6:00am. She is bubbly, driven, talkative, inquisitive, compassionate, an animal lover, great with kids, giving, kind, and at times, obnoxious...but that may run in the family!

She had no idea I was doing that...until I posted it on her FB a couple of days later.
Heh.

Hannah is a good kid. She's a good teen in a world of delinquents. She makes wise decisions and focuses on the important things...most of the time. C'mon...no one's perfect...especially in our family! She constantly thinks of others, fights for what she believes in, and does her best to live her life according to what Jesus would do. Since she was little, she always made sure to include everyone, look after the underdog, and be a shining example to her peers. She has a heart of gold! I am so so proud of her!

Isn't she beautiful?
I took this picture of her and am darn proud of it!
Hannah plays soccer, plays the oboe and English horn (which is a new endeavor and Mom says she "beasts" at it), is in color guard in the marching band, volunteers in Kids Church at our church, takes AP/Honors classes, has a chinchilla named Lilly (who is a nocturnal animal that is afraid of the dark and requires a night light), and has a boyfriend named Zack who is flipping crazy about her.

Copyright Vance Bailey Photography
She kinda looks like a wingless fairy here, IMHO!
I love you, HannahGirl! I hope you have a spectacular 17th birthday...at school! Hahaha! :-D But seriously, happy birthday, Baby Girl! I love you infinity and 'yond!

Hannah was SUCH a cute baby!! Mt. Pisgah Nat'l Forest visit!

Hannah is a princess in the pink. (I'm on the far right holding the Baby Bop.)
Hannah on a "horse" at Tweetsie Railroad.




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Fashion Friday 3/16/12

Happy St. Patrick's Day by Ang


Abercrombie Fitch eyelet dress
$98 - abercrombie.com

Old Navy cropped cardigan
$15 - oldnavy.gap.com

High heels
$35 - amazon.com

Shoes
$230 - shoesofprey.com

Anya Hindmarch gold clutch
£350 - seasonsclothing.co.uk

Feather earrings
£2.99 - attitudeclothing.co.uk

Flower hair accessory
$30 - witchery.com.au







If you could take 2 seconds and give this a click, it would mean so much to me! Thank you!!