Journey back to cloth.

When I had Princess I wanted to use cloth diapers- but it didn't happen. There was far to much else going on washing diapers would not have worked. Then Stinky was born- we used Pampers as well for him for a long time until he started getting rashes- then we switched to cloth.

I dabbled then. I did not commit to cloth wholeheartedly- I searched a little for diapers that would work but did not *really* work at it. Which was fine- we used cloth and all was well.

Enter Peas. In the NICU they used Pampers. Fine, we stuck with it and clothed at home.

Enter Pixie and DryMax. After the realization that I could buy a hundred dollars worth of diapers and it would literally be peed and crapped away, and would not biodegrade; out came my cloth. Unfortunately, Pixie and Peas wet right through my previous dipes that worked just fine for Stinky. This has required some searching on my part and trial and error to find the dipes that work for them and me.

So now I am cloth diapering two children full time. So far I love kissaluvs and bumgenius. Check out Shop at Granola Babies they have an awesome cash back program there, free shipping,and I am thrilled to be able to offer a discount of $7 off a first time $75 order, the code is NEW4147. But you need to click through link above to get the code to work.

I am thrilled to be able to bring these awesome products to you.

EWWWWWWWWWW.

I can stand A LOT of gross things. I deal with four kids 24/7 and they can challenge me a lot with my first aid skills.

There is one thing that I cannot stand: teeth. I have not been able to stand them ever even when mine were loose. Seeing them wiggle would make me need to sit. Tingling, roaring ears, the whole bit; I just cant stand teeth! So guess who has loose teeth? Princess.

She is beyond thrilled and I am beyond grossed out. They are not even that loose yet! They are just *kinda* loose. And she shows me, often. Every time, I am reduced to a quivering pile of mama who needs to go sit down with her head between her knees.

What is the standard Tooth Fairy prize these days?

Why do I miss the dog now?

I still think about Ali every day. I think about a lot of animals and people daily that I wish I could share something with. Sometimes thinking about the person makes me happy sometimes sad.

But since Fred died I have been remember how awesome he was. I was thinking about taking him to the beach the first time and swimming with him. I remember him chasing me in the water when he thought I went to far, playing in the yard, running, walking, just him. Most of all- the part I have replayed in my head over and over is when I came home from Utah. How he greeted me. He ran up the flight of stairs as fast as I had ever seen him move and smothered me in doggy love.

I have not lived with him for 10 years- but when ever I went to my parents house he always greeted me- he was always happy to see me- I was always happy to see him. Now he is not there anymore- and I miss knowing that when I call my mom I'll hear him barking- I miss knowing that when I go to visit he will beg to be petted and have his ears rubbed.

He was a good boy. We were so lucky to have him.

Photos!

I lost my hat and my sunglasses and had a kidney stone (again) but it was FUN

The kids and dogs and I hit the road yesterday to B's families lake cottages in southern Wisconsin.

Going there is stressful for me. It just is. I feel like I am being watched and judged every moment- which is probably not the case- feelings are not logical all the time though.

The kids love it. There is a lake, a boat, a waverunner, sand, and cousins/aunts to play with- what is not to love???

This year was no exception. They are played with and entertained and run around and played with until they can hardly see straight. Yesterday, Princess went tubing (alone) and on the waverunner with her aunt. She LOVED it. However she has not spent much time being afraid of the water.

Stinky however was perfectly content to hang out in the sand and build a metropolis.

Peas always the daredevil was fearless in the water as usual. Jumping in over her head, going on the waverunner and she even went tubing! My two year old was tubing- and shrieked with glee the entire time. She would go water skiing if I would let her.

Pixie also fits in well. She is a fish just like the others. I was in the water with her and she got angry when I took her out. She wanted to stay! Kicking her feet splashing what is not to love??

The lake was perfect- just warm enough.

The sad news? I lost my favorite hat. On the waverunner it flew off of my head and when I stopped to go back for it it had sank. I looked for it for twenty minutes- to no avail- my favorite hat is gone.

Also lost were my sunglasses. I took them off and set them by the picnic table- then when I got back from the wave runner-they were gone. Very sad.

The worst was sudden onset of kidney stone pain. Intense pain. Pain that robbed my of my focus. Pain that cut through the fun.

Not a good thing. It sucked.

Despite that- I had a great time. Watching Princess tube was a blast. Swimming with the kids was fantastic. Watching them be loved and happy made me happy.

June Winner

I sent an email off today! I hope that I get a response back.

Since this giveaway was so popular- I think I'll do another Amazon.com giveaway for July- thoughts??

Fred Died.

No way to preface this. No way to soften it. Fred died. Fred the dog. He was a fantastic dog. He was always there. Always wanting to make everyone happy.

He got me through so much. He got my parents through so much. He was loved so very very much.

Fred became my parents baby. He loved the beach and the water.

I have so many wonderful memories with him. Playing on the beach. Playing the snow. Walking, running, petting- he was loved. He loved us.

I'll miss you Fred.