Happy Birthday Chris!

Today you are turning 30. You are officially old. Happy Birthday to the best monster, creepy voice reading Daddy I know!

Love,
All of Us

Happy Halloween!

Trick Or Treat,
Smell My Feet,
Give Me Something Good To Eat,
If You Don't,
I Don't Care,
I'll Pull Down Your Underwear!


Ahhhh yes, the old rhyme from my childhood lives on in our children's generation. Charlie started singing this after school yesterday, he said a kid on the bus taught it to him. - I wonder if that kid's parents know the version of Jungle Bells with Batman and Robin? I guess we'll find out at Christmas!







Our Little Ladybug







Bumblebee The Transformer







Dora The Explorer



I had a lot of fun at Charlie's school yesterday! It was so funny the kids who had no idea who they were supposed to be. There was one little boy in particular...he was wearing this:




And when I asked him who he was supposed to be he said "I'm Cody" - I laughed. I tried to ask again "What is your costume, who are you pretending to be?" He answered "I have no idea" - is that really fair? Shouldn't the child at least have an inkling who they are dressing up as? There was one little girl dressed up like Velma from Scooby Doo, the costume was awesome, totally on target, and she was even saying "Jinkies!" - Now that's what I'm talking about! As far as Mr. Charlie, there was another Bumblebee sitting at his table...yep, same costume exactly.I was a bit disappointed as I knew from the start that he had no idea who Bumblebee was, and as soon as I saw it I was positive that he only wanted to be him because of this other boy. Bummer. He's a follower. Oh well, he's adorable and next year I will dress him up and he won't have any idea who he's supposed to be - HA!

Happy Halloween, Be Safe!
Sabrina

The Haircut

Ruthie decided to give herself a haircut yesterday. I don't know why she grabbed the kitchen scissors and chopped her hair, but she did. Maybe it was bugging her? Maybe it was in her eyes? I. dont. know. I was shocked and mortified all at the same time. There was hair everywhere. It was all over the carpet in the TV room, all over the kitchen floor, and when I rushed her upstairs to wash it it was coming out like she was a chemo patient. Later I found about 2 fistfuls (Ruthie's size) in the toilet. LONG beautiful locks thrown in there for no other purpose than to hide what she'd done. I'm still mourning the 6" of hair we had to have removed at the salon. The bag of hair is still in my purse. I haven't dealt with it yet today. Here's some pictures of her new "do". Brenda at the salon did a phenomenal job fixing and layering to cover up the bald patches! THANK YOU BRENDA!






Breakfast of champions I tell ya...CHAMPIONS!




Her "Aren't I adorable" smile.




About 6" shorter now.




BLAH! She looks like Dora again :o(




Some of the hair I gathered up off the carpet...there was so, so much more.

H1N1 Got You Hiding?

Our school has canceled a lot of activities this year due to the H1N1. Personally, I think they are being crazy-paranoid. They canceled Grandparents day and now most of the group Halloween activities. I can't believe this. It's not the plague, it's the flu. Get. over. it.

Good Bye Cotton Babies, Forever

In a previous post, I wrote about how I almost didn't believe that Cotton Babies, the makers of Bum Genius AIO (my amazing elastic worn AIO diapers) said they were going to help me with my "problem". After several calls to their automated system, I'm sorry to report I haven't spoken to a human being yet. I've sat on hold over 30 minutes to no avail. So, this is me officially giving up. I'm throwing in the elastic and no longer concerned about what happens to my broken BG AIO nor am I concerned about the $$ I am basically losing. Instead, I am pushing forward with my plan to replace the inferior with the superior, and so far, I'm off to a great start. I found these Work At Home Mom (WAHM) diapers on Diaper Swappers referred to on there as "Holy Awesomeness" and decided to give them a try. Can't be worse than what I'm dealing with now, and on the website they look really well made. I ordered 6 (I have 13 wasted BG diapers to replace). I'm in love. I like the style, and I like the unisex green and brown color. I especially like that the brown fleece isn't going to get noticeably stained because they are, after all, diapers. I even like the snaps. I'm in love with these diapers. I've never had a diaper with bamboo inside, and so far I've noticed that the bamboo doesn't get as heavy as the microfiber does when it's wet, and it seems very absorbent. I've also had trouble telling whether or not the diaper is wet because I have to take the soaker and feel the backside before I find moisture. I'm very happy with these diapers, and I would love to have 12 more!

http://www.bubelebaby.com


Thank You Bubele Bums for a great product without all the hassle!

Sabrina

Happy Birthday Ruthie

Happy 3rd Birthday Ruthie!

















Love,
Mommy and Daddy, Charlie, and Lily

I almost don't believe it

I got another e-mail from Cotton Babies today. They are the makers of the Bum Genius diapers that are in my opinion some of the nicest cloth baby diapers on the planet. I love everything about them, fit, lining, closure, everything. However, when I got them out of the closet and was putting them in the washer for Lily I noticed the hard-to-forget, cringe-inducing crunch of bad elastic. I wanted to faint right there in the laundry room. All I thought was "All the money I spent on these things, and I only got to use them for 10 months". I was sick. I barely slept last night agonizing about searching for another brand that I would love as much, and would work as well. I literally made myself sick thinking about it all. I spent MONTHS on the Internet researching diapers when I bought the Bum Genius AIO 2.0 I LOVED them then, and I LOVE them now. However, after a brush-off from the company regarding my elastic problem, I was prepared to search until I found something else. I even contacted 2 of my favorite online cloth diaper stores and asked them what they felt was a suitable competitor. The response was not what I had hoped for, they confirmed my biggest fear "There is not another brand that offers exactly what you have with BG, you will have to choose your favorite features". Bummer. Bummer. Bummer. However, I received this today:

Dear Sabrina

We would like to help you with the problem you are having with your diapers. It would be very helpful to speak with you personally. We have found it is much easier to resolve issues such as the one you are having, when we are able to communicate more in the moment. You may call Monday through Friday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Central Time at x-xxx-xxx-xxxx

Please let me know if there is anything else that I can do to help you. We appreciate your business!
Kindest Regards,

Cotton Babies
Customer Service

I almost didn't believe it. I'm not sure yet what they are willing to do, but replacing the elastic for me instead of telling me how to do it (Because I have NO time to do so, and no sewing talent either as the machine is broken AGAIN thanks to yours truly). I will call them in the AM and see what happens. If I didn't like the diapers, or if they were a pocket, I probably would have said "Ah, so what?", but I LOVE these diapers. My daughter never had one single diaper rash when she was in them, and the inside liner is a dream. I'm looking forward to getting them fixed, or replaced - either way, they have kept me as a customer.

Bum Genius, or Bummed Genius?

I love cloth diapers. I have TONS of them from itty bitty Newborn size all the way up to XL toddler size. I even have cloth training pants. Cloth diapering is nothing like it was when I was a baby. No pins, and you really don't even have to use a separate cover if you don't want to. When I found out about the All In One (AIO) diapers, I knew immediately they were for me. There are also pocket diapers, but they require you to buy stuffing inserts and stick them into the diaper. Doesn't sound too bad? How about after baby poops and you have to reach in and pull OUT said insert that is now full of poop-liquid. Still in for the pockets? The All In One are nice. Especially the ones with fleece or velour inside. You just shake the poop into the toilet and throw the diaper into your washer. No un-stuffing or stuffing needed. When I cloth diapered Charlie, I did not have these wonderful diapers. When I found out I was having Ruthie, I hit every site online and got AIO diapers in every pattern and size I liked. Bum Genius quickly became my favorite brand. Stretchy tabs, low-profile, and easy to wash/dry sounded perfect. I used them with her until she potty trained, and they were wonderful. When she was done, they were washed, hung dry, and put away in her closet. I got them out today for Lily. (Insert a tear here for her being so big already!). I opened up the box, and to my dismay an horror, all the elastic in the waist and leg areas of the Bum Genius 2.0 AIO diapers is SHOT. It ALL needs to be replaced. I know that to most of you that doesn't sound so bad...ok...The diapers are $15.95/each + tax and shipping was about $15 so multiply that x the 13 diapers I have that are no longer any good, and I just "threw away" about $238.95 I'm so upset and angry I could just scream! I thought about just replacing them, but what good would that do? How long until the elastic in those goes?

However, I have Happy Heinys that I bought from a local friend of mine for about $17.95 + inserts (Pocket diapers as mentioned above) and they are still going strong since CHARLIE wore them in 2005!!! I'm really impressed with their craftsmanship! Not so much with Bum Genius. No wonder they are up to 3 versions now...perhaps they have other customers in the same situation.

I contacted the company, I'm hoping they will be willing to meet me 1/2 way. I'm really upset by this. Re-use, save the Earth, Go Green, Replace your elastic. UGH!

It only took 5 days...

And I heard my first "I HATE SCHOOL" - Yep, 5 days...the reason? "They make me write my name" - So, yep, another year of hell? - CHECK!

We have caterpillars!

These little guys (gals?) are Painted Lady caterpillars. In a few weeks we will have watched them grow from tiny little caterpillars to beautiful butterflies. The kids are beyond excited, and I have to say, since they arrived on Saturday, they've been a source of great entertainment crawling and climbing all over their little cups!