Prime Day is finally here! It’s Christmas in July and it’s time to grab some of the hottest deals out there!
Shop Amazon Devices – Fire TV Stick Prime Day Deal $19.99
How We Cut Cable and Survived
Apps we use:
Hulu – paid subscription of $7 per month- TOTALLY Worth It. This is what I watch more than anything. Primetime shows are available the next day. I can watch anything from the Bachelor to Modern Family. My schedule definitely doesn’t allow me to watch shows in real time so this is the perfect solution!!
Netflix – paid subscription of $7 (I think?) per month. My in-laws are kind enough to pay for this for us! This is what the kids primarily watch. They are always adding new shows and movies and it’s perfect for the kids to scan through on their own to find what they want to watch. Right now they are hooked on – PJ Masks, Stick Man, Barbie Dreamhouse, Chuggington and the Good Luck Charlie movie.
CWTV App – This is a free app we downloaded so I can watch my favorite CW Shows! They are available a week after they air which is totally fine with me. I might be a week behind but who cares? I don’t pay for cable! This app is necessary because the CW shows are not on Hulu
~MUST HAVE~
If you have a picky eater…which, let’s face it, we ALL have picky eaters…you NEED this! I am lucky enough to have the best neighbors in the world and we get together to eat taco’s once a week. Sometimes on Tuesday, sometimes a different day. We stumbled across the single most impressive meal time accessory I’ve ever seen. Behold, in all it’s glory…the TRICERATACO I dare you not to die laughing!! How can this not make dinner time more amazing? It makes a pretty fantastic gift for kids or even for that white elephant Christmas party that you get invited to but never know what to bring. The Amazon questions and reviews are pure gold. It’s as good as watching Jimmy Fallon’s Hashtags. I literally bust out laughing. You have several options to choose from. The single, double or family pack. And the NEWEST addition to the family of dinosaur taco holders. da da da dummmm the TACOsaurus Rex!!
This has got to be my new favorite product. I cannot wait to spread the joy of taco’s and gift one of these to ALL of my kids friends for their birthday’s. Let’s just say, you will want us on the guest list so you can get one of these bad boys!
And, NOT only does it hold tacos…just look at all the amazing uses. This is just too good NOT to Prime.
ABC Mouse ~ Is It Worth It?
When my daughter was in early preschool she showed little interest in learning to read. She has always seemed to have an affinity towards numbers but was never the kid who asked us how to spell something or pointed to a word and asked us what it said. When I would try to work with her on reading she would respond with, “Mom, let me be a kid, I’ll read when I’m older.” HA!! She had no interest in being an over achiever. While I knew she would eventually show an interest, I figured we needed some sort of fun way to get her engaged. She went to preschool 3 days a week, but I wanted something more. Enter, ABC Mouse. I saw the commercials over and over on Disney channel and finally decided to give it a month trial to see if it’s something that might be fun for her. Our neighbors actually introduced it to me first. The kids would play the different ABC songs on their tablets and they were funny and catchy enough to sing along to. A month free trial seemed like a no brainer, so we gave it a go!!
And, I am so glad we did!! We became fast fans following her trail of learning. She enjoyed the puzzles and coloring pages and I loved the reading and math lessons. Fast forward to when her little brother is born. I relied on ABC Mouse to help her learn and to keep her entertained while I was busy with baby #2. It became a huge part of our lives and her success. She entered kindergarten a confident and more than ready 5 year old who was not at all intimidated. She has 3 months left of kinder. and she is reading on a middle of first grade level. She loves books now and enjoys reading!! Hooray!! Isn’t that all we can hope for as parents?
Our son is 3 and he loves ABC Mouse just as much. It’s the perfect thing for them to be able to do together. Our daughter loves showing him how to navigate the screen and where the different learning activities are. He loves it, she loves it and it makes me one happy mamma.
If you are on the fence about ABC Mouse I would definitely recommend the free trial they offer. You have nothing to lose! For the $7/month it costs, it really is a no brainer. My biggest thing is that I hate contracts. You have the option to cancel any time so if 3 months go by and you decide it’s not for your child, you are under no obligation to continue your subscription. Give it a try though, I promise you are gonna love it!
Cloth Diapering 101
Cloth diapering has a special place in my heart. We tried to exclusively cloth diaper our oldest and failed miserably. No really, if you set out to cloth diaper exclusively good luck! I’ve known many parents who were and are incredibly successful at this! Kudos to them, we were not those parents. We still made sure to have a stash of disposables on hand and also ended up sending her to daycare with disposables. If you plan on cloth diapering, my biggest word of advice is to be flexible with yourself! For example, before my little one was born I stocked up on prefolds and covers and thought I was going to be a CDing genius. EHHHH wrong! I HATED prefolds. I couldn’t get the hang of them and I felt like I was going to lose my mind. I cried, I panicked and then I decided to wait a few months before trying to cloth diaper. Once my daughter was big enough to fit into the OS Bum Genius diapers I finally felt like I was going to make it as a cloth diapering mama. I hit my stride and we successfully ‘part time’ cloth diapered until she was potty trained! I have had lots of friends who actually decided to cloth diaper their little ones because of me! They mocked me, they told me it would never work, they told me it was gross and THEN they gave in and found out how easy it actually is.
I have tried practically all of the most popular brands and I’ve figured out a few important tips and tricks along the way. Instead of continually emailing this advice to anyone who wants some more info, I thought I’d go ahead and post about it so it’s a one stop shop!!
First Things First! Where do you go to find cloth diapers??
For first time mama’s new to cloth diapering I always recommend Diaper Swappers it is kind of like the craigslist of cloth diapers. They even have an app! You can Buy, Sell, Trade cloth diapers and other baby and kid items. It’s AMAZING. This is how I primarily chose to build my stash. I knew I wanted to try a bunch of different diapers but I didn’t want to spend a ton of money only to be disappointed! Here are some helpful tips to use when shopping on DS:
These use abbreviations for practically everything. There is a chart you can refer to but these are the main ones to look out for:
- EUC-excellent used condition
- GUC-good used condition
- Needs Love- unless you can sew you probably want to stay away from these
- Pilling- this just means there are fuzzies on the microfiber-it really doesn’t affect function of diaper
- Thinning-stay away from micro fiber that has ‘thinned.’ This will probably affect function
- PP- you need to set up a paypal account if you don’t already have one!
- PPD-shipping included in the price
- WAHMIES- this stands for work at home mom (handmade). You can find some great deals.
What are the sites I like for New Diapers?
Favorite Brands:
My favorite Brands are Bum Genius and Bottom Bumpers HANDS DOWN. These two were my go to for my daughter and when my son was born, I literally sold ALL of my girly diapers and replaced with boy colors in these two brands of diapers ONLY. That’s how much I knew I loved them. Bottom Bumpers will always be my favorite for fit and Bum Genius will always be my favorite for ease of use.
Types (THERE ARE SO MANY!!)
- Hook and Loop – Velcro
- Snaps
- OS-one size-grows with baby
- Sized- newborn, S, M, L
- AIO absorbency is built into the diaper
- AI2 multiple ways to stuff
- Pocket- stuff diaper with an insert (microfiber, hemp, bamboo, prefold etc.)
- Prefold- these are diapers you fold to fit your baby. You can secure with a snappi or pins (old school) and put a cover on top. IMO these are way too bulky and I could never get the hang of them
- Fitted- diapers with absorbency usually made of fleece that still require a diaper cover. Many SAHM use fitted diapers during the day and change their child as soon as they are wet. This also helps to potty train because the child will feel when they are wet. ADORABLE diapers but since you still have to use a cover, I was not a fan. These are the cute diapers that everyone takes pictures of their kids wearing.
- Covers: worn over fitteds / prefolds and can be resused if not soiled. Wipe off and hang dry.
- Never tried wool but I have heard it works great. – WildChildWoolies work well over fitteds (night/nap)
Brands I’ve Tried:
All of these diapers come in Snaps and H&L
Snaps supposedly hold up better. Sometimes Velcro will have to be replaced. I have had my H&L BGs for four years and with my second kiddo and my velcro is still doing just fine.
- gDiapers-sized-H&L-Over priced and too complicated-not very durable
- Blueberry OS-snaps and H&L: **** few leak issues
- Fuzzibunz sized- snaps: **** some leak issues when K was smaller-now they do a good job
- Bottombumpers sized-Side Snaps : *****Super trim, almost as slim as disposable diapers. (good for under jeans) Easy to wash and dry
- Kawaii OS snaps: **** Super inexpensive but durable and no leaks. A bit bulky. China diapers
- Swaddlebees: ** I have only tried an AIO snaps-it leaked-very trim though.
- Bumgenius 4.0 Pockets OS H&L: ***** H&L and Snaps. These are my go-to diapers. Nana and daddy can use these with ease! Can customize stuffing and fit nicely. A bit bulky when fully stuffed, but I rarely, if ever, have a leak.
- Charlie Banana’s OS & sized snaps: *** very trim, pretty diapers. I have had a few leaks when K was smaller but I haven’t had a leak since she has been about 10 months. Some Target’s carry this IN store!
- Charlie Banana’s Swim Diapers: LOVE these.
- Oh Katy’s snaps- never fit K quite right-sold them
- Alva baby’s snaps-*** china diapers. Similar to Kawaii. Absorbant but bulky; very cute prints and very cheap. $6-$10 for 1 diaper brand new. Their website also has very inexpensive wetbags. ($4.00) I have 2..the zipper is having issues on one.
- Happy Heinys- H&L-** too bulky. I don’t like how thick the pieces to secure the diaper -are.
- Drybees AIO-H&L-**** I used these quite a bit when K was a tiny baby. They are absorbent and hold in messies.
SO, what about Diaper Rash??
Well, honestly, you shouldn’t have diaper rash with cloth diapers. This is the case because you should technically be changing your LO as soon as he or she is wet. Cloth diapers are not meant to be sat in when messy or wet for a long period of time. Disposable diapers are much better at this (that’s why when I’m out and about I typically do not even attempt to cloth diaper) Diaper rash is sometimes inevitable though so here are my suggestions for diaper rash and cloth diapering!
Diaper Rash Cream:
- CJ’s butter does not require a liner – most people use only if baby is red. Some people use all the time at night. I still use this stuff on my four year old! It’s amazing.
- CJ’s spray is good for using at night
- Any rash cream with zinc-use a liner
- Aquaphor-use a liner
Here are some extra accessories you’ll need that will make your cloth diapering life a bit easier:
- Small trashcan from Walmart with a lid (I use 2. One for trash and disposable diapers and 1 for cloth) I placed a little reminder above our CD trash can for Daddy and our babysitter! Remember to secure those laundry tabs if you go with Hook and Loop!
- 2 diaper pail liners to rotate between washes. I have a kissaluvs diaper pail and a diaper rite diaper pail.
- Wetbag – I have 4 total for diaper bag (same link as above)
- Diaper sprayer (yes, you’ll want one)
And now for the famous WASH ROUTINE!
The main concern people have with cloth diapers is “but, how do I was the darn things?” That’s just gross. It’s actually really not.. The only time I’ve been totally disgusted is with soft mushy poop when I forget to use a liner and oh did I mention my diaper sprayer was lost in my recent move? Yeah, that’s a bummer. 😦 I’ve yet to replace it but totally need to.
All said and done, your diapers should smell like nothing. They should not smell like detergent and they shouldn’t smell bad. Most diapers (new) will come with an instruction guide for washing. You can also just do a search for diaper type and the recommended wash routine and will find LOTS of results. I wanted to let you know first hand what works for me.
We have a top loader washer. We actually had to replace our washer and dryers and of course HE washers are now the new standard. We purchased a top loader HE and I HATED IT. Mainly because I was such a cloth diaper freak at the time! It just was not the same. I wanted my old school washer and dryer back! We traded it in and bought the last (probably) old school washer and dryer in Lowes. I love it. I was never a fan of the front loaders because I’m the mom who finds 5 more things to throw in after the wash has already started. Front loaders are also a bit more tricky when it comes to washing cloth diapers because they don’t fill up with as much water. You NEED water to wash those diapers! I would recommend doing a search for ‘cloth diaper was routine for HE front load washer.’ You’ll be able to come up with some routines that will work for you!
Detergent: WAY back when I first started, I used All Free and Clear. That worked fine for BF Poo. Now I use Tide. Tide was suggested to me when I could not get my diapers smelling good (or like nothing). It does not contain harmful chemicals for CDs and you don’t have to buy it online or at Wholefoods.
Wash Steps:
- Barnyard smell= not enough detergents is being used.
- Ammonia smell= too much detergent is being used
- Cold rinse
- Hot wash (long/power wash) take diaper pail bag out after this cycle (if you remember)
- Cold rinse (no spin) – you can add some bac-out to the first rinse
- Hang dry shells, dryer for everything else.
- Bottom bumpers can be thrown in the dryer to maintain softness
Tip: every couple weeks add oxy-clean to hot wash
It’s ok to wash everything together once prepped. (only have to prep prefolds) Prepping means washing several times so that max absorbency is reached. With MF inserts you only need to wash once and dry once.
Welp, that’s it!! I hope these tips are helpful for you and I hope you decide to give cloth diapering a go! The good news is, if you build your stash and end up hating it, you can always resell your cloth diapers and get most of your money back!! They hold their value better than a Honda (When some new diapers are $30 a pop they’d better, right??) Feel free to reach out with questions and I’ll be happy to try and help! I’m no expert…just a mom who through trial and error has finally found a system that works for me without making me feel like a crazy person!
21 Day Fix Cheat Sheets
You probably don’t have to look very hard on social media these days to find something referring to the 21 Day Fix. I’m currently doing my 3rd round and loving every minute of it. I do jump around some days and log into Beachbody on Demand for a Tony Horton workout but my main go to workout is 21DF. I will also be heading to the store sometime this week to pick up a heavier weight set. 21DF is super easy to follow because all you need is 30 min, a light set and a heavy set of weights, a yoga mat and yourself. It doesn’t get boring and it definitely brings results. The fitness challenge groups I’ve been hosting on facebook have certainly helped to keep me accountable to my goals. I don’t think I would be as determined to workout everyday and eat healthy if I didn’t have people looking up to me to be the example for them. Along with the 21 Day Fix workouts comes the nutrition part. YES, nutrition is the biggest piece of the getting fit puzzle, so you can’t plan on eating pizza and ranch Doritos and expect to drop 40 lbs. You have to maintain a healthy diet where you are eating 5 times a day. The portion system gives guidelines to follow and comes with an approved foods list so you don’t have to wonder what’s allowed and what’s not. I wanted to go ahead and attach the two most helpful cheat sheets that I’ve found for this program. There can be an amazing amount of clutter when it comes to searching for tips for 21DF. I want to help keep things simple!
If you are looking for a support group that offers support and motivation, please send me an email at —> juliehoarefitness@gmail.com <— so I can learn more about your goals. I will walk you through the process of ordering the 21 Day Fix and I will instantly plug you into one of my challenge groups where you will find fast friendships with women who have similar goals! We do daily challenges and I give away prizes for participation and for achieving your goals! I would absolutely be thrilled to work with you. You can always find me on facebook too!
Fourth of July Teacher Treats
If you still have little ones in school during the Summer, you are probably lookin for some sort of cute treat to give their teachers for The Fourth of July! This is such a fun holiday to get crafty with! I was in a time crunch and needed something fast and easy that would still offer a little bit of a wow factor. We hustled to the store in search of red and blue sprinkles but found ourselves out of luck! They only had sugar sand type sprinkles and I wanted the kind with the hard shell … Sorry I’m not well versed in my sprinkle categories. We went with the colorful mini dot sprinkles instead and opted for a brightly colored firework theme!
Pretzels from the $ store, candy melts, sprinkles, pretzel bags, ribbon and your own cut out note! That’s all you need! Oh don’t forget the wax paper to lay your pretzels on to dry! These can be done in just a couple of hours while multi tasking other things.
My note says, “you are dynamite! Thanks for making our lives so bright! Happy 4th of July!”
I finished the packages with a red note and blue ribbon to tie in red, white and blue.
Not only are these fast, cheap and super simple to make, the little one can help out too!!
Happy gifting!
21 Day Fix Progress~
I’m still chugging along on my 21DF! I really have been enjoying the workouts as they keep me engaged and I can tell they are working! You know that hurts so good feeling a few hours after you work out? Yeah, you’ll get that. There are 9 different workouts that come with the system along with portion containers and a shakeology cup. If you’ve ever thought about trying it out, now is the time! Both 21DayFix Extreme and 21DayFix are on sale. Check these links for more details!
Ordering a challenge pack from me will automatically put you into my July Challenge group that will be exclusively catered to my 21DayFix Customers! I’d love to work with you and help you reach your goals. I’m here to support, motivate and encourage you to shed lbs and lose inches. Together, I know we can find success!
If you are sick of counting calories and want a super simplified way to figure out what to eat and when to eat, you’re gonna love this program! Who doesn’t have 30 minutes a day to commit to working out? 30 min!! That’s it. If you are willing to give it all you’ve got for 21 days, you will see results and you will be so happy you took this opportunity.
Differences between 21DF and 21DF Extreme
EXTREME:
21DAYFIX:
http://www.teambeachbody.com/checkout/-/bbcheckout/challengepack/21-day-fix?referringRepId=633490
21 Day Fix shred continues
Here’s a fun video to get you motivated and get you moving! These are just a few of the body sculpting moves you can expect to see from 21df plyo fix. If you want more details on how you can get the complete 21df program and my support and motivation all for $10!! Shoot me an email. I’d love to coach you to success!
The couples who plank together..
If you build it, they will come. If you workout and eat right, they will follow. My hubby has finally joined the fit trend and started joining me in my workouts. Well, he actually has decided that Insanity Asylum is his favorite. He challenged me to the ab ripper and joined me in a serious 22 minutes of ab shredding. We have been together for 10 years and I would say this is the most fun we’ve had where fitness is concerned! We used to hang out at the gym for a couple of hours 4 days a week but that was long before we had kids. For him, it would usually end up being an hour of basketball followed by a few reps in the weight room and then the sauna for 30 min. For me, I would do the weight circuit (once) and then head up to do the elliptical machine and watch Friends on the little TV for an hour. Boring! Nothing beats a 30 min butt kicking workout these days. We leave for Jamaica at the end of August for my 30th birthday trip and you better believe I will be Rockin a cute new swim suit with my hubby as my arm candy! 
Brand New Mamma 