Early to bed, early to rise...

Congratulations to Tamara F. for winning the Sugarzuly Crossbody Tote!  Be on the lookout for an email from me!  :)

And if you didn't win, it's okay!  You can still buy Sugarzuly bags at their website!  And there are more fun giveaways coming soon!

_______________________

I have exciting news!  Gibson has been sleeping through the night!

But I also have bad news.

He has decided that waking up at 6:00 is the best.  And it makes me SAD.

Why can't he sleep until 7:30 like he used to?  If I try to give him milk and put him back in bed, he just cries a lot instead of sleeping.  Darn it.

For some reason I feel ever more tired now than I did when he wasn't sleeping through the night.  I don't know if it's because I go to bed later, or because I wake up earlier, or because I'm older.  I just don't know.

It also might be because I decided to stop drinking caffeine like an IDIOT.  I haven't had any in four days.  I think.  I don't really know.  My brain can't think.

In any case, I might have a small cup of coffee this morning, because I feel like I'm melting into the couch right now.

Oh hello Adele Dazeem!

Do you think Ellie could take on the role of nanny like Nana in Peter Pan?  Because I could probably sleep for the rest of the day if she and Gibson let me.

...she would be an awful nanny, who am I kidding?  They would spend their day eating poop and going through the trash.  Nasty.

So anyway.  The moral of the story is: I wish Gibson would sleep in a little.  And I'm sleepy today.  And Ellie eats poop.

The end.

_____________________

While you're here, why don't you give that banner down there a little clicky click?  Thanky thanks!

Tiny tootsies

You have 16 hours to enter the Sugarzuly Crossbody Tote giveaway!  THAT'S NOT A LOT OF TIME!  STOP PROCRASTINATING AND DO IT NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!

_______________________

So, it turns out that Gibson has the smallest feet of any baby EVER in the history of the earth.

...that's obviously not true.  Probably.  There's no way to know.

But for real, he has tiny feet, especially for a fairly tall baby.  Or toddler.  Whatever he is now...I can't keep up.

He has a couple pairs of size 4 shoes, and they're too big!  But 3's don't fit well because his feet are so chunkalicious.

So if you see us out in public and Gibson is barefoot, it's because of his weirdo feet.  Shoes just don't fit on them very well.  And socks don't look good with shorts, so he obviously can't wear them in the summer!  And also, they're ridiculously tiny and we lose them a lot and sometimes can't find any.

It's also possible that he was wearing shoes when we left the house, and he proceeded to chuck them across the car while we were driving.

That happens a lot, unfortunately.

If you remember from my last foot post, people tend to look at us with judgment in their hearts when Gibson is barefoot.

But luckily the judgment has stopped (or I haven't noticed it, at least).  I'm assuming that's because now it's actually warm enough for a baby to be barefoot, unlike last time.  When it was still winter.

Oops.

And don't worry.  When Gibson starts walking more we'll find shoes that fit him.  Because the last thing I want is for his sweet little feet to get poked with needles and glass and cigarettes and dog poop and all the other things that are on the ground.

______________________

Well, it turns out that you're all just the best.  Because my blog is now #6.  Thank you so much for voting for my blog everyday...I don't even know how I'll ever repay you!

...because I don't have a lot of money, contrary to popular belief.  So here's a picture of my sweet family as payment instead!

I mean, really.  How cute can they be?  And now I'm going to ask you to keep clicking the banner below to vote for my blog!  Maybe if you do I'll show you another picture someday!  Lucky you!  

The sweetest boy

You have approximately 40 hours to enter the Sugarzuly Crossbody Tote giveaway!  So go do it!  Quick like a bunny!

Also, you probably noticed the beauty of my blog...thanks for noticing!  It turns out that I have incredibly talented friends who are great at making my blog beautiful.

___________________

If you've read my blog for more than thirty seconds, you know that Gibson is a dramatic, hardheaded little boy.  And he's not always super sweet.

Like, he really enjoys whacking me in the face.  And trying to rip my glasses from my face and my earrings from my ears.  And shaking his head no when I ask for a kiss.  And when I do something he doesn't like, he cries for daddy.  And sometimes he says, "I don't even like you, mommy!"

It's sad, I know.

But don't worry!  Never fear!  Gibson has been a sweet boy lately.

...in-between being a turdlet, of course.

Turdlet=tiny turd, in case you wondered.

My favorite thing Gibson has started doing recently is lifting his hands to be picked up.  When I walk up to him he reaches for me, and I love love love it!  And sometimes he decides to be a real heart melter and say "Mama!" while he reaches for me.

Pardon me while I DIE OF HAPPINESS.

He has also started giving me kisses again!  Yay!  Apparently he was on a kiss strike for awhile...every time I would try to kiss his sweet face, he pushed me away.  And shook his head "no" when I asked for a kiss.  It was sad.

The other day we played a game where I would lean toward him, and he would bite me on the mouth.  Which is his version of a kiss when he's being silly.  And then he tried to lick me and I ended it.

If he wants to lick someone, he can lick Ellie.  She would love it.

And now I'm going to go play with and/or snuggle my sweet boy!

...anyone want to take bets on the likelihood of him wanting to snuggle me?

___________________

Maybe if you click the banner below, Gibson will snuggle his mommy today!

...he probably won't.  But it's worth a shot, right?

The World's Least Cooperative Patient

As you all know, Gibson has had issues with his ears since January.  It's been really unfortunate...mostly because of all the screaming.

You know how much I hate the screaming.

So we went to the ENT on Friday to do a hearing test and talk about doing tubes.

And good news!  Gibson's ears were free of fluid, so tubes won't be necessary right now!  Hooray!

And there's even more good news!  Gibson has officially been crowned the World's Least Cooperative Patient!

So.  That's awesome.

Unfortunately, I'm pretty used to Gibson's antics at the doctor's office.  In order for anyone to look in his ears, I have to put him in a headlock with his hands pinned to his sides and a nurse has to hold his legs down.  And even then he thrashes and shrieks so much that it's really hard for the doctor to see anything.

And heaven forbid anyone try to take his temperature or measure his head circumference!!  It's the worst torture, apparently.

Luckily, the screaming is useful when it comes to looking at his throat.

Would you like to know what makes this experience even worse?

When the doctor tells me that my son is the worst patient he's ever had.

...thanks for letting me know.  It's not like I had a hunch that he's awful at the doctor; I'm so glad you took the time to tell me.

Not.

And sincere thanks to the sweet nurse who told me that her daughter was the same way and told me that I'm a good mom.  I like you the best.

_______________________

Remember to enter the Sugarzuly Tote giveaway before the end of the day on April 29!  DO IT NOW!

Also, please click the banner below to vote for my blog today.  And if you want to tell me how amazing my son is, or how your kids were also hellions at the doctor's office, it might help me feel better.

My dream post

Make sure to enter the Sugarzuly Tote giveaway!  You can enter through the end of the day on April 29...it's a beautiful bag, and I want all of you to win one!

______________________

I've never written an entire post in a dream, but I did last night.  So here is that post; it definitely won't make sense.  I apologize for my subconscious in advance.

______________________

Sometimes kids poop and pee in their swimsuits.  It's so annoying, right?  But I'm here to tell you how you can easily clean the poop and pee out of them!

First, chastise your child for pooping in his swimsuit.  He knows better!

Second, drop your kids off at their very rich grandparents' mansion and tell them that you're leaving them forever because they pooped in their swimsuits.

Third, run away really fast to trick them.  They'll never poop in their swimsuits again!

I'm an evil genius.

Haha!  Just kidding.  Here are the ways you should actually clean poop out of a swimsuit:

Place it on the dining room table.  Using a paper towel, scoop the poop out of the swimsuit and put it in a box.  Put the box in the trash.

Ta da!  The poop is gone.

And to clean pee out of swimsuits, use a paper towel to wipe it.  Easy peasy!

If your dog drinks the pee, you should wipe her nose with a paper towel, too.  It'll clean her right up!

So, there's the post I dream-wrote.

...not weird at all.  Not.  At.  All.

Also, in my dream Danny told me that it was a stupid post.  And just now in real life he said that I shouldn't post it because it's weird.

Danny is always trying to kill my blog dreams.  Unfortunately for him, I'm a stubborn lady (I get it from Gibson), and I'm posting this anyway.  HAHAHA!

So now you know the kinds of things I dream about.  Blogging, pee, and poop.  I'm pretty sure I had a dream about chips last night, too.

Mmmmm, chips.

And now, help me fulfill my dream of getting your vote today!  Click the banner below!  If you do, maybe I'll have a dream about you.

Sugarzuly Crossbody Tote Review and Giveaway!

I'm SO RIDICULOUSLY EXCITED to tell you guys about this giveaway!

...I know I say that every time, but gift giving is how I show love.  So of course it makes me excited!

First, let's talk about Sugarzuly, which is an awesome company!  It is a family-owned business, created by two Guatemalan sisters.  Their products are inspired by their culture, family roots, and diverse style, and their mission is to make high-quality, handcrafted products while giving back to their communities in Guatemala and in the United States.

The Sugarzuly products are made from 100% handwoven, recycled huipil (wee-peel), which is the woven fabric worn by the Maya women.  It is handmade by Maya women from different villages, their family members in Guatemala, and some are made in the United States.

Each bag is different, and they are all beautiful!  The bag they sent me is perfect...it has lots of purple in it, which is my favorite color!  I even have purple shoes that match my bag, of course.

I received my tote right before I went on my shopping spree with my mommerkins, so I got to take it!  Yay!  It's a crossbody tote, which, as we learned in my diaper bag post, is my favorite.  I love being hands free!

The tote measures 15" wide by 13" tall, and it has a long leather strap that is adjustable.  There are also leather handles if you want to use them instead of the long strap.

Also, this leather smells GOOD.  Like rich mahogany.

...just kidding, it just smells like leather.  But like really good leather, trust me.

The bottom of the bag is leather with little metal feet so it doesn't get nasty when you put it on the bathroom floor.

...am I the only one who does that?  If it makes you feel any better, I only do that when there isn't a hook on the door!

That probably doesn't make you feel any better.  Sorry.

There's a zipper pocket on the outside of the bag, and another one on the inside.

...ignore my awful nail polish.  It chipped literally twelve hours after I put it on.  Which is very frustrating.

The bag is big enough to fit a diaper, wipes, sippy cup, and my things if I want to take it with me instead of my diaper bag.  But it isn't so big that it feels like I'm carrying a duffel bag, which is nice!

Hey look!  There's my haircut, pre-color!  Ta da!  And also it's not fixed or anything because it's morning.  Get over it.

And now you have the chance to win one of these amazing bags!  It won't look exactly the same as mine, but the size will be the same.

The giveaway is open to residents of the United States ages 18 and up.  Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter!  And remember to make sure and do the options before you confirm your entries!  You can enter starting today (April 25) until 11:59 PM on April 29!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Remember to vote for my blog by clicking the banner below!  But remember, voting won't count as an entry for the giveaway.  Hopefully you'll do it anyway.  I believe in you!



Disclaimer: I have not been paid for my opinions about Sugarzuly bags.  They really are as beautiful as I say they are!

10 ways in which short hair is better than long hair

So, I cut my hair!  Hooray!

...and no, I'm not going to share photos just yet.  It's morning and I look crazy.  And also I'm going back tomorrow to get pretty colors in it (not blue again...going more normal this time), so I'll share after that!

For those that don't know me, I have way too much hair.  Like, SO MUCH HAIR.  And it's really straight and fine, so it's pretty much just a tangled mess all the time.  Which is why I literally always have my hair in a ponytail, because otherwise it suffocates me.

There are many reasons that short hair is better for me than long hair.  HERE'S A LIST!

...it's been too long since I last made a list.  You know how I love them.

1.  I can brush though it.
There are no bird's nests to work through at the end of the day!  And I don't curse my hair fifty-three times while doing it.

2.  I'm not suffocating.
For real, my long hair made me so claustrophobic.  And also hot.  And also annoyed.

3.  No ponytail!
I'm pretty sure some people think it's against my religion to wear my hair down.  Because when I do, I get a lot of shocked "Where's your ponytail???!??!?!!" reactions.  But here's a secret: I don't love wearing my hair in a ponytail.  I did it out of obligation.

4.  Gibson can play with my hair.
Maybe now he won't pull chunks of it out or make the bird's nests that I had to brush out every night!

5.  I don't wake up being strangled by ropes of hair.
I slept so well last night.  Because my hair wasn't attempting to kill me in my sleep.

6.  I can blow dry it.
...and it won't take four and a half hours.

7.  My head feels really light.
I should probably weigh myself, because I'm pretty sure I lost seven pounds during my haircut.

8.  It won't take as long for Ellie to poop out the hair she eats.
You know how dogs eat hair sometimes, and then the last turds get connected to their butt by a single strand of hair?  And when your hair is super long it takes the dog forever to get the hair out of her butt?

...Ellie is probably the only dog who does this.  But it takes forever when she's pooping out hair, and hopefully that won't happen as much now.

Sorry, that was gross.  But it's the truth.

9.  I can use less conditioner.
Because for real, with long hair I used five tons of it.  I probably should have bought stock in it.

10.  I can do this:

________________________
Maybe if enough people vote today I'll share a photo of my hair tomorrow!  So click the banner below if you want to see my Bieber hair, okay?

...also, my hair is nothing like his.  It's much longer and less Bieber-ish.  But look at how nicely his hair flips!  Very dreamy.

Toddler nutrition and a Sweetie Pie Organics review!

So, it turns out that feeding a toddler is harder than feeding a baby.  Because when Gibson was under a year old, formula provided all the nutrition he needed...and now I'm responsible for making sure he gets what he needs.

Um, that's a lot of pressure.

And it's especially hard when a certain little boy goes through phases of not wanting to eat anything except bananas.  And water.  And PANCAKES.  PANCAKES AREN'T HEALTHY!!!

Of course I know that he can survive on bananas and pancakes.  But I would obviously prefer that he also eat some vegetables or something.  

Luckily, I've found ways to sneak vegetables and other good stuff into Gibson's diet since he won't eat them!

When Gibson ate dairy, I would make quesadillas that were mostly spinach and a tiiiiiiny bit of cheese.  He loved them, of course, because CHEESE!

Also, I've found that he loves smoothies!  I put a big handful of spinach, a few frozen berries, a little banana, some almond milk, and some coconut oil in my Ninja (hiiiii-ya!) and blend it all up.  And it's delicious and Gibson loves it.  That's our new afternoon snack.

Another snack I love are Sweetie Pie Organics Just Real Fruits & Veggies snacks.  I was sent a box of each flavor they offer, and Gibson LOVES them.

These snacks are brand new, and will be sold on Amazon soon.  They're pouches of freeze dried fruits and vegetables...no sugar added, no preservatives, gluten free, non GMO, and organic!

Gibson's favorite flavor is the banana, sweet corn, and blueberry.  This child loves anything with bananas!  At the moment he is eating the mango, sweet corn, and apple one, and he also likes the third flavor, which is pineapple, green pea, and apple.

The only complaint I have is that there's a powder in the bottom of the pouches, so if I dump it out it's a little messy.  But that is easily cleaned up, and it's such an easy and healthy snack that I don't really mind!

Gibson's current snack!

As we speak, these Sweetie Pie Organics snacks are available on Zulily!  They're $20 for six boxes, which is a great deal!  You can buy them on this page for the next two days!  These snacks will retail for $4.95 a box, so buying them on Zulily would be a savings of over a dollar for each box.

Also, in case you wondered, these snacks are really good for shoving in your child's mouth at church when he's yelling.  And also at the doctor's office when he's yelling.  

...they're pretty much good to shove in your child's mouth no matter where you are.

I'm definitely still intimidated by being one of two people who are responsible for Gibson's nutrition, but it's nice to have found a couple of things that make it a little easier.

...although we still eat pancakes at least once a week.  Oh well!

________________________

Take a minute and click the banner below to vote for my blog today!  If you do, maybe I'll invite you over to my house for brinner (breakfast for dinner)!  We'll have pancakes and eggs and bacon.  And it will be delicious.

...and now I want bacon.  Real bad.

Also, I should add that I wasn't compensated for writing this post about delicious snacks.  I really love the Sweetie Pie Organics snacks, and I hope you try them and love them, too!

Gibson the Conductor

Well, Gibson has a new love.

At some point he loved Marco the Changing Table Monkey.  And although he has loved other toys since then, I don't know that he loved anything as much as he did Marco.

But now he LOVES his Disney Amazing Animals train.

amazon.com

We have some lovely friends who let us look through the toys their kids have outgrown, and of course we took this train.  It's so cute!  But Gibson didn't really seem to care about it much.  We've had it for months, and it just sat by his toy basket, unused and sad.

We try to rotate toys out so Gibson doesn't have too many in play at once, so the train got moved to the guest room for awhile.

The other day Gibson must have heard the train calling out to him or something, because he crawled into the guest room and pulled the front car of the train off a shelf.

And since then, he hasn't been without his train for more than fifteen minutes.  He puts other toys in the back of it and drives them around, and he drives them on our legs and chairs.  He throws it onto the couch and windowsill.  He whacks the tv stand with it.  He whacks Ellie with it.  He whacks my knees with it.

...so really, he's using his train as a weapon most of the time.  But if it makes him happy, I'm fine with it!

Also, the train sings "I Just Can't Wait to be King" from The Lion King, which prompted Danny to look up Jonathan Taylor Thomas on IMDB.  And that reminded me of how I always planned on marrying JTT.

I'm glad I didn't.  Because Gibson wouldn't be nearly so cute with a different daddy.

...and for other reasons, too, of course.  Like that I love my husband.

And now Gibson is driving his train into the kitchen, so I'm going to go make sure he doesn't put it in Ellie's water.  Because that's a real possibility.
______________________
Did you notice that my blog is #7 today?  Holy cow!  Thank you so much for all your votes; keep on voting and maybe I'll be #6 someday!

Just some things

My brain is full of things!  So we'll be random today, okay?

I went on a trip with my mommy!  It was very fun, and I bought very many things.

You should all go to a Habitat for Humanity Re-Store at some point.  I got a brand new Moen undermount sink for $4, and six shutters for $3.  It's my new favorite place in the entire world.

You'll be so proud of me!  I shaved my legs, finally.  Although they're already pokey again.

...this is why I never shave my legs.  They're only smooth for maybe an hour.

Gibson is very talkative these days.  He likes to make his lips as small as possible and say "Bababa!"  He's super weird.

Also, he's been calling me Mama very sweetly.  I'll go to pick him up and he says "Mama!" and holds his arms out to me.  Sweet boy.

Gibson has regressed in his walking skills...he's just not interested in walking at all!  It's probably because he's the best crawler in the entire world; he doesn't want to lose that status!

We're on a quest to fix most of the things the inspector found wrong with our house.  This weekend, with the help of our parents, we fixed the deck, added vent fans to the bathrooms, and blew insulation into the attic.

We're superstars, obviously.

Gibson has started driving his cars on other people, which is adorable.  And he makes car noises while he does it.  Which is adorable.

We bought some crackers for Gibson, and it turns out he loves them.  A lot.  More than almost every other food.

He has also decided to protest any food that isn't grapes, bananas, pancakes, or crackers.  Which is super annoying, because he can't live on crackers and grapes.

I'm getting a haircut on Wednesday!  This long hair has to go.  It makes me hot and annoyed.

Also I should be writing a shopping list right now, but instead I'm writing this blog.  Because who needs food?

NOT ME!

...just kidding.  I need food.  A lot.

Speaking of food, there's some Easter candy calling my name.  Or maybe I'll be an adult and eat actual breakfast food.  We'll see.
__________________________
Go ahead and give my little banner a click, please!  It would make me happy forever, probably.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

The highlight of my day so far, besides the fact that Jesus died for me and rose from the grave (that's the highlight of EVERY day), was when Gibson fell asleep on me at church.

I can't remember the last time he fell asleep somewhere besides his bedroom or the car seat.

It was very, very sweet.  Until he moved his head and revealed a pool of sweat and drool all over my shirt.  And started crying in the middle of the sermon.

Also, he was wearing a tie, which is the cutest thing of my life.

...except then it got bananas on it because SOMEONE *coughDannycough* forgot to take it off before lunch.

And now he's sleeping and I'm eating Peeps!

Happy Easter to all of you!  I hope you have an amazing day!

________________________
Give the banner below a little click!  Please and thank you!

Gibson's treasures

Gibson has a tendency to latch onto random objects around our house and carry them around for hours.  And chew on them, and whack them against the television, and scream when I take them away from him.

For your reading pleasure, here's a list of the random objects Gibson has decided to love in the past week:

Pantyhose in a plastic ball
I honestly don't even know where he found this.  But he crawled into the living room with the little plastic ball in his hand, and didn't let go of it for hours.  He ate with it in his hand like a weirdo, and, of course, screamed when I took it away to change his clothes.

McDonald's cup
Today Gibson found a McDonald's cup and carried it around the living room.  And then he put it on the tile so he could toss it in front of him and chase it across the floor.  And then he started sticking his finger in the straw hole, so I took it away from him because plastic is sharp.  And he screamed.

Ellie's tennis ball
Gibson learned how to throw a ball the other day, and whenever he comes across Ellie's tennis ball he crawls around with it in his hand and then throws it over and over so that he can chase it.  And sometimes he sits really close to Ellie and throws it directly at her eyes...I think he thinks he's playing with her?  And then Ellie takes it away because she thinks he's playing, and he screams.

A spoon
Gibson has a weird love for cutlery, which is unfortunate because it's dangerous.  Especially when he finds a fork and tries to gouge his eyes out.  But recently he found a spoon on the floor (I don't know how it got there), and he dragged it around the house and poked things with it for a very long time.  He really liked poking the television with it, and then I took it away from him.  And he screamed.

...screamt?

Nope.  Screamed is the past tense of scream.  In case you wondered.  It's not screamt.  My brain doesn't work.  But "screamed" just doesn't look write right to me.

Rash and Remedy Cream
Remember how I have a tiny bottle of Rash and Remedy Cream from Mommy's Club?  Well, Gibson really loves it.  He likes to hold it in his hand, poke things with it, and try to eat it.  And when he tries to eat it I have to take it away.  And he screams.

His foam sword
One time we were at Hobby Lobby, and Danny insisted that we buy Gibson a foam sword.  Gibson really, really loves his sword.  Today he carried it around for awhile, and poked the tv with it.  I was fine with that, because it's foam.  But then he started chewing on it, and I was worried that his sharp vampire teeth would bite pieces off, so I took it away from him.  This time he didn't scream!  Because he found Ellie's tennis ball and started throwing it at her.

Also, sidenote (inspired by Gibson's vampire teeth): at church on Sunday I was being an idiot and put my finger near Gibson's mouth.  And he took that opportunity to bite my finger with the force of a thousand bear traps.  And it hurt terribly, but I was a good girl and didn't scream!  And then I showed Danny the tooth marks on my finger, and he, for reasons I'll never understand, put his finger in Gibson's mouth.  And Gibson promptly bit him, too.  /end sidenote

Pumice stone
This is the weirdest one, I think, because Danny and I have literally no idea where he found it.  I'm pretty sure it was in a drawer in the bathroom that Gibson can't reach, so maybe Ellie helped him up there?  In any case, I came home from the store and there Gibson was, crawling around with a pumice stone in his hand.  And he wouldn't let go of it, and then he started chewing on it.  And then we found pieces of it on the side table that he had been whacking it on, and we took it away.  And he didn't scream, surprisingly!

The moral of the story is: Gibson gets attached to random inanimate objects.  And screams a lot.  My life certainly isn't boring!
_____________________
Please click the banner below to vote for my blog today!  If you do, I'll send you one of Gibson's treasures in the mail.

Spoiler alert: I'll be sending you the pumice stone that has been on my feet and in Gibson's mouth.  Delicious!

I like big butts: Carrying your fluff

I haven't written a post about cloth diapers in awhile!  And this isn't so much about the actual diapers as what you carry them in.

Let's talk diaper bags!

I KNOW RIGHT!  So exciting.

When I was pregnant I did quite a bit of research about diaper bags.  All I knew was that I wanted a fairly large bag that didn't look too diaper bag-ish.  I chose the Skip Hop Studio bag.

I got it for Christmas, and it was SO CUTE.  And there were so many pockets, so OF COURSE it would work perfectly!

Well, it didn't work for me.  But I lived with it for over a year, because diaper bags are expensive.

Here's what didn't work about it:

-It just didn't have the space I needed for cloth diapers.  Disposables work great in it, but fluffy diapers are too big!
-It doesn't have a cross-body strap.  I don't know why I didn't think of that before I chose it, but I like having a bag that goes across my body so my arms are both free.
-When it was full, it was impossible to zip shut.  And it wouldn't stay on my shoulder when it was full.
-I couldn't keep it organized at all.  The pockets inside aren't huge, and they don't expand much to hold wipes or diapers.
-When something spilled in the bag (which happened more often than I would like to admit) it soaked through to the outside of the bag.  Yuck.

I decided a long time ago that, when we had the money, I would get a Vera Bradley Convertible Baby Bag.  I love Vera Bradley (way too much), and it can be worn as a messenger bag, a backpack, or on one shoulder.  Perfect!

Lucky for me, Zulily had a Vera Bradley sale and I found the Convertible Baby Bag way cheaper than on the Vera Bradley website!  Woo hoo!  So I snatched it up, and I'm SO glad I did!

Here's what I love about it!

-The pockets inside are mesh with elastic at the top.  They expand to fit things!  Hooray!
-When the pockets are full there is still room in the main compartment for other things.
-So far I haven't been able to fill it TOO full.  It always zips!  It helps that it's pretty deep.
-The inside is laminated, so if something spills it won't soak through.
-It can be worn as a messenger bag...seriously, why didn't I think about that before I chose a bag?  It's so nice!
-It can fit cloth diapers!!  Hallelujah!
-It can be thrown in the washer if it gets dirty.  And I guarantee that it will get dirty at some point.

And also it's ridiculously cute.  Which is always a plus, right?

I still like my Skip Hop bag, and it will stay in my car with extra clothes and a couple of diapers for emergencies.  But for everyday use with cloth diapers, it just didn't work!

I really like to know what other moms carry in their diaper bags, so I'll tell you what I always have in mine!  Just because I'm sure you want to know.  And even if you don't, I'm telling you.  Ha!

-At least two diapers
-Wet bag
-Puffs
-Organic fruit/veggie snack pouch (I'll tell you more about these soon!)
-Gibson's water cup
-Wipes
-Perfect touch sanitizer
-Rash and remedy cream
-A book
-A couple of small toys
-One shirt and a pair of pants

I try not to drag everything in our house with us when we go out, but I'm terrified of being caught without something we need!  I'm a chronic over-preparer.

It's a problem.  Except it's really not, because we're ALWAYS PREPARED.

Like the boy scouts, right?  Or something?  I don't really know.

Now for some photos!

A pocket on the front with a magnetic closure.  There are two plastic-lined pockets above the flap to this pocket, as well.

Inside!  In the pockets are puffs (a side pocket meant for bottles), wipes, snacks, my stuff, and extra clothes.  In the body of the bag there are two diapers, a book, toys, and the perfect touch sanitizer.

It can zip even though it's full!  Hooray!

This is how it becomes a backpack.  I spy baby toes!

Even Gibson loves it!

Now you tell me!  What do you always have in your diaper bag?  And what kind do you use?  I WANT TO KNOW PLEASE.
__________________________
You know what you should keep in your diaper bag?  Your computer.  So you can vote for me on the go.  Click down there, please!  :-*

That's a kiss face.  Scandalous, huh?

Gibson's tricks, and a giveaway winner!

Congratulations to Christa P. for winning the Mommy's Club giveaway!  I'll be contacting you soon, so be on the lookout!

For those who didn't win, you can purchase Mommy's Club products >here<.  They're fantastic, and you should all have them!
__________________
I've been working on teaching Gibson a few "tricks" lately.

...like a dog.  Except way cooler because he's a human!

Right before his birthday I taught him how to hold up one finger when I asked how old he is...so obviously he's teachable, right?

Apparently not.  Here's how our learning sessions go:

Mom: Gibson, what does Woody say?  "Yeeeeee-haw!"  Can you say it?  "Yeeeeee-haw!"
Gibson: *blank stare*
M: Gibson, what does Woody say?  "Yeeee-haw!"
G: *points at Woody*
M: Yeah, there's Woody!  What does he say?  "Yeeee-haw!"
G:  Hahahahaha.  *points at Woody and crawls away*

M:  Gibson, where's your cow?
G: *points at cow and laughs*
M:  Yeah, here's the cow!  Cow!  The cow says "Moooooo!"  Can you say it?  "Mooooo!"
G:  Mmmmmmmm.  Hahahahaha!
M:  Good job, buddy!  Say "MmmmmOOOO!"
G:  *points at the cow and crawls away*

M:  Gibson, where's Ellie?
G:  *pokes Ellie's eyeball*
M:  There's Ellie!  She's a dog.  Can you say "dog?"
G:  *stares at me blankly*
M:  Duh!  Duh!  Dog!  Can you say it?
G:  *pokes Ellie's eyeball and crawls away*

M:  Gibson, where is the dinosaur's eye?  *points at eye*  Where is the eye?
G:  *whines*
M:  Gibson, can you show me the eye?  See mommy's eye?
G:  *whacks the dinosaur book*
M:  Good job pointing, buddy!  See the eye?  It's right here! *helps Gibson point at it*
G:  *throws the book, screams, and crawls away*

How am I ever going to teach Gibson cool party tricks necessary life skills like pointing at eyes if he won't sit still?  His friends will all be pointing at eyes and he'll just be giggling in the corner like a weirdo.

But he'll be my little weirdo, I guess.
_______________________
And now I'll teach you a cool party trick: click the banner below, and my smile will get bigger!  It'll go like this:

:-| :-] :-) :-D :-D

Vermin!

Today is your last day to enter the Mommy's Club giveaway!  So head over and do that...I'll announce a winner in the morning!

Also, while you're here, go ahead and click the lady to the right to vote for my blog!  If you do, magical things will happen.  Probably.
__________________________
Would you like to know the worst thing about the weather getting warmer?

...besides the fact that I sweat a lot and look like a mess.

BUGS.

THERE ARE BUGS IN MY HOUSE.

This is not okay with me.  Every time I see one of those stupid little sugar ants I just want to cry.

...although the ants are kind of my fault, because I left the maple syrup in the living room once.  Whoops.

Anyway, would you like to know what's worse than ants?

SILVERFISH.

They're the grossest, most awful bugs EVER.  And I've never had to deal with them until we moved in here!  But now I have these awful little things wiggling around my house with all their antennae and legs and fishiness.

GET OUT OF MY HOUSE, YOU GROSS BUGS!

And I've seen a couple of spiders!!!  They were tiny, I guess, but they still give me the willies.

Like, I'm sitting here shivering right now.  Because I keep thinking about the silverfish and spiders.  Blech.

...it's not like my house is infested with vermin, by the way.  I've seen three silverfish and maybe two spiders.  But that's way too many for me!

Why can't kittens find their way into my house instead of bugs?  That would be much nicer, I think.

Or cupcakes!  If cupcakes would sneak through the cracks in my house that would be the best.  Cupcakes definitely don't give me the willies.  And they don't have antennae or legs.

So, if anyone has advice for getting rid of silverfish or creating a cupcake that can walk, please let me know!