Cloth Diaper Mommy Wool Soaker Review

I have already raved about the very creative and cool t-shirt diapers by Cloth Diaper Mommy on Etsy, but Becca also hand knits super creative and fun woollies to go over those fitteds...the PERFECT combination to stay cool, dry and rash free! I'd been eyeing an adorable smiley face soaker that I was planning to order for Lydia, but then I saw THIS one and just HAD to get it. Since I was learning about wool and planning for this event, it fit so perfectly. It is still, in my opinion, the cutest woolly I've ever seen! I think it's an adorable appropriate way to finish up "The Wool Gathering!"

This soaker as you can see has a sheep on the bum! It's so cute and fun. I've been using it for some time and it's and it has held up so nicely. It has been one of our favorite nighttime covers, but I also like to use it during the day because it's so cute so we usually alternate. Now that it's cooler at nights I don't want to stop using it, so we'll throw some baby legs and keep on! One detail that I love is the draw string that matches the sheep's legs! You can see that in the picture above as well as the wide gusset between the legs of the soaker to give room for a nice fit over thick diapers.

I really enjoy having this soaker! It's fun and does its job wonderfully! It's more than sufficient for overnight and fits really comfortable. It's stretchy so it will still fit for a long time! Here it is on baby during the day with a shirt during the summer. I think these are soooo cute! She's watching her baby sign language video here if I remember correctly.

Hear are a few other uber cute soakers available in Becca's shop:

Becca added these adorable knitted wool fruit toys with my order! They are so fun. I'm really impressed with the handiwork. These look really pretty laying around the floor in contrast to the many plastic toys!! Lydia loves taking them out of the toy box and laying them on the floor and then randomly picking them up and carrying them around.

Can you stand the cuteness??? I can't! Remember that Becca takes custom orders! She is very gifted and creative so get in touch with her and let her know what you like!!!

Caring For Wool

I was so nervous about washing my woollies. I have no idea why I was so concerned, but found in my searching that a lot of people felt the same way. Wool can felt if you use water that is too hot or of course if you put it through the dryer, and cold water can shock the wool. You shouldn't wring or twist as the fibers which are meant to be rough and crimped which is what causes them to stick to each other and form an insulating mesh.

I watched this video from Green Mountain Diapers several times, and finally bit the bullet, and of course it went fine. I like this video because it shows you pretty much what everyone says to do. Some wool can be machine washed, but I plan not to even go there, as it's quick and easy in the sink and I'd rather be safe than sorry.

The video is how to lanolize wool, but the process for washing is the same, you just use the wool wash and make sure it's tepid before putting the wool in. I still start with a little hot water to mix in the wash as it is enriched with lanolin.

Turns out, it's really not so bad. Quite easy. Easier than machine washing!!

Winner of the Cloth Diaper Mommy T-Shirt Diaper Giveaway!

Congratulations Meg!

(Winner has been confirmed.)

More Choices at CSN Stores

Once again I have the opportunity to review a product from CSN Stores! I'm thankful for the opportunity since they carry a great variety of quality products . I've had a great experience working with them so far, and the last time I did a review my order arrived lightning fast. What to review?! It is a hard decision to make! You could spend all day exploring the 200+ stores that carry anything and everything from kitchen bar stools to bedding, and so much more. I recently discovered that they carry Babykicks products as well as G-Diaper products. Both of those would be relevant to my blog right now in the midst of these cloth diapering events, but surely there is something else we need too...Stay tuned to see what I end up choosing!

The Key To Thrift Store Shopping...

Find a good one!

Clothing has been a major dilemma for me since childbirth. My weight has fluctuated a lot, and I have been unwilling to spend lots of money on temporary clothing. There have been times I literally had nothing to wear to something...not nothing that I liked, but truly nothing I could wear! I tried buying a few cheap things but they got worn out after a couple of washes. I finally decided to check out a Good Will store I'd heard had good stuff, and wow.

I won't be shopping anywhere else for a while! Here are some of my recent finds...I've only been about 3 times...most of this was from the FIRST trip! Needless to say I've found a good one!:)

Pictured below: BRAND NEW corduroy skirt from New York & Co. (with tag), green Old Navy crock pants in great condition.

Like new denim crock pants from Ann Taylor.

Like new sleevless polka dot button up shirt from Eddie Bauer.
.

Like new brown dress pants from New York  Co.

A dress shirt of a style I hadn't gone for before, but was willing to try at this price!

 And a couple of like new crushed velvet shirts from Limited and New York & Co.

Today my husband sent me a link to a great article from The Dollar Stretcher about some not so well known thrift store shopping tips. It's great...I'll be shopping a lot the next couple of months!

Eucalan Review and $11 GC to Wee Little Changes GIVEAWAY! ***CLOSED***

Wee Little Changes is a fun and earth friendly baby boutique that carries a great variety of cloth diapering products and accessories and more! Run by April and her family from Wilmington, NC (my home state :).  She is very choosy about what items they carry:

"Wee Little Changes is dedicated to provide quality (and cute!) products that are good for your baby, the environment and your purse.  I have done countless hours of research on all of our products, and each one has been tested by my family and found to be a winner."

I LOVE the fact that Wee Little Changes offers FREE U.S. SHIPPING. Wee Little Changes also offers a unique friends rewards program through which you can earn points in a great variety of ways, and a mama rep affiliate program. I'm working on getting my points together and starting to keep track of them! I don't want to miss out on the opportunity! All these perks and the great experience I've had corresponding with April have sold me on this boutique! 

When it comes to wool, April has a great plan for helping those who may be hesitant to try wool due to the cost or skepticism, by giving the opportunity for them to give wool a try!

Buy...   TRY...  Keep or Return

Limited Time Offer:  Buy a soaker, Lanolize it, USE IT and keep it if you love it, or return it within 14 days for a full refund in the form of store credit. See here for more details!

Now THAT is a GOOD deal!!! I really encourage ANYONE who has not tried wool to give this a try. It's a no lose situation!

**************************

I received a Eucalan "No-Rinse" Wool Wash by Tiny Tush for review.

"Eucalan Wool Wash - A concentrated unique "No-Rinse" environmentally friendly formula. Eucalan contains lanolin that helps restore the natural lanolin that is lost during laundering. The eucalyptus oil deters wool-eating pests from feasting on your wool garments. This product can be used for both hand or machine washing.

This wash comes in a 3.3 US fl. oz. or 16.9 US fl. oz. bottle and is natural and unscented.  Also available in a sample size (.17 ounce).  Safe for those with sensitive skin."

Eucalan Wool Wash is highly recommended and used by many experienced moms. I was happy to have a chance to give it a try! I found that it worked great, and since it is enriched with lanolin, it reduces big time the amount of times you need to use gooey lanolin!

To use it you mix about a teaspoon into warm water and then fill the sink with tepid water. It will be quite bubbly. Simply place the soaker or cover into the water and let it sit for about 15 minutes.

Then let the water drain out and remove the soaker. There will still be lots of bubbles as seen the in the first picture below, but DO NOT RINSE or WRING, but very gently squeeze a bit of the excess water out without twisting it. Next you roll it up between two towels to gently remove most of the water. Finally you just lay it flat to dry. Easy Peasy! It usually takes about 24 hours to dry.

This wool wash has worked great for me and I definitely recommend it, though I have found that I am partial to bar soap overall because it is almost impossible to waste, but the liquid is super easy to use.

******GIVEAWAY*******

April is offering one very blessed reader $11 GC to Wee Little Changes for whatever the winner wants to use it on. You can get some Eucalan Wool Wash, put it towards a trial of wool, or anything you desire!

Mandatory Entry:

Go to the Wee Little Changes and come back here and leave a comment telling something else they carry that you'd like to try!

(Leave a separate comment for each entry. Include your email address if it is not easily accessible through your blogger profile.You do not have to have a blogger profile to enter, as long as you leave a valid e-mail address.)


Additional Entries: 

-Like Wee Little Changes on Facebook.

-Follow Wee Little Changes on Twitter.

-Follow the Wee Little Changes Blog GFC.

- Make a purchase at Wee Little Changes.

-Blog about this giveaway and leave link in comment!

- Tweet about this giveaway (up to 3 times daily.)

-Follow The Cheap and Choosy GFC!

-Follow @cheapnchoosy on Twitter!

-Like The Cheap and Choosy on Facebook!

-Grab The Cheap and Choosy blog button!

-Two entries each for each of  "The Wool Gathering" and the "Fluff Your Pockets!" buttons posted on the main page of your blog.

-Subscribe to The Cheap and Choosy via email.

This giveaway is open to the U.S. and Canada until Nov. 29, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The winner will be chosen using a random number generator. I will email the winner, who will have 48 hours to respond. If winner does not respond within 48 hours, another winner will be chosen. I will post the winner when the selection has been made and confirmed by the recipient.

This is not a paid post. I received the item for review free of charge. You can see my full disclosure here.

Disana Wool Cover from Abby's Lane GIVEAWAY! ***CLOSED***

Abby's Lane , established in 2004 is a reputable on line boutique carrying a huge selection of cloth diapering and accessory products, baby wearing products such as the Ergo Carrier, products for mom and so much more! Abby's lane has rave reviews on the Diaper Pin and, well...everywhere! One great perk for shopping at Abby's Lane is that they offer FREE SHIPPING ON ALL U.S. ORDERS!  You can find Abby's Lane on Facebook and Twitter to stay in the know about all of their news and specials! You can also follow Abby's Lane's blog, It's the Cloth that Counts, to participate in giveaways and learn great tips for cloth diapering!

And guess what? I'm honored that...

Stephanie, the owner and founder of Abby's lane is generously offering a Disana Wool Cover to one very blessed Cheap and Choosy reader!

Like Abby's Lane, this cover is also time tested and highly esteemed. Recommended by many moms, the Disana Wool Cover is popular because it's made of soft organic merino wool, generous size range, high waste and leg length make it virtually leak proof. I've also seen reviews commenting on how easy it is to put on, making it convenient as well.You can read a humorous account of how Stephanie came to appreciate this cover here.

***GIVEAWAY***

One mandatory entry:

Go to the Abby's Lane and come back here and leave a comment telling something else they carry that you'd like to try WITH THE LINK to the page of that product!

(Leave a separate comment for each entry. Include your email address if it is not easily accessible through your blogger profile.You do not have to have a blogger profile to enter, as long as you leave a valid e-mail address.)


Additional Entries:

-Blog about this giveaway and leave link in comment!

- Tweet about this giveaway (up to 3 times daily) using #wool,  #clothdiapers, @abbyslane @cheapnchoosy in your tweet!

-Follow The Cheap and Choosy GFC!

-Follow @cheapnchoosy on Twitter!

-Like The Cheap and Choosy on Facebook!

-Grab The Cheap and Choosy blog button!

-Two entries each for each of  "The Wool Gathering" and the "Fluff Your Pockets!" buttons posted on the main page of your blog.

-Subscribe to The Cheap and Choosy via email.

This giveaway is open to the U.S. and Canada until Nov. 27, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The winner will be chosen using a random number generator. I will email the winner, who will have 48 hours to respond. If winner does not respond within 48 hours, another winner will be chosen. I will post the winner when the selection has been made and confirmed by the recipient.

This is not a paid post. You can see my full disclosure here.

Shutterlove & Not So Wordless

This mama just doesn't have it together and has once again taken on more than she can handle. I'll be back in the not too distant future with my menu plans and journey through More With Less Cookbook, Frugal Fridays, sewing projects, and more...meanwhile...there's ALWAYS time for...

Hugs & Kisses!

Wool Dryer Balls by The Tree Huggin' Mama- Review and GIVEAWAY!***CLOSED***

Tree Huggin' Designs is a mom owned Etsy shop carrying wool dryer balls, cloth wipes, baby blankets, organic clothing, and more! I stumbled across, "The Tree Huggin' Momma," a very cool blog a while back and was drawn to it when I saw that her sweet baby boy came early and was struggling with some health issues, especially since my own baby was also a preemie born around the same time.  I was interested in her story, and that is how I discovered this great shop! Let me share Heather's story with you in her own words:

Last October I became a Mommy! However, my son, Xavier, was born a month early and as a result ended up on constant oxygen and also an apnea monitor.  We were told that these issues would clear up by his original due date; however, that wasn't the case and when I was supposed to go back to work when he was 3 months old he was still requiring both pieces of equipment.  I tried to go back to work; however, with all of Xavier's health issues I couldn't give my job the attention required.  I was constantly driving back and forth to the day care fixing equipment issues, taking Xavier to doctor appointments and also heading to a different health care facility to pick up oxygen tank refills.  Plus, I had a sick baby that I was worried about every minute I was away from him!  It only took a couple weeks of this before my husband and I decided it would be best if I quit to be at home with him.  That was when I decided to open an Etsy shop in hopes to help offset the loss of my income.  I started with bibs, blankets and wipes but now focus more on the eco-friendly items like cloth wipes & wool dryer balls.  I'm also currently working on a cloth diaper pattern and baby/toddler clothing which I hope to perfect in the next few months.  Oh, and I'm happy to announce that Xavier came off of the oxygen at the end of January and we were finally able to stop using the apnea monitor about a month ago!

 Here is a sampling of some of the adorable items available at Tree Huggin' Designs:

Since I've been fascinated with wool, and am always excited about finding ways to cut back on spending, I was excited for the opportunity to review two 100% wool dryer balls from Tree Huggin' Designs!

I had tried some plastic dryer balls, and was curious to find out if the wool ones work any better, and I have discovered that they do! Since adding these balls to the drying cycle, our clothes, diapers, and towels have seemed to dry more quickly and thoroughly. During a long humid spell it seemed that the clothes were always still damp even when the cycle ended, but since using these balls I rarely found that happening.

There are many more benefits to these wool dryer balls than just the function of separating the clothing and causing more exposure to the hot air. They also absorb moisture AND reduce static electricity.

One thing I have found is that the plastic balls that we had were spiky all over and I always felt like they would possibly be rough on my diaper covers and more delicate clothing, but with these soft smooth wool dryer balls, I feel totally comfortable. Not only that, they are much less noisy in the dryer! The plastic ones make very loud vibrating banging sounds, which aren't helpful when my little one is napping, but the wool balls make dull thuds that just provide rhythmic background noise.

I've been using these dryer balls for sometime and they're holding up nicely. I've had no problems with unraveling in spite of my forgetting to attach some aplix during drying and it's sticking to them a couple of times. These are sturdy dryer balls!

I HIGHLY recommend trying out Tree Huggin' Designs wool dryer balls. Here are some of the other colors available now!

********GIVEAWAY*******

Heather has generously given me two more wool dryer balls (same as those I reviewed above) to one very blessed reader!

One mandatory entry:

Go to the Tree Huggin' Designs on Etsy and come back here and leave a comment telling something else they carry that you'd like to try!

(Leave a separate comment for each entry. Include your email address if it is not easily accessible through your blogger profile.You do not have to have a blogger profile to enter, as long as you leave a valid e-mail address.)


Additional Entries: 

-Like Tree Huggin' Designs on Facebook.

-Follow Tree Huggin' Momma on Twitter.

-Follow Heather's Blog, The Tree Huggin' Momma GFC.

-Grab The Tree Huggin' Momma Blog Button.

- Make a purchase at Tree Huggin' Designs.

-Blog about this giveaway and leave link in comment!

- Tweet about this giveaway (up to 3 times daily.)


-Follow The Cheap and Choosy GFC!

-Follow @cheapnchoosy on Twitter!

-Like The Cheap and Choosy on Facebook!

-Grab The Cheap and Choosy blog button!

-Two entries each for each of  "The Wool Gathering" and the "Fluff Your Pockets!" buttons posted on the main page of your blog.

-Subscribe to The Cheap and Choosy via email.

This giveaway is open to the U.S. and Canada until Nov. 25, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The winner will be chosen using a random number generator. I will email the winner, who will have 48 hours to respond. If winner does not respond within 48 hours, another winner will be chosen. I will post the winner when the selection has been made and confirmed by the recipient.

This is not a paid post. I received the items for review free of charge. You can see my full disclosure here.