What's For dinner? Pineapple Corn Salsa Salad

Pineapple Corn Salsa Salad

We recently had a pineapple salsa salad for dinner. WHAT! I know when you hear it, you think that sounds gross. Is it actually salsa on it? The answer is nope, and it was actually pretty good! It's called pineapple salsa because it has a pineapple salsa mix on top of it. This mix includes pineapple, corn, red pepper, green pepper, cilantro, mango, and a jalapeno. Very good. This is the salsa! Which then goes on top of the salad, presto it's done! So not only was this a very easy meal to make, veggie,  and cost affordable, but it was also pretty good. A very light dinner for this hot, hot summer or should I say spring we are having!

Bum Genius Elemental Diaper review

Here is another diaper that I LOVE! This diaper is the bum genius all in one, one size cloth diaper. The things that I love about this diaper is first and foremost; it's an all in one diaper, this means there is absolutely NO stuffing this diaper! No inserts to mess around with, you simply put the diaper on and take the diaper off. I also love the fact that this diaper is a one size diaper, so it grows with you baby. Bum genius elemental is designed to fit from birth to potty training, so you only have to purchase one diaper making it very cost efficient. This diaper is not a great overnight diaper at least not for us right now. When he sleeps 4 hours or more he usually wakes up drenched, however, he is a heavy wetter. This diaper also stains a lot easier than my other diapers, and this could be due to the fact that it is organic cotton on the inside. Despite the fact that it says it is designed to fit from birth to potty training, this diaper did not fit our baby until he was about 2 months. Because it is so big and bulky it just hung off of him when he was first born. Now that he close to 3 months this diaper has an excellent fit.

You will find that the insert is attached to the inside of this diaper, it is a double layer insert, because the diaper is a one size the insert is longer when the baby is smaller. To make the insert fit the smaller size diaper you simply fold the insert over either in the back, middle, or front for extra protection wherever you may need it. By doing this it makes the diaper a little more bulky. I usually will not use this diaper in my diaper bag because it is so bulky and takes up so much room.

I would recommend this diaper to anyone who is new to cloth diapering, works, or may be utilizing a baby sitter. It is super easy to use, and in fact my husbands favorite diaper to use. Because there are no insert to deal with, you don't have to worry about taking the insert out after changing the baby or stuffing the diaper before using it, making it babysitter/daddy friendly. It only has two rows of snaps to put it on which makes it easy to use. Overall Bum Genius is one of my favorite cloth diapers, and they come in some super cute colors and prints!!

Keeping the spice (co-sleeping)

How in the world do you keep  the bed rocking with your child sleeping in the bed with you??? That is the million dollar question I get all the time. Yes we are co-sleepers! All of my children have slept in the bed with us, and seeing as though we have had six children, our bed must still be rocking. Well maybe not our beds exactly! Let me start by answering the question of why we co-sleep. Besides the pure fact of convience and making my life easier, I really believe that it builds a secure attachment between the infant and the parents. Now I have no idea if there is any solid research to prove one way or the other, this is just my personal opinion. How is conveient? Well I breastfeed, and when my babies want to eat every two hours in the middle of the night, I simply roll over pop a breast in their mouth and back off to sleep I go! I usually don't start doing this until they are little older. However even when I get up, and sit up to feed them, it is much easier to just pick them up, prop a pillow behind my head and fall back asleep, ok maybe not I was to busy admiring my beautiful babies! But I still didn't have to climb up my stairs to feed them. Soooo co-sleeping is convient. Now my theories on attachment. I feel that for nine months your baby was in your womb, they heard your heart beat, your breathes, your voice. They were warm, cozy, and secure right next to you. That was their world entire little lives. Then suddenly they are forced into this big, bright, loud world. One that is totally new for them, this has to be scary! No wonder they cry. They have no idea where they are, it's cold, it's bright, it's loud, they can't hear their mommies heart beat. WTH!!! That's probably what they are thinking. So to go through such a traumatic experience and then be put into a crib, that is cold, dark, and lonely wow, this is a cruel place they are probably thinking. Then they wake up at night hungry, in the dark, and alone! Ok I know I am probably making this sound waayyy dramatic, but hey this is my PERSONAL opinion. This sounds very sad to me. So I like for my babies to sleep next to me, where it is still warm, cozy, and they can still hear my breathing. I like the idea that when they woke up at night, mommy was right there.  I don't want anyone to think, I am saying putting your baby in a crib makes you a bad parent, these are just my personal views and thoughts.

Sooo now that, the whys are answered, let's talk about the how! So how do we keep the spice? It's called creativity, thinking outside the box. Our entire home becomes our love shack! You can't be a traditional type of person, in this situation. There are times we have went into our closet, our bathroom, the shower, and let's not forget about the guest bedroom! Believe it or not this type of creativity actually improves your marriage it gets you out of the grind of the same old thing. You have to become spontaneous when you co sleep. When our baby is sleeping we take advantage of it! Nap time becomes quickie time! That's right I said quickie! You get it in quick before the baby wakes up. Co sleeping won't last forever there will come a time when your child will not won't to sleep with you, and then you can go back to your regular sex in the bed routine, but until that time comes, make it fun, exciting, and an adventure. Think about when you first got married before you had kids, and that is the type of spark you can ignite when you co sleep!

What's for Dinner?

Rice and beans stuffed peppers! Sounds yummy right? Well this veggie meal was simply ok. It wasn't disgusting as to the point were we couldn't eat it, and it wasn't just great to the point we will be saying oooh let's have rice and beans stuffed peppers. It was simply so so. On the side we had steamed broccoli and carrots which of course was a hit with everyone. The peppers were cooked in a crock pot so on the easy scale they were super easy to make. I was able to put them in the crock pot and run the kids to all of their activities and by the time we got home dinner was served. It was like having a personal chef, but that is what any meal cooked in a crock pot is  like! I LOVE my crock pot. If you don't have a crock pot.... get one! It is a life savor. If your hubby or significant other likes having meals when they get home, and you are like me and despise cooking. Then the crock pot is the perfect solution. You get gourmet meals without all the hassle. Ok enough rave on the crock pot this meal was another great e-mealz selection. If you haven't checked out e-mealz yet, do it! This is another great solution to the what's for dinner battle! 

Thirsties Duo diaper

So I am finally going to write a review on one of the cloth diapers I have been using! Thirsties duo diaper is a one size diaper, so to speak. It comes in two size a size 1 and size 2. The size 1 fits birth to 18 pounds, and the size 2 18 pounds to 35 pounds or potty training. It only comes in a hook and loop/Velcro closure. It has 3 rows of snaps to adjust the size. It is a pocket diaper, and comes with two inserts in order to make it a doubler for heavy wetters. I really like this diaper it has turned out to be one of my favorite diapers! The things that I love about this diaper is the fact that is Velcro. This makes it super easy to use, especially for my hubby, babysitters, and anyone else new to cloth diapering. It was very easy to transition into this diaper because the feel and use of it is so similar to disposables. I also really like the leg gussets on the thighs of the diaper. Having this feature has prevented any leaks from happening, while still maintaing a great fit. With the thirsties, there is no ring left around his little thighs. I also like that there are only three rows of snaps to adjust the size of this diaper. One of my favorite features of this diaper, which is why I purchased it, is the fact that it has two openings for the insert. By having the two inserts it makes it really easy to stuff this diaper. It is also great for laundry. Because it has two inserts you don't have to worry about removing the insert after changes. The insert will work it's way out on it's own in the wash! This is an excellent feature because you don't have to worry about your husband, babysitter, or daycare taking out the insert after each change. They simply change the baby and throw the diaper into the wet bag, making it just like using disposables. This is also a great feature for those who are worried about touching the poop on the diaper, and first time cloth diaper users!

There aren't many cons to the thirsties duo diaper. The thing that I wish was different was that it was a one size diaper. Because it comes in two different sizes, I am going to have to order a whole new set when he reaches 18 pounds, which isn't really cost efficient. I also do not feel like this diaper was great fit for a newborn. We really didn't get a true fit on this diaper until he was about a month old. When we tried to use it on him at birth it was very bulky, and kinda jumbled up. It does have crossover tabs making it very small around the waist, but this still didn't prevent it from jumbling up. These are my only two complaints about thristies duo diaper. Overall it is a great diaper to transition from disposables to cloth. It is also a great travel diaper, and great diaper for sitters and daycares. It is a great value the diaper usually runs about 17.95 per diaper and it comes in some really cool colors and designs! I would recommend thirsties to a beginner with cloth diapers! Check out their website  for more information and where to purchase this diaper!

Less is more (living a Minimalist life)

So often, as mothers and wives we find ourselves complaining about the life WE have created! That's correct we created. Let's look at laundry for example. I was doing laundry today, and I found myself saying what the hell, why do I have so much laundry why do these kids have so many freaking clothes. I was fussing my heart out, but then I realized I bought all the clothes! My kids didn't go out and buy outfits then come home and make me wash them, no I did that. I felt the need to go out and buy them more shirts than they will probably ever wear so when they do wear 20 shirts in a week because they can, and I have more laundry than usual it's my fault. Now think about your house no matter the size, you choose that house to live in, you choose the decorations and furnishing, and everything else that comes along with it are all your doing. So when you are cleaning it, you can't be upset, because you made the decision to live that life. As women we dream in color, and we strive to achieve our dreams, but then when our dreams appear in our lives we have a way of complaining them away. So what if less was more. I sat there as I folded clothes thinking what if my kids didn't have all these clothes, what if they only had 7 shirts, one for each day. Would that be so bad? What if my house was smaller, and I didn't have so much to clean? Would it make me happier? I have no clue, but honestly probably not. I would probably find something else to complain about. What I do know is that Danish believe that less is more and apparently they are suppose to be the happiest people. So I'm going to take on that thought process. I'm not saying downsize or stop shopping, what I am saying is stop complaining and if stuff is the cause of your complaining then live a minimalist life! Maybe you don't need 200 pairs of shoes if your "junky" closet is cause for stress. I'm just saying. So the next time you are getting ready to complain ask yourself did I cause this, do I really need this, is stuff the source of my stress, is obtaining stuff the source of my stress. Stop and really ask yourself why exactly am I complaining right now, in this very moment. By doing this you can save yourself a lot of fussing, heartache, and most of all stress. When you do this what you will find is the very thing that is causing you stress is more than likely self made, and if by some chance it's something you can control then there is really no need to complain about things we can't change. So in short, stop complaining if you can it change it, and stop complaining if you can't change it. Simply put Stop!