Kawaii Cloth Diapers and How you can save money!

After four months of using disposables, I asked myself why am I not cloth diapering? My husband and I are always looking for ways to save money monthly and here is an obvious way to be doing that. I researched on the internet that the average cost on diapers per year is anywhere from 560$-800$. IF you potty train at two years old that still $1120 MINIMUM. I found a bundle of 24 pocket cloth diapers, they are the Kawaii Baby brand, for 129.99$. Free shipping and they came with 48 liners. That comes out to be $5.42 per diaper! This was a steal because most cloth diapers range between 12-18$ each. Thanks to EBAY!

A little about the Kawaii diapers. They are snaps which are better than velcro because velcro will eventually wear and tear from all the washing. These diapers are also One Size (OS) which means they were designed to fit up to potty training so around 2 years of age. 

I some reading on what kind of diaper rash ointment to use with cloth diapers because for one you dont want it to be harmful to baby AND you don't want to compensate the absorbancy of your cloth diapers. I decided on Coconut Oil. This was $7.49 at Fred Meyers. Its basically a butter consistency so it works perfectly to rub on a babys bottom. :)

Another Money saver is to make your own cloth diaper detergent. This was INCREDIBLY easy! I have seen this detergent recipe on lots of blogs and a friend from church recommended it. So far no skin reactions and the cloth diapers look and smell fine after a wash. Yes there is Borax in this recipe but I did lots of reading on it and it gets all washed out of the diapers in the process. FYI some babies do have reactions to different detergents, therefore this MIGHT not be the recipe for your baby. 

Ingredients:

Equal parts of Oxi Clean, Washing Soda and Borax.

This made a tub full of detergent and you only need 1-2 Tablespoons of detergent for one wash...OBVIOUSLY this is gonna last a VERY long time!

Total Cost was: $13

Before cloth diapering you do have to way out the pros and cons for your life style...are you on the go alot? Can you stand to do laundry every three days or so? Consider that you use more water or warm water when washing cloth diapers, and it may take your baby some getting use to a wet feeling on their bum. So far I love cloth diapering, its NOT as hard as everyone says it is. 

More posts to come about cloth diapering :)

Healthier MoNkEY BaRs

These should really be called Mmm Monkey bars cause I cant seem to eat them without saying Mmmmm! Its basically a banana bread recipe with icing...ohh so good. This recipe is from a website called 

http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2010/06/monkey-squares.html 

Super easy:

                                                                     1 ½ cups sugar

1 cup sour cream
½ cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 ¾ cups (3 or 4) ripe bananas, mashed
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

 

Mix the first four ingredients then add the bananas, and vanilla. Mix the dry ingredients then add them to the wet mixture. NOTE: I used half white flour and half whole wheat flour. I also used greek yogurt instead of sour cream.

Once all mixed together, grease and flour a regular 9x13 glass pan. Pour the mixture into the pan and bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes. I took mine out around 23 minutes cause I like my desserts slightly gooey in the middle. When the Monkey bars are almost done start your icing. You will need:

1/2 cup butter

4 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla 

3 Tablespoons milk

In a saucepan bring the butter to a boil, then immediately add the powdered sugar. Mix well and then add the last two ingredients. Let the Monkey bars cool just for a couple minutes then pour the icing over the bars while its still warm and spread it around. Let them cool completely unless you like warm ooey gooey desserts (which I do). Enjoy!

Stuffed Peppers!

I have to say I was impressed with this recipe. I am not a huge cooked peppers fan but I really enjoyed this meal. It was a great summer meal. Again, thanks to pinterest, we enjoyed yet another fabulous meal. Here is the recipe and the site I got it from http://simplylovefood.blog.com/2012/02/25/southwestern-stuffed-peppers/

 

 

DIY Sockbun updo

I was joking with my best friend the other day saying that this site really should be called Krissas copycat hands since I just trial everyone's ideas. :) This is the Sockbun hair do, I can not express how easy this is. As long as you have long hair that is not TOO layered it can easily be done. You take a sock and cut off the toes, creating a tube of fabric. You then proceed to roll up the sock to look like a donut. Comb your hair, and put it in a high tight ponytail. Then place the Sock as it is rolled up, around your ponytail. I spread all my hair around the surface of the sock cause I have thin hair. Start rolling the hair around the outside of the sock until you roll in against your head. I then like to pin it down with a couple bobby pins just to secure it. This sure lasted ALL day. :) This is a hard to explain tutorial so I would watch this youtube video to help out. 

Messy Twist

I did this hair do a couple of ways to see how it best held through the day. This was the first way I attempted it and I loved the way it looked. Unfortunately, it fell out within a couple hours. The new way that I did this looks almost exact! I did one big twist in the back, slowly gathering big chunks of hair from each side of my head (kind of like french braiding). I left a strand at the base of my neck to wrap around the ponytail. I then took a small band and tied the end of it...this made it hold all day. I then wrapped my extra hair strand around the band and bobby pinned it under the ponytail against my head. There are lots of ways to do this do. 

The one I found originally on pinterest was  three different sections of hair. The middle was twisted just as so, then the other sides overlapped the twist and was pinned. Here is the pinterest photo:

Crock pot Chicken Tacos

This was the BEST chicken I have ever made! Pull out that handy-dandy crock pot, throw in 6 chicken breasts, a taco seasoning packet and a 16oz jar of salsa. Cook on high for 3-4 hours. Your chicken then should be tender enough to take two forks and shred it. Then enjoy your favorite toppings in a taco or a burrito. :)

The Fish Tail Braid

I had not seen this braid before and so I was excited to try something new. It only took two tries and then I felt pretty confident with this braid. I would explain how to do this braid but I personally learn through visuals and I watched a video on youtube that helped a TON. I advise this video from youtube. I just typed in Fishtail Braid Tutorial and it is the first one suggested. 

The fishtail braid can also be a french fishtail braid which I have not attempted yet. It can be done as a side braid as I have in the top photo or straight back. Lots of variety with this braid.

Chalk Board Wonders...

Have I mentioned that I LOVE pinterest? Well, I am not just a pinner...but also a doer. I really try to stop pinning things and get off my bum and actually do these stinkin cute ideas. One creative idea I found and adore is the chalk board ideas. Almost any chalk board idea I love. It is a simple, cute and creative way to keep track of dates in pictures, celebrations, holidays, announcements and more. The latest event that I just my homemade chalk board for was yesterday (4th of July). This way I dont have to remember what year or what holiday this picture was from on my own...its in the picture with my son.

To make a chalk board is super duper easy. I just found a spare piece of wood in my parents shed, I recommend sanding it first (I didnt and its too rough), then painting it with chalk board paint. I then went to Home Depot and bought a metal handle and screwed/wood glued it onto the board upside down to hold chalk pieces. Total cost was maybe 5$ since my parents already had the wood and paint.

Braided Poof

Lately, I have been into pinterest DIY hairdos. Especially with summer here and my hair is getting long, I want fun styles to try. As for being a mom it is SO easy to just throw my hair into a ponytail when I could spend five minutes and do something cute. SO...you will see hairdo's for the summer time in the next couple postings. :) YAY!

This is what I call the Braided poof. SO VERY SIMPLE! Just braid what you would have normally "poofed" on the top of your head. Hair spray, then either straighten the rest of your hair or do big wavy curls like I did. I did my curls in about five minutes so this hairdo seriously took maybe ten minutes. I take big chunks of hair and ringlet curl them, dont touch them till they cool off and then run your fingers through them, hair spray and SHAZAM!! You just did a hairdo in ten minutes or less.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Devils Food Cake Cheesecake...fhhewww! Thats a long name for ya! This was a DELICIOUS treat I made for Fathers Day this year. It wasnt AS time consuming as I had thought and it was well worth it. I am obsessed with Pinterest and I found it on there. Here is the direct Link: Sprinklebakes.com

Here is a peek at the inside of this amazing cake...