I'm Baaaack!!

I've been MIA for awhile due to a recent move.
Today is the first day we have Internet!!
So glad, yet so many boxes to unpack! :/

I have some awesome reviews and giveaways coming up that you are not going to want to miss out on so stay tuned!
Also, if you've won something from me, and have not yet received your prize, please e-mail me at angela_heffner at yahoo dot com so we can sort things out!

Thanks so much for being a reader of my blog!

~Mama of the Littles~

Will be MIA for awhile!

Hey all... Movers come tomorrow (15 March) morning. If you are waiting to receive a prize from a giveaway you won, please shoot me an e-mail today angela_heffner at yahoo dot com I will try to do my best to get in contact with the sponsors. As of tomorrow, our Internet will be gone, but I do have an IPhone! We have no home to go to as of yet, and its going to be a two-day trip for us. Please be patient!

Prayers for travelling mercies are appreciated.

~Mama of the Littles~

"Birthday Blessings Bash" Rumparooz Eco Posh fitted diaper review and coupon code {Thanks Mama}

Since my oldest (now 4) was about 2 years old we have been using fitted diapers and wool covers at night. Now that he is potty trained, and my youngest is now 2 we are doing the same with him!

Recently I was blessed to receive an Eco Posh fitted diaper in the color "peace" from Thanks Mama for review. This is what I received:

The 6*r soakers are made of 50% bamboo, 20% organic cotton, and 30% polyester. The diaper itself is made of:
Outer:
65% recycled water bottles
35% organic cotton
Inner: 50% bamboo, 20% organic cotton and 30% polyester
The first thing I noticed when I opened the diaper is how SOFT it is. It's amazingly soft!
It did take some washing to get it all prepped though.
Here is some more information on this diaper (taken from Thanks Mama's website):
EcoPosh Recycled Organic One Size Fitted Pocket Diaper
The EcoPosh Recycled Organic One Size Fitted Pocket Diaper by Rumparooz is made out of bamboo, organic cotton, and recycled water bottles. This one size fitted diaper adjusts to 4 different sizes to accommodate little ones from 6-35 lbs. Because this is a fitted diaper you will need to use a diaper cover. Each EcoPosh Recycled Organic One Size Fitted Diaper coves with a 6r Soaker that is made out of bamboo and organic cotton. This makes the entire diaper a thirsty 10 layers! Use this diaper for heavy wetters when you need extra absorbency and during the night. The double inner gussets keep messes and wetness inside. It fastens on your baby with snap closures.

Sizes are adjusted with snaps on the front of the diaper.
4 Sizes in 1
•Newborn - Starts at 6 lbs
•Small - Starts at 10 lbs
•Medium - Starts at 15 lbs
•Large - Fully unsnapped. Starts at 20

There was one thing I was concerned about with this diaper. Since it is made up of 65% recycled water bottles, I wondered if it contained BPA!! I contacted Rumparooz/Kanga care regarding this question and they could not provide me with an answer right away. I also asked The Green Nursery about this on their Facebook wall. They told me they would contact Rumparooz/Kanga Care and get back to me. They did, about a week later. Soon after that I also heard back from Julie D., a customer care person for Rumparooz/Kanga Care. She told me via e-mail "the EcoPosh line is BPA and phthalate free." She did not give any further information, just the claim that the diapers are in fact BPA and phthalate free! I wonder though really if the company really goes through and make sure the only plastic bottles they were using for these diapers were not a #1 or a #7 plastic! What's wrong with BPA you ask? Bisphenol A is a xenoestrogen, a known endocrine disruptor, meaning it disturbs the hormonal messaging in our bodies. Synthetic xenoestrogens are linked to breast cancer and uterine cancer in women, decreased testosterone levels in men, and are particularly devastating to babies and young children. BPA has even been linked to insulin resistance and Type 2 Diabetes. For more of the science on the effects of BPA on our endocrine system etc. see these studies: Environmental Health Perspectives Journal.

Full article: Which plastic water bottles don't leach chemicals? | Trusted.MD Network http://trusted.md/blog/vreni_gurd/2007/03/29/plastic_water_bottles#ixzz1opUxiBaE
Visit Our Health Blogging Network Trusted.MD
You can read more on that article here!
So I steer clear of plastic (whenever possible) for this reason!

Here are some more pictures of the Rumparooz Ecoposh fitted diaper:

This is the diaper on my 2 yo son:

We did not experience any leaks with this diaper, or other issues. The only thing I noticed is that this diaper, once washed a few times starts to look really worn. I also don't really like the fact that someone from Kanga Care just stated "does not contain BPA or phthalates without providing a more in-depth answer, such as how they go about ensuring this diaper is made without BPA and phthalate-free plastic water bottles!
I've worked with Helena of Thanks Mama in the past and let me tell you that they have an awesome selection of cloth diapers and amazing customer service. They also have some awesome deals going on now! Right now, you can get 5% off with coupon code "mama" $5 off purchase of $50 or more with coupon code "5off" 15% off baby carriers with coupon code "carrier."
Who is going shopping??? I wish I were... instead, I'll be sorting and packing in preparations for our upcoming move!

~Mama of the Littles~

Disclosure: I received the product(s) mentioned above in exchange for this review, thanks to Helena at Thanks Mama! No monetary compensation was received by me. This is my completely honest opinion above and may differ from yours.

"Birthday Blessings Bash" Red Barn {Nifty Nappy Growing Up Green} fitted diaper review and #GIVEAWAY {World-Wide)

If you have been reading this blog for any amount of time, you know my passion obsession, love for Red Barn {Nifty Nappy} cloth diapers!

I was able to review one on my nephew Ezra when he was just a few days old, and I recently reviewed their AI2 earlier in the "Birthday Blessings Bash" event! Now I am thankful to have the chance to be working with Jeni again (owner of Red Barn Cloth Diapers) to review her fitted diaper and woolie wrap for my 2 yo! I chose the winter ooga booga fitted and an argyle wool for the woolie wrap!
This is what I received:

 The insert is a square, but when used is folded in half (as pictured above):

Here is the woolie wrap:

 back-side

 Inside of the diaper

What I love about this diaper. I love that each diaper is hand-made by Jeni. Her work is absolutely superb! She pays very good attention to detail and that is reflected in each diaper. I love that these diapers are a one size diaper, designed to fit babies from 7-35 lbs.

Here is some additional information on the Red Barn Nifty Nappy one size fitted diaper (taken from Belly Buttons and Bubbles' website):
Absorbent, Breathable, very CUTE! The ABC’s of Cloth Diapering.

The Nifty Nappy is just that, “Nifty”. It is a one size fits all for 7-35 lbs. This diaper is designed to be the only diaper you will need until you have potty-trained your young one! These are a great choice for those with more than one in diapers. Only one type of diaper and it will fit all CD’d babies in your house. YEAH!!! These diapers have a very trim fit, and are designed to fit under the belly. There should not be any sag in the bum.

This diaper is designed to be worn with a cover.

• Made with natural materials
• Hidden elastics for ultimate containment and comfort
• Overlapping front snap for custom fit
• One size will fit all your babies and toddlers
• Breathability will help eliminate unwanted diaper rashes
• When paired with a woolie they are practically bullet proof!

Materials:

BODY:
-Outer layer: cotton knit -makes for adorable baby bums!
-Sandwich layer: Organic Hemp fleece -very absorbent
-Inside layer: Microfleece -super soft, and wicks moisture.

LAY IN INSERT:
-Organic Hemp Fleece
-Organic Bamboo Velor
This will fold in half and lay in the diaper

The Nifty Nappy has the snaps through all the layers of fabric so they won’t pull through. Plus the high quality resin snaps make diaper changing a SNAP -couldn’t resist!

Bamboo/Hemp Information:

Organic Bamboo Velour is 70% Organic Bamboo Viscous / 30% Organic Cotton
Organic Hemp Fleece is 45% Organic Hemp / 55% Organic Cotton
These make the Nifty Nappy…
■ Super absorbent with less bulk
■ Anti-bacterial
■ Anti-microbial
■ Very durable

Care:
For care of the fitted diaper simply dump the unwanted “objects” into the toilet. When washing do NOT use fabric softeners or detergents with enzymes. When drying you may dry in the dryer on a gentle cycle, but for longer life allow to air dry. For ammonia smell our secret is Tea Tree Oil; just 5-8 drops in a wash cycle

The woolie wraps are also a one size cover. I LOVE wool! It is the best thing (in my opinion) to get your hands on when you are cloth diapering! So many people are afraid of it or intimidated by how to care for your wool, but it is SOOOOOOOOOOOO easy! Fitted diapers and wool are the ONLY thing we use at night to keep my 2 yo dry!
Here is some information on the Nifty Nappy Woolie Wrap (taken from Nifty Nappy's website):
The Woolie Wrap is a one size (OS) cover. It is made to fit from 7 lbs. to 35 lbs. The versatility of a OS cover saves you money because you have to buy fewer covers over the course of cloth diapering. They are also great with multiple kiddos as you can use it on your 3 month old and your 2 year old. We have a great tutorial video on how to fold the Woolie Wrap, Nifty Nappy™ and Nifty Nappy™ AI2 to fit a newborn.
The Woolie Wrap is a wool cloth diaper cover that you snap on instead of pull up. These are convenient for smaller babies. Also they will fit a wider range of babies. Paired with a Nifty Nappy™ they are practically bullet proof and leave the baby’s bum well ventilated!
• Two wool layers, double the protection!
• Inner layer of buttery soft 100% Organic Wool Interlock
• Outer layer of handpicked upcycled wool with 80%+ wool
• Hidden elastics for ultimate containment and comfort
• Overlapping front snap for custom fit
• One size will fit all your babies and toddlers
• Easy to care for and self cleaning

If you are considering using fitted diapers and wool, but feel a bit intimidated or unsure, there are plenty of video tutorials JUST FOR YOU!
You can visit the Nifty Nappy Wool page or maybe you would like to know how to wash and lanolize your wool, or maybe you want more information on wool covers and the different types out there!

Though I am no expert, I would love to help you out as much as I can. If you want to e-mail me, and chat about wool, fitteds, cloth diapers or anything in general, feel free to shoot me an e-mail angela_heffner at yahoo dot com

This is the winter ooga booga fitted on my 2 yo son:

The fitted diaper fits him perfectly. I love that the inside is so soft!

Here is the Winter ooga booga print fitted diaper under the argyle woolie wrap:

I love this diapering system! It really is fantastic. I really feel good about putting this diaper on my son when I know who has made it, where it came from and that it is such good quality!
If I could afford it, I would probably use all Red Barn fitteds and woolies both day and night!

I'm excited to announce to you that Jeni, the Nifty Nappy needle woman at Red Barn Cloth Diapers has recently opened her on-line store! You can browse products for sale and see the current fabric choices available for purchase!
Jeni also makes and sells Nifty Nappy Bitty Bums (LOVE), extra nappy inserts, Heavy Duty fitted diapers (which are meant for the heavy wetter (I also LOVE these), the All-In-Two's, swim diapers (which I really want to try next), and the Weensie Woolies (designed to be paired with the Bitty Bums!
You can view all of those items here!
The Red Barn {Nifty Nappy} Fitted diaper retails for $23.50 and the woolie wrap for $26.50!

As a sponsor for this event, Jeni is not only offering one fitted diaper in winner's choice of fabric, but she is also offering a 20% off coupon code! From now until 28 March, enter "BLESSINGS20" to take 20% off your total order!

Jeni is also giving away one fitted diaper to ONE LWML reader in choice of fabric (you can see the choices here)! This giveaway is open world-wide *note if winner resides outside of the US or Canada, the winner will be responsible for paying the shipping costs*

To enter, simply use the rafflecopter entry form! You may have to click 'read more'

Good Luck and have fun!
*please note the movers will be packing us up for our move at the end of this giveaway. Please be patient with me if you are the winner! *
~Mama of the Littles~

Disclosure: I received the product(s) mentioned above in exchange for this review, thanks to Jeni at Red Barn Cloth Diapers! No monetary compensation was received by me. This is my completely honest opinion above and may differ from yours.

Another round of #BITHDAYBLESSINGSBASH winners!

The winner of the $25 GC to The Tender Tush is Shakeeta W.
The winner of the $15 GC to The Tender Tush is Daphne.
The winner of the smart snugs diaper is Julie G.
The winner of the Perfect Pocket Blissful Booty diaper is Kim J.
The winner of the $20 GC to Bouncing Babies USA is Linda H.

Congrats to all the winners and a HUGE thank you to all the wonderful sponsors!
Check your inbox/spam to confirm if you are a winner!
Didn’t win this time? No worries, click here to see a list of all my current giveaways!

~Mama of the Littles~

"Honor the Earth" giveaway hop!! I'm taking part!

I am so excited to tell you about an upcoming giveaway hop called Honor the Earth! Happy Mothering and DeDa Studios proudly present the “Honor the Earth” Giveaway Hop from April 15th 12:01 AM EST to April 22nd 11:59 PM EST and are accepting sign ups now.
Why this giveaway hope is going to rock? Well, the event is indented to "Honor the Earth" and many green, eco-friendly and sustainable items will be up for grabs!

I am signing up and am going to be bringing you a review of Glass Dharma straws. One of you will have a chance to win a $25 GC to use at Glass Dharma!!

Have you ever tried glass straws? What did you think?

Stay tuned... more fun is in store!

~Mama of the Littles~

"Birthday Blessings Bash" Kissaluvs marvels one size fitted diaper review and $10 GC #GIVEAWAY and 10% off coupon code {Jack be Natural} US only!

Seems like I'm always browsing around cyber space when my boys are sleeping (and I'm not working on the blog or folding laundry) to find the best cloth diaper deals. I love shops that ship for free, and price match. I especially love shops that stand behind the products they sell. Of course, offering a rewards program is awesome as well. A few weeks ago I stumbled on Jack be Natural. This shop first caught my eye because they offer fast, and FREE shipping! The more I searched Jack be Natural the more I found I loved the site. Jack be Natural has an excellent rewards program. For every $15.00 you spend, you get $1.00 of Jack's Cash back. That's like getting 7% back on every $15.00 spent (and those of us know how easy it is to spend well over $15.00, especially if there is a sale going on)!
Not only will you find a wide variety of cloth diapers at Jack be Natural, but they also offer baby carriers, a whole section of natural remedies, vitamins and probiotics (which I LOVE)! They also offer items for mom, toys and the list goes on!

The more I read about the owners of Jack be Natural, the more in love with this company I became. Can you relate??

"A middle-class family of four with two great kids, aspiring entrepreneurs and obsessed with our children's health and well being. All parents care about their children's health and well being; however, in today's universe of children and baby products there are numerous hazards out there that the majority of the public, including us at one point, are simply not aware of.

For example, children's bottles made from plastics that release harmful chemicals, the potentially harmful raw materials that go into disposable diaper manufacturing and the list goes on and on.

Our family has always made a conscious effort to use natural and/or organic products but at the same time we have taken the time to learn the facts and make sure that we don't detach from reality on what is safe and what isn't. In many cases evidence currently available regarding the accuracy of claims made by various groups and organizations on why some of these products are harmful are not conclusive and have two sides to the story. Our stance? If the ease of use and economic impact is the same, minimal or better, then why take a chance?

Hence, we started exploring better alternatives for everyday products we purchased for ourselves as well as our children. Admittedly these products were available at a slight premium to the average national brands but we both agreed that this premium was a very small price to pay to ensure the well being and health of our children, not to mention our piece of mind!

Combining our passion for natural products with our entrepreneurial spirit resulted in the creation of Jack Be Natural. Our mantra is simple. Educate other parents like ourselves on the advantages of natural baby products while providing them at fair and affordable prices. At the same time we fulfill our dream of starting our own business.

Thank you for visiting Jack Be Natural and we look forward to helping and creating a positive experience for you through our service and product offerings.

From our family to yours!

Stacy & John"

I contacted Jack be Natural regarding sponsoring this event. They agreed and graciously sent me a Kissaluvs marvels one size fitted diaper in 'world' print! *I've been drooling over this diaper since we started using fitted diapers! This is what I received:

The first thing I noticed about this diaper (besides the beautifully colorful print) was the softness of the inside of the diaper... can you see it?

The inside is made of 82% rayon from bamboo and 18% polyester! It is sooooo soft!

Here is some more info on this diaper (taken from Kissaluvs website):
•One size; fits most babies from 10-40 lbs
•Elasticized legs and waist for a leak proof fit (with our proprietary, latex-free elastic)
•Simple, patent pending, snap-on design helps adjust rise easily to fit babies of different sizes (no multiple rows of snaps or snap down configurations)
•Three body layers and a micro fiber soaker provides absorbency even for the heaviest wetters
•Fabulous designer print 100% cotton outer and a yummy bamboo velour inner fabric
•Currently available in three gorgeous prints: Zoo-Blue, Mocca-Swirl and Two-Hoots

This diaper is AWESOME!! I did notice that it is a bit of a bigger diaper though (compared to my other hemp fitteds). The top of the diaper is designed to fold down in the front to fit smaller babies. This is how my 2 yo wears it, as when he wears it with the font not folded, it seems a bit frumpy on him (see pics below for comparison):

Since this diaper is a one-sized diaper and is made to fit babies 10-40 lbs, it will last a long time (though I do hope to have my 2 yo potty trained well before he hits 40 lbs) lol!

You can purchase this diaper directly from Jack be Natural for only $24.95
But wait, that's not all!

As a sponsor of the Birthday Blessings Bash event, Jack be Natural has generously offered one LWML follower the chance to win a $10 GC to be used towards the purchase of anything on their website!

Also, from now until 15 March you can enter the code "BLESSINGS" at checkout and receive 10% off your entire order (excludes: GroVia, bumGenius, Flip, Hemp Babies and Imse Vimse products)! Remember too that shipping is fast and FREE!

This giveaway is open to US residents only!

To enter, simply use the rafflecopterrafflecopter entry form!

Good Luck and have fun!

~Mama of the Littles~

Disclosure: I received the product(s) mentioned above in exchange for this review, thanks to Jack be Natural! No monetary compensation was received by me. This is my completely honest opinion above and may differ from yours.

Another round of #BITHDAYBLESSINGSBASH winners!

The winner of the $25 GC to Turtle Soup Kids is Ed S.
The winner of the Green Tree Diapering pocket diaper is Nicky.
The winner of the $25 GC to Modern Cloth is Jennifer M.
The winner of the $25 off Scentsy purchase of $50 or more is Joy N.
The winner of the organic child toddler pillow from Lullaby Organics is Renee G.
The winner of the Bumgenius 4.0 diaper is Amy.

Congrats to all the winners and a HUGE thank you to all the wonderful sponsors!
Check your inbox/spam to confirm if you are a winner!
Didn’t win this time? No worries, click here to see a list of all my current giveaways!


Extra entry opportunities for the $100 GC giveaway (world-wide)!!
From now until 5 March midnight (EST) I am offering one extra entry for each person that does the following:
Go to "Dearest Diapers" on Facebook and "like them."
Then copy this on their wall "Angela Heffner sent me"
Then, come back here and leave the url link to your post!
This can only be done once, not daily.
Even if you are already a fan of Dearest Diapers on Facebook, you can still copy the note to their wall and you will get one extra entry into the $100 GC giveaway!

Good Luck!



You can see how to enter that here!
~Mama of the Littles~