Adventures in Craziness

Bible Verse Gifts – Review May 18, 2013

Filed under: Products/Reviews/Giveaways — Marie Johnson @ 5:22 pm
Tags: appreciation, babies, baby, baptism, birthday, christening, Christian, Christmas, church volunteer, English and Spanish, gift, graduation, Mother's Day, pastor, personalized, present, wedding

The Perfect Christian Gift

I was given the opportunity to review a unique Your Name in Bible Verse certificate. I decided to get one to honor our miscarried Angel Babies. I actually ordered it just days before my second miscarriage. I received my certificate only days later.
I am pleased with the care Bible Verse Gifts took to prepare my certificate and protect it well during mailing.
Here is a picture of everything that was in the envelope. An informational flyer/order form, protective vellum paper, certificate, and paperboard make up the contents of the envelope.
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Here is a little more about the certificates via the Bible Verse Gifts Website: BibleVerse.org

Your Name in Bible Verse certificates are beautiful, individually printed certificates personalized with a loved one’s first and last names, two first names, or any phrase up to 20 letters and spaces, with an inspirational Bible verse for each letter.
Bible Verse certificates make ideal, affordable, Christian gifts for:
Birthdays, weddings, baptisms and christenings, Mother’s Day, Christmas, 1st communions, confirmations, pastor appreciations…any occasion!
Available in English and Spanish.
In over 20 different of styles.
Each certificate is unique.

Certificates fit nicely into 8 ½” x 11″ certificate frames, 10″ x 13″ frames (matted to 8″ x 10″) and 11″ x 14″ frames (matted to 8″ x 10″). All these sizes are commonly available, and can be purchased for very reasonable prices at Hobby Lobby, Wal-Mart, Target, and many other stores. I have yet to put mine into a frame. Many of our frames and wall decor are still waiting to be hung.

I love the paper with the calla lilies, though there are many other great choices also. You can see the many styles on the BibleVerse.org website.
Here is a close-up of the one made for our Angel Babies:
Bible Verse Gifts

Order today by visiting www.BibleVerse.org or by calling (619-437-1321
Bible Verse Gifts may also be found on facebook: www.facebook.com/bibleversegifts/

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Share this:
by

Leave a Comment

Cloth Wipes: Cloth Diaper 101 May 15, 2013

Filed under: Cloth Diapering,Cloth Diapers 101 — Marie Johnson @ 12:50 am

This post is part of the Cloth Diaper 101 Blog Hop hosted by My Cloth Diaper Stash.

*I revamped this from an earlier post: Read it here.

I started using cloth wipes not long after starting with cloth diapers. I didn’t buy any fancy cloth wipes. I have a few that are the thin cheap washcloths from Wal-Mart, but a majority are ones that I have made from old T-shirts. I find this to be a super simple way to use old t-shirts with holes in them or just ones you don’t wear anymore. Simply cut them into square like shapes – they don’t have to be exact – and then they are ready to go! No need to sew them because t-shirt material doesn’t fray! Did you hear that? No Sew!! I also love that I don’t have to worry about throwing them out because it is easy to make some more. Sometimes they just don’t get clean looking anymore.
I used to fold the wipes in a way that they would pop up like disposable wipes, but since my wipes are not all the same shape, size, or material, I just pile them in a Huggies wipes container.
I also make my own wipes solution. I usually pour my wipes solution on my wipes prior to using them so they are wet and ready to go when I need them. Here is a link to my wipes solutions.
I love these wipes because they just get thrown in the wash with the diapers, so it’s super easy.

Now that my oldest(3) is potty training, I like to keep a container of wipes in the bathroom for easy cleanups. I also use the wipes for myself on occasion. I have actually found that I prefer cloth wipes to toilet paper! Don’t worry though! We keep the house stocked with toilet paper too.

I also like to use cloth wipes like these for disinfecting wipes! Read more about that here and here.

Do you use cloth wipes with your cloth diapers? What has worked for your family regarding cloth wipes?

Share this:
by

Leave a Comment

Hubby’s Thoughts on Cloth Diapers May 15, 2013

Filed under: Cloth Diapering,Cloth Diapers 101 — Marie Johnson @ 12:20 am

This topic was from a couple of weeks ago, and I finally decided to just post it.
This is what my husband wrote up when I asked him to write about what he thought of cloth diapers.

To be honest I was not totally convinced when my wife wanted to do cloth diapering, and we didn’t with our first daughter. She was convinced to do it with the second one and I reluctantly agreed (mostly because a good friend of my wifes gave her a bunch of covers and inserts). Am I against cloth diapers? Not completely. I do think they offer some perks but am not convinced they are all they are cracked up to be. The cost of the water for all the loads of just the diapers and inserts, and the cost for running the dryer all the time is not cheap. I hear talk about how cloth diapers do not smell as much as disposable and have to disagree with that. I think they have let just as much smell out, and even after washing can still leave a stink. While this is not all my thoughts on cloth diapers this is what I’ve got. While I may not agree, if my wife wants to put the extra work into cloth diapers then go for it I guess.

It took me so long to post this because I was hurt by the seeming lack of support from my husband.

If you cloth diaper, What does your husband think?

Share this:
by

Leave a Comment

Little Monsters Cloth Diaper Review and #Fluffymail #Giveaway May 1, 2013

Filed under: Cloth Diapering,Products/Reviews/Giveaways — Marie Johnson @ 2:09 am

fluffymaileventbutton

Welcome to the Fluffy Mail Giveaway Hop, hosted by the Blogging Mamas Network!

If you’re a cloth diapering Mom or Dad {or plan to be}, you know that one of the most exciting things about cloth diapers is… Fluffy Mail! There’s just something special about opening up a package of adorable fluff! I’ve teamed up with over 40 other bloggers to bring you LOTS of chances to get the best kind of Fluffy Mail – a Giveaway Win! So be sure to hop around to all the other giveaways at the bottom of this post before the event ends on May 15th!

Now for the review! Little Monsters Cloth Diapers are one of my favorites in my stash!

I was sent a Little Monsters Diaper to use on my littles several months ago. I have since purchased another of their diapers!

My favorite things about the Little Monsters Diapers are:

Stretchy tabs!! – the tabs are so stretchy that it is easy to get just the right fit!
Snaps and placement – I think that the snaps used on the Little Monsters diaper are very good and I haven’t had any trouble with them. I love the arrangement of the snaps on the diaper. I love using this diaper for daycare since it is so easy to understand.
No wing droopage! This diaper stays on really well even with my always busy toddler. (hence why the picture of my 16 month old is a little blurry!)
Elastic – The elastic is strong and comfortable. My girls do not get red marks and everything stays in the diaper. I was reminded of this just tonight! Good elastic makes all the difference! Enough Said!
Generous size – While I have not had the opportunity to try the Little Monsters diaper on a child younger than 11 months, I think that it is generously sized and would last from about a month old until 4 or longer! My 3 year old just recently needed the rise snaps to be all the way open and the tabs still have plenty of room for her to grow. The pictures below are of my 3 year old (this was the diaper that I recently purchased)
Great embroidery! – The one they sent me has 2 ladybugs on it and the one I recently purchased has an owl on it. I love them both and love the others they have available.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

My least favorite things:

Microfiber – I have grown to dislike microfiber. I would much prefer to have the option for different inserts. I tend to lean more toward the natural fibers. The inserts that came with this diaper are good but personally I prefer more natural fibers.
Lint buildup in the tabs – I have noticed this on most of my diapers. This is a problem that could be easily solved with a line of stitching on the tab before the snaps. Currently, lint builds up between the snaps on the tabs. It takes some work and a tweezers to get it all out!

How do you get your hands on one of these diapers?

Visit Little Monsters to find out more!
Website: littlemonstersclothdiapers.com/
Facebook: LittleMonstersDiapers
Twitter: @LilMonstersCD

Facebook is in no way affiliated with this contest. Adventures in Craziness is not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes. We have represented each sponsor with the expectation they will fulfill their prize and in a timely manner. We will contact the sponsor regarding your prize(s). The sponsors, in most cases, are shipping their items to you directly. I will make every effort to assist you obtaining your prize. If there is an issue with a sponsor, please notify me within 4-6 weeks for assistance, after that I may be unable to assist you.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
According to Jenny, So Easy Being Green, the Blogging Mamas Network, and the Fluffy Mail participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prize obligations.

Share this:
by

Leave a Comment

Wordless Wednesday – Tutu April 24, 2013

Filed under: Wordless Wednesday — Marie Johnson @ 4:25 pm

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Sylvia sporting her Tutu dress from Princess and Atti-Cakes and Naomi wondering where hers is!

Share this:
by

Leave a Comment

Preference for Prefolds Party Announcement April 18, 2013

Filed under: Cloth Diapering — Marie Johnson @ 12:45 pm

I love prefolds! I will be joining The Median Mommy celebrating our Preference for Prefolds July 1 to July 21! Click the picture below if you would like to join us too!

Share this:
by

Leave a Comment

RSV, Easter, Pride of Dakota Day March 24, 2013

Filed under: General Craziness — Marie Johnson @ 11:09 pm

I sat down to write for the Cloth 101 blog hop but just cant seem to write about cloth diapers right now.
Things have been pretty crazy around here. The girls just got over RSV and were well for about a week and now are sick again! This time it appears to be nothing other than a cold. Hopefully that is all that it is.

Things are pretty crazy this week. I am getting the house cleaned up and ready for my family to visit for Easter. I love that it works for them to come here! Easter is one of my favorite times of year. Spring is in the air–er, well, I guess it was snowing today and was snowing yesterday. I have hope that Spring will come one of these days.
But most importantly, at Easter we remember what Jesus did for us as he died for our sins and rose again so that we may have Eternal Life!

This is a great thing to remember as I am feeling so busy and overwhelmed. The hope of everlasting life with Jesus.
I am feeling just a bit overwhelmed with cake things right now. As I am anticipating the arrival of my family for Easter, I am also preparing for Pride of Dakota Day at our North Dakota State Capitol building on April 4th from 9-4pm. This means lots of cake pops need to be made before I head to Bismarck for the Pride of Dakota Annual meeting on April 3rd and stay in Bismarck for Pride of Dakota day at the Capitol. This is a free event so come and shop for Scrumptious Creations and other Pride of Dakota products at the Capitol if you are able.
It seems as though, when I have cake stuff to do, more cake orders come in. I have an order for some Easter cake pops and a birthday cake order this week and another birthday cake order for when I get back from Bismarck.
Don’t get me wrong! I am not complaining. I love making cakes! but man! When it rains it pours I guess! Here’s to 2013 being a money making year for Scrumptious Creations! (last year was not so good)

So this is a glimpse of why posts have been sparse lately and a little explanation of why posts will be sparse for at least another 2 weeks.

to borrow the phrase: Keep on keeping on!

Share this:
by

Comments (1)

CollageIt Free for iOS Review March 12, 2013

Filed under: Products/Reviews/Giveaways — Marie Johnson @ 2:01 am

CollageIt for iOS is an easy-to-use and automatic photo collage maker for iOS, which helps you create fun collages from your photo library. Awesome features include:

You can import up to 9 photos and reach the 2400*2400 pixels collage size.
Simple taps to edit, rotate, resize, flip, delete or adjust border and space between photos.
Support 4 collage styles: Mosaic, Grid, Center and Manual (Customizing layouts manually).
Save collage as an image file; send via Email; or share on social network sites like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Flickr.

I have enjoyed getting to use this fun app! This review has taken me a while though since my girls have been sick for a long time! Or, at least it seems like a really long time. They are now feeling much better and I am feeling up to writing again.

This app is so easy to use! I love that I can easily customize each collage to my particular liking. And, I can change it again and again as my mind changes.
The CollageIt app really makes it easy to put together a collage of your favorite pictures quickly. The app includes many ways to share your pictures with friends and family.
I only wish that there was a way to add text to the collage. I prefer to put my watermark on pictures that I put on the blog.

Here is a collage I made in only a couple minutes:

Try it out for yourself today!

Available on the App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/my/app/collageit-free/id575442281?mt=8

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Share this:
by

Leave a Comment

Cloth Diaper Charity March 11, 2013

Filed under: Cloth Diapering — Marie Johnson @ 11:41 pm

Love WAHM cloth diapers? Do you love helping a worthwhile charity? Then this auction for Giving Diapers, Giving Hope is perfect for you! Brands include Zabi Baby, Poppy Fields, Moraki, Mo Dia, Ella Bella Bum, and Dunk-n-Fluff with all proceeds going directly to Giving Diapers, Giving Hope. I hope you will consider bidding on these gorgeous diapers. Bidding on the diapers will begin on Wednesday, March 8 and end on Wednesday March 15. http://hyenacart.com/GivingDiapers/

If you don’t need any diapers but still want to help GDGH is always accepting used cloth diapers and monetary donations. To find out more about donating or even to apply you can visit their website.

To better explain what Giving Diapers, Giving Hope really does Kim Rosas of Dirty Diaper Laundry made a short film about them. What many don’t realize is that they are always receiving and shipping diapers even when there are no blog posts being written, or facebook statuses about them, or tweets being sent. Day in and day out these women and volunteers are putting in hours and hours just unpacking donations, sorting diapers, approving applications, and shipping boxes of hope to families. It might seem like a small thing, these little boxes of diapers, but to anyone who has ever struggled to choose between buying diapers or buying food this little box is truly the gift of freedom and peace of mind.
Giving Diapers, Giving Hope is a non-profit that provides income-qualified families a stash of cloth diapers for a small shipping fee. The organization started in 2011 when Kristen McCarthy was suddenly without a job and still had two babies in cloth diapers. As a single mom she wasn’t sure what she was going to do. Luckily she had already been cloth diapering and had enough to not worry. She wondered what other families would do in the same situation but that didn’t already have cloth diapers. How could they afford to buy disposables, or even cloth diapers? The start-up cost can be a few hundred diapers and when you are living with little or no money then that is money you don’t have. With no federal or state programs that provide any diapering assistance Kristen, along with Emily Glover, started Giving Diapers, Giving Hope. After almost two years these two women have been able to ship over 3,600 diapers all across the country. Hundreds of families no longer need to worry about how they will afford to buy diapers and their babies will have a clean and healthy bottom no matter what. In 2013 the organization partnered with the Cape Ann YMCA’s Leader’s Club in their hometown of Gloucester. The Teen Leader’s Club, a group who spend part of their free time doing volunteer work, now assists with the packing and shipping of cloth diapers. With an ever increasing number of applications and donations their work is very appreciated and necessary to keep the organization running.

Share this:
by

Leave a Comment

Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil #Review and #Giveaway February 27, 2013

Filed under: Products/Reviews/Giveaways,Reducing Chemicals — Marie Johnson @ 4:45 pm

Let me start out by saying that I never really liked the smell or taste of coconut in the past. I was even reluctant to try coconut oil in the first place.
Since we have been trying to reduce waste and live more naturally at our house, we have been trying some new things. Some of the things that we have tried haven’t worked out the best. Coconut Oil is, however, one of those changes we will keep using all around our home. I first tried coconut oil I found at our grocery store. I thought that it was wonderful and didn’t even have any coconut smell, so it was quite easy for me to start using.
I heard about Tropical Traditions from several other bloggers and thought that coconut oil is coconut oil and how could there be much difference.
I decided I would give Tropical Traditions a try. The quality is amazing! I was impressed with the soft feel of the Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil. The other coconut oil I had purchased seemed to be harder in the jar.

Coconut oil is great for many things. Here are some of the things that I use coconut oil for:

Cooking – I use it in place of other oils sometimes. The virgin coconut oil leaves a slight coconut taste and smell but more refined coconut oil doesn’t have the coconut smell or taste.
Diaper rash cream – I use coconut oil in its solid state and just let it melt in my fingers and apply just like regular diaper cream. I love it because the coconut oil washes right out of the cloth diapers!
Squeaky hinges – I have rubbed coconut oil into the squeaky door hinges in our house. Works wonders and doesn’t stink like some other lubricants.
Homemade Toothpaste
Moisturizer – in place of lotion – I especially like to put a good amount all over my hands before bed and put cotton gloves over the coconut oil.

Win 1 quart of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!

Tropical Traditions is America’s source for coconut oil. Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their website: What is Virgin Coconut Oil?

You can also watch the video they produced about Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil:

Tropical Traditions also carries other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil. Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the advantages of buying coconut oil online. Since the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is the best website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product. **Referral links included in this post** If you order by clicking on any of my links and have never ordered from Tropical Traditions in the past, you will receive a free book on Virgin Coconut Oil, and I will receive a discount coupon for referring you.

a Rafflecopter giveaway