Turkey Day Update...and more.

The big day has come and gone and I'm left wondering why I was so stressed. The day went off pretty smoothly with just a minor hitch at the end of the day.  All of the stress and anxiety for nothing!

I got up around 5:45 ate breakfast and finished preparations on the turkey, my very first turkey. I put it in the oven by 6:30. I quickly got dressed for the road race, the Hot To Trot 5K, and woke the hubs and the kiddos and had them dressed and out the door by 6:45.

We made it to the race with plenty of time. It was scheduled to start at 7:30, but there were so many entries that they delayed the start by about half an hour. I am so glad they did. It gave me time to nurse Bubby. I really wasn't looking forward to racing with a full chest! Ouch!

The race was awesome! There were 700 or so runners, including my 2 cousins-in-law who were in town for the holiday. Jennifer ran a personal best time, while her brother Brandon ran with her and taunted encouraged her. I also ran my best time. I ran it in 24:33, a minute faster than the last race!

And guess what???

I placed 3rd in my age group!!! I won a water bottle and a $10 gift certificate.

I got a little teary when they called my name, and I about lost it when my sweet Cakes yelled "Way to go, Mommy!" The hubs said that he almost got a tear, too! We're a bit sappy if you couldn't tell!

So we headed home, hoping that we weren't going to have a burnt turkey in the oven. It was perfect timing. The turkey was nicely browned and ready to be flipped. (I cooked it breast down for the first 3 hours) About an hour and a half later the turkey was done...just in time to head over to the in-laws. I really could not have timed it better. And...

It turned out perfectly! Well, perhaps a little crisp on top, but it was delicious and super juicy and now I am in charge of the turkey. :-)

Unfortunately, dinner at my parents house didn't work out so well. Cakes was not herself. I'm not sure what was wrong, and I'm still a bit perplexed. She didn't want to eat and was whining and crying during dinner and kept asking to go home. And then she got sick. She threw up. So we left, but she was fine the rest of the evening. She was fine all day yesterday. Then today, she threw up during lunch and has had one loose bm. It's weird. She's been acting fine, totally normal. No fever, no fatigue, no symptoms of anything. Immediately after getting sick, she's fine, playing and running around. Tonight for dinner, she didn't eat much. She just doesn't seem to want to eat. Not that I can blame her, but she did eat some yogurt, applesauce and drank some milk.

I'm not sure what I should do. She's only ever been sick once before so I'm not very experienced dealing with sickness. And she doesn't seem sick, but there's something going on. What could it be? What should I do?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope everyone has a wonderful day, filled with family and friends, and lots of yummy holiday foods! My day is starting early with a 5K and the roasting of my very first turkey. I hope I can run fast, roast the perfect turkey, and still have enough energy to hang out with all of my family! It's going to be a busy day!

And in the spirit of being thankful...

Thank you, God, for all of the blessings that you have bestowed upon my family. We are humbled by all you do for us. Thank you!

Thank you, family, for always being there. We may not always see eye to eye, but despite our disagreements, we always have each other's backs.

and

Thank you, friends (blogging friends included), for just being my friends!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Silly Haiku Wednesday - Parenting

The basics:
Haiku is simple! It is 3 non-rhyming lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively (a great way to use your fingers!)

This week's theme is: Parents or Parenting


Thought it'd be easy...
and I thought I wouldn't yell.
Parenting. It's tough!

I'm doing my best.
I'm giving it all I've got.
I hope that's enough!

Be sure to stop by You know...that Blog? for more Silly Haiku Wednesday!

How Green Are You?

My blogger friend Erin over at The Mother Load recently posted about being green and challenged her readers take some simple steps to become greener. I was a very insightful post and got me thinking about the things that I do to be green. It also got me thinking about the things that I don't do...and what I need to do.

I have to admit that most of my areas of greenness all selfishly come from being thrifty and/or natural. And all of these things came about once I became a mother. I was not an eco-conscious, natural living type person until I had kids. I would never have been considered crunchy. But my perspective changed. I brought a life into this world and I wanted to do everything I could to make it the best life for her that I could.

I'd say the very first step in being natural, and eco-cheap, was breastfeeding. Read more about the Eco-Cheap factor of breastfeeding here. Baby food making soon followed. At this point, it didn't even register that these two choices were in fact green. Being green wasn't even on my radar!

Fast forward to baby two. At some point during my pregnancy with the boy, I decided that I was going to cloth diaper him. Little did I know that this decision would alter the way I lived my life and change the way I viewed the environment.

In my search for information about cloth diapering, I came across Diaper Swappers, a cloth diaper website and message board. It was from this site that I learned about many various ways to be natural, cheap, and green. Diaper Swappers was my gateway to greenness!

From this great community of cloth diapering mothers, I discovered cloth wipes and natural wipe solutions, eco-friendly, phosphate-free detergent, and wool dryer balls to eliminate toxic dryer sheets. On a more personal note, I learned about the Diva Cup and Mama Cloth. I also learned about turning the thermostat down (or up) to save energy. These were all great ways to save money, and that's always a plus in my book. But not only that, they were all better for our health and the environment!

Recently, I have been using the Ultimate Cloth which has helped us to cut down on our use of paper towels and toxic cleaners. And I am trying very hard to use kitchen towels to dry my hands instead of paper towels. It's really a hard habit to break!

I am also trying to reduce our use of plastic bags. I actually have some reusable snack bags on the way and I'm excited to start using them!

Like I said earlier though, I have been selfishly green. The only green thing that I currently do that doesn't benefit us personally, is use reusable grocery bags. And honestly, I forget to use them a lot, and I never even thought about using them for other than grocery shopping. Duh! I'm proud to say though, that the last 2 days that I went shopping, I used my own bags!

Thank you Erin for the kick in the butt that I needed! You inspire me! I am going to do better for our environment!

Now I just need to figure out this whole recycling thing.

How green are you? How do you handle your recycling? Any tips to get me started?

Ick.

I just nursed the Bubby in a public bathroom. I can't believe that I just sat on a toilet, with my jeans on, and fed my baby boy. I feel gross and disgusted with myself.

I feel like such an amateur. I've been doing this for over 14 months now. This should not have been a big deal. I should have just nursed him at the table. I'm good at it. No one would have even noticed.

But I didn't. I was a coward. I nursed my baby in the bathroom. Ick.

What was I thinking?

What was I thinking when...

I signed up to run a 5K on Thanksgiving morning? It's not like the race starts before I am usually even up. Oh yeah, an hour before I'm usually up. And I'm not a morning person. And I don't like running in the cold, and it's a good bet that it will be cold.

And it's not like I don't have a busy day anyway.

What was I then thinking when...

I offered to be in charge of cooking the turkey. It's not like I've NEVER cooked a turkey in my entire life. Oh yeah, I've never even cooked a whole chicken, nonetheless a turkey. For Thanksgiving. For 18 people. At noon.

Really, what was I thinking???

CSN Baby and Bilibo Play Shell - A Review

The much anticipated review of the Bilibo Play Shell is finally here! After posting my little teaser a couple of weeks ago, a couple of you left comments asking what exactly this thing is. Honestly, I was pretty intrigued about it as well. I saw one of these at a local toy store and it immediately caught my eye. "What is that?" I asked the hubby. "Heck if I know" he replied. We were on our way out of the store so I didn't get a chance to look at it to find out. And that was that.

A month or so later, I got an email from CSN Stores offering me the opportunity to pick out an item from any of their stores to review. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, CSN Stores has more than 200 different shopping sites! That's a lot to choose from, but the logical site for me to shop was CSN Baby. They have pretty much everything you would ever need for your baby, except diapers and food, so I narrowed down my choices by browsing their Eco-Friendly Toy section. And there it was, that crazy looking thing-a-ma-jig, the Bilibo Play Shell!

So what is this thing? It is an award winning, eco-friendly, open-ended toy intended to inspire creativity and imaginative play. Basically, it is whatever your child wants it to be! I had to get it for my kiddos!

Three days after placing the order, it arrived on our doorstep. We eagerly opened the box and began to play with it. It is intended for kids age 2-7, and Cakes, age 3, loves it!

She sits in it and rocks, spins, and slides across the floor.

She balances atop it, pretending to be a ballerina.

 

And she leaps on, off, and over it, like the crazy banshee that she is!

 

She also thinks it's funny to pretend to be a turtle, or put it over her head as a mask of sorts. It's makes a perfect stool to sit on. And her dolls enjoy it as a cradle. But our dogs don't care for it when she tries to use it as a cage for them!

I think if used with supervision it is appropriate for even younger. My little Bubby, age 1, thinks it's pretty fun too! He loves it when I spin him around and rock him in it. He also enjoys putting his toys in and out of it. But like I said, with supervision, because he also tries to use it as a step stool!

The true test of a toy for me is whether they like it after the newness wears off. You know, like after the first day. Well, we've had it for over 2 weeks now and they still are enjoying it.

Don't they look like they're having fun?!

Please forgive the messy hair, the big stain on Cakes shirt, and the missing sock!

***CSN Baby sent me the Bilibo Play Shell review. I was not compensated in any other way and the statements above are my own honest opinion.***

Silly Haiku Wednesday - Spontaneity

The basics:
Haiku is simple! It is 3 non-rhyming lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively (a great way to use your fingers!)

This week's theme is: Spontaneity

Lots of work to do.
I can't be spontaneous.
I must plan my time.

...and because I felt like doing another

Quit making it hard!
You're taking too long thinking.
Just write what you feel.

Be sure to stop by You know...that Blog? for more Silly Haiku Wednesday!

Blogging Light

I am in serious need of more hours in the day! It's a constant struggle to get everything done that needs to get done. How am I supposed to get it all done?

Aside from all of my ordinary daily tasks, like taking care of two kids, keeping the books for my family's business, and just being an active family that is constantly on the go, we are in the midst of our busiest selling season on eBay. We currently have anywhere from 100 - 200 listings going at once! And if by chance you are looking to buy licensed team sports apparel, like sweatshirts, hats, or coats, let me know and I'll send you a link. We have great prices!

So, that's where I am right now and my head feels like it's going to explode. But somehow I will get it all done. Somehow.

Needless to say, blogging has been light...and will be until after Christmas. The only time I'm finding to blog or read blogs is when I'm nursing the Bubby. That gives me maybe thirty minutes a day, broken up in three ten-minute intervals. I secretly pray that he falls asleep while nursing so I have more time to blog! Ha! That happens, like NEVER!

I'd better get back to work...

Wordless Wednesday - Siblings

Siblings
The Girl & The Boy
(13 months & 14 months)

Do they look alike?

Check out other Wordless Wednesday participants.

The Ultimate Cloth: An Eco-Cheap Review

Are you looking for a better way to clean your home? An easier way? A more eco-friendly way?

Look no further. I have found the perfect cleaning product!

The Ultimate Cloth

I was recently approached to try out The Ultimate Cloth and I must say I was pretty skeptical. It sounded like one of those products you would see on a television infomercial. Sure it sounded great, and they make all kinds of claims, but does it REALLY work the way they say it does?

The answer is a resounding YES, it really does!

The Ultimate Cloth is made with an exclusive and patented MiraFiber™ Technology. This means that the cloth "has open spaces between the fibers that act as millions of tiny 'scoops' that pull dust, dirt, oil & other contaminants into the cloth and hold them until washed away with mild soap or detergent."

Using The Ultimate Cloth results in spotless, streak free, lintless/dustless surfaces using nothing more than the cloth and some water! No chemicals necessary! Unbelievable, right?

The first thing I attempted to clean was my very dirty, little kid hand print ridden, dog nose print covered, glass back door. It was really bad. If the cloth could clean this then I was sold on it. I prepped the cloth by rinsing it with water and wrung it out really well. Then I tackled that mess. And as easy as pie, I wiped the door down and revealed a sparkling clean, streak free view of our back yard!

That was proof enough for me, but I was so excited at how easy it was to clean that I had to test it out in other areas of the house. I used it all over the kitchen. The stove top, the counters, the microwave, the fridge, the kitchen table, and yes...the kitchen sink, too! Next was the bathroom. The mirror, the sink, and even the soap scum ringed kids bathtub. If that wan't enough testing, I then used it to dust and wipe down some of our household electronics.

Everywhere I used it, the Ultimate Cloth worked just as claimed. Easy and with no chemicals.

It can be used over and over, just wash it between uses. It comes with a 5 year guarantee! And a 30 day money back guarantee.

So....

What makes it Eco-Cheap?
It is economical and eco-friendly! You can purchase one for $6, two for $10, or five for $20, and save lots of money and the environment by cutting your use of paper towels and eliminating the need for toxic cleaning products.

Would The Eco-Cheap Mom recommend this product?
Most definitely, yes! I'm headed to The Ultimate Cloth site to buy a few more. One is just not enough. A few for the kitchen and one for the bathrooms. Perhaps one to cut into swiffer size sheets to use on my swiffer. Lots of uses for one simple cloth!

***Ultimate Cloth sent me one cloth to test in exchange for posting this review. I was not compensated in any other way and the statements above are my own honest opinion.***

Prayers For Stellan

Please take a moment to pray for 1-year old Stellan and his family.

A little background...

Stellan was diagnosed with heart failure, suffering from Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT), hydrops and heart block while in utero. At 24 weeks the doctors believed that he would die. He beat the odds and was born healthy! At 4 months he began to suffer from SVT again and was diagnosed with PFO, a hole in his heart. He had a partially successful heart procedure performed at 5 months. In late July of this year (at 9 months old) he was back in the hospital suffering from SVT again and awaiting transport to Boston Children's Hospital for heart surgery. His SVT abated and his surgery was postponed.

Now he is back in the hospital undergoing a very risky ablation of his heart in hopes of ridding him of SVT.

You can read Stellan's amazing story here and leave some words of encouragement.

Please take a moment to pray for this sweet boy and his family.

UPDATE: The ablation was a SUCCESS!!! A HUGE SUCCESS!!! Read the great news here!

Disclosure Policy

I have entered the world of reviews and giveaways here on my blog. I am excited to begin sharing my opinion on various products, websites, and services. I am also excited to start hosting some giveaways! I've won a few giveaways, so now it's my turn to pay it forward.

But before I post my very first official review, I thought I should let you all know my policy on reviews.

To put it simply, I will always give my honest opinion of a product even though I may have received the product for free. If I did receive any form of compensation, it will be clearly stated in the review. Furthermore, if it is a product that I feel that I cannot endorse after I have tested it, then I will not write a review.

This is my personal blog written and edited by me and only me. If you have any questions, please contact me at chanda@ecocheapmom.com.

Now the nity gritty...

I accept forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, or paid topic insertions, and I do accept and keep free products, services, travel, event tickets, and other forms of compensation from companies and organizations.

I abide by word of mouth marketing standards. I believe in honesty of relationship, opinion and identity. The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post will be clearly identified as paid or sponsored content.

I am periodically compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though I may receive compensation for my posts or advertisements,  I always give my honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely my own. I will only endorse products or services that I believe are worthy of such endorsement. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.

To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org/

This policy is valid from 03 June 2010

Toddler on the loose!

It is official. My baby boy is now a toddler! He has been on the verge of taking steps for a while, and within the last few days he has taken off. Bubby's walking anywhere from 5' to 10' or more at a time!

He is so proud of himself and gets so excited to be walking that he is almost running before he falls or reaches his destination.

This afternoon I captured a few pictures of my little toddler.

       

He is just too darn cute, isn't he?!

Wordless Wednesday - Back in the Saddle

Back in the Saddle

After a long break from riding, I'm finally back. Miraculously, I could walk the next day!

Be sure to check out other Wordless Wednesday participants!

Time Change Woes

My regularly scheduled programming has changed, and I don't like it!

We were in such a perfectly lovely routine. We all got up when Bubby got up, which was between 8:15 and 8:45, and recently as late as 9. It was perfect, and it made me one happy mama.

Then this whole time change thing occured. And just like that, my morning sleep ins are gone.

It doesn't matter that the boy is going to bed at the same time. He's still getting up an hour earlier. And that means he's getting an hour less sleep each day, which means I have a somewhat cranky/tired baby on my hands.

Add to the fact that I'm also getting less sleep, and I'm tired and cranky. Whoa! Watch out!

I know, it's just an hour, but that one hour makes a big difference. I want that hour back!

Have I told you that I really, really dislike this whole time change thing?

Surely I'm not the only one going through this. How do you get your kid's internal clock re-adjusted?

Upcoming Review: Bilibo Play Shell from CSNBaby.com

Recently, I was approached with an opportunity to do a review for CSNbaby.com. After checking out the site I decided to take them up on the offer. But what did I want to review? There are so many different items available at CSN Baby. They offer everything from crib bedding to furniture, and my favorite products...eco-friendly toys!

I decided that the Bilibo Play Shell looked like the perfect toy for my kiddos.

Interesting, huh? I love that it is a simple toy that helps encourage creative play...and it is eco-friendly. We can't wait to get it and test it out! Be sure to come back and check out the review and hopefully some cute pics of the kiddos playing with it! :)

Little Miss Muffet and the Spider

We had a fun Halloween despite it raining most of the evening. Luckily, I got a couple of pictures before it got too wet outside. I don't have much time to post much but I thought I might share a couple of pictures.

Here is our Little Miss Muffet and our spider that sat down beside her.

Hope you had a Happy Halloween!