Holy Rain Batman!

WOW is all i have to say to the amount of rain that poured down on me as i had to run to my car after work.

Let me set the scene. So I'm working tonight at the local grocery store not a bad part time gig for a Sahm. We close at 10pm and it is 9:58 and the skies let loose all their fury. Torrential down pour does not describe it! Also like 40 mph winds blowing straight into my face as I'm trying to run to car. I cant even open my eyes there was so much rain blowing in my eyes and the water in the lot was up to my ankles!!!! Oh did i mention the employee parking is at far end of lot.

So by the time i got to my car I'm soaked to the bone i think i could have showered with my clothes on and been drier. I dumped water out of my shoes when i got home and looked like a drowned rat. What does hubs say when i walk in the door? "whats the big deal its just a little rain" Lmao he is lucky he cleaned the kitchen while i was working  : )

I'm more talented than i thought!

Yup i made that , i know your thinking no way! And that's what i said too lmao. Apparently i am more talented with a sewing machine than i gave my self credit for. But to be honest i have a hand me down,hand me down, machine that is VERY old. So any time i attempted something it would jam up with thread i would get frustrated and give up. Finally i said you need to get this thing cleaned/oiled. You don't have the money to be buying diapers! You can totally make these! So i did and wouldn't you know my ancient machine purrs like a kitten now that it got some tlc.   I am proud of my first attempt at a diaper this is a fleece pull on cover with an added soaker. I am trying fleece and wool for the first time since the hot summer is making my son break out in diaper area from the sweaty PUL cover. I tried this on him today with a prefold and it worked great, no leaks and it was nice and cool.   

Making it was fun although the waist band and leg cuffs can be a challenge, and of course I'm thinking I'm all cool making it and forgot to sew in the soaker before sewing the sides (arg slaps head) so that was fun to sew in. Maybe after i make myself a few more i can sell a few in my new shop? Any readers interested i would take some custom orders just let me know my family can use some extra moola.   : )

Come check out my new store!!

I have finally opened my new store on Hyena cart! While i only have a small number of items avalible right now there will be more to come soon and i am sending out some tester products as well so hopefully some reviews soon too! I am offering my homemade laundry detergent, pail freshener and all purpose cleaner. Adding soon cloth diaper detergent lotions and more. Lots of great scents to chose from too. Thanks for the support.

Hyena Cart check it out here

midnight mommy 400 fan celebration!

Come and join one of my "sister" blog for her 400 Fan celebration! She is currently giving away pre-entries! Enter a few simple tasks and earn tons of enteries! So easy to do and i have gotten 40 entries for a giveaway that hasn't started how many will you earn? Head over to midnight mommy and earn yours now.

Midnight Mommy 400 fan

Bunzuke cloth diaper review

I like to try Wahm made diapers and I'm always a sucker for cute prints and this shop had the cutest prints! Very reasonable prices well worth the money. I can honestly say i have paid more for "name" brands that are not as nice. They are very soft inside and fit my LO perfect.(28 lbs toddler)  I purchased mine from her Etsy shop which i found very easy to navigate and had great info and pictures. I also got an optional convertabunz insert that can be used with these diapers by stuffing inside as a pocket, or snapping to it and making diaper an AI2. Or  the insert can also be used as a prefold diaper too! See website Here for great photos and explanation.

My package arrived very quickly and i washed it right up very excited to use it and so was my son he loves toy story! I will recommend washing the insert a few times before use i am always to excited to use things so i pay the price it did leak first couple times i used it, this was NOT because of bad function just my failure to wash enough. After about 3 washes it works great now it has reached absorbency and i have had  NO leaks since.

If you want a super cute well made Wahm made diaper i would recommend these to try.  As i write this review they are offering 1 lucky facebook fan 50% off code in honer of the new Hyena Cart when they reach 500 fans! And they are only 20 fans away last i checked! So be sure to check out the shops and Facebook and tell them Minnesota Momma sent you.

Very Trim fit no bulk

Great fit still has 2 snaps left to expand!

Triberr

Attention Bloggers!  Do you want to promote your blog to hundreds even thousands of people at once! Then this is the site for you. Triberr is a free service that you join up with other bloggers. Everytime you post something to your blog it will auto upload to the site and it gets tweeted to all of your followers and then it automatically has all your "tribe" members retweet it out to their followers and that is how thousands of people see your posts!  check out Triberr to get details and see if you like it! The only way to join is to get an invite from a member. If you would like to join my tribe post below with your blog link and email and i will send link code. My tribes reach is over 3000 people and growing!
Also check out good tips and tricks post from fellow blogger Midnight Mommy

In the Face of Autism: everyday fun

As many readers know my 3 year old son like many kids has Autism. Just wanted to share some of the fun we have on a daily basis. Today was a pretty typical day. We wake up when i hear him playing with his toy cars, he usually doesn't call out or cry which is nice. I go down stairs to greet him and get a smile which i am thankful for everyday i know alot of kids that don't.  When he is ready to get up the only thing on his mind is going up stairs he knows that comes next and it has to happen now! So he repeats "go upstairs" over and over. How ever we need to get dressed and change diaper first because 5 out of 7 days he has leaked thru his diaper and soaked his PJ's but he doesn't understand that so we struggle thru it and get it done with a few protests and sometimes some tears. When we are done and begin our walk up stairs it is like nothing happened and we are all smiles.

Now a typical day we go up, eat breakfast while watching tv but today was a little different. It was very hot in house last night so the fans were moved to keep us cool while LM was in bed. Now this messes with the routine and he immediately notices that they are out of place and insists i put them back where they go so i do and now i have to turn them on. Ok step one down now he sees the lamp on end table is off i is normally on all the time so i have to turn it on before the day can begin. Now that everything is in order we can start our day right? Nope daddy makes his exit from the bathroom, Arg (he is usually already at work when he gets up) so when he isn't it is a panic "daddy go work!"  Daddy smiles and wishes him a good morning even thou LM is freaking. I'm glad daddy doesn't take it personally that he hates him in the morning but don't worry LM greats him with a happy dance and kisses after work so that makes up  for it. Now that we have gotten thru all this we can finally eat breakfast and watch TV.  Phew just one of those days.

For those who don't know every day things take twice or triple the amount of time it would take a "normal" kid. The simple process of getting up and eating breakfast can take an hour or more and this particular morning i had yet to shower or even have my morning coffee. So it takes the patience and understanding of a saint. But i would not change it for anything in the world because those "special" qualities he has are who he is and it makes those everyday things so much sweeter and his break thru's and kisses so much more rewarding. I know personally that first time he said "love mommy" i cried like a baby and wouldn't stop hugging and kissing him because i knew he meant it and how much of an effort it took to finally express it.

Thursday Cup of Joe SPOTLIGHT!!!

Hooray! I have been chosen to spotlight this week for the Thursday cup of joe blog hop be sure to check it out HERE and of course follow your hosts
Hosted by Yes I Have A Coupon and 3 Princes and a Princess 2
and The Thrifty Things

The rules are easy. To be in the hop just follow the hosts. Following publicly is always nice. I do follow back, just please leave a comment so I can do so :) Also any and all Spam will be deleted! Only direct links to your blogs home page will be accepted.

Each week a blog will be chosen to be the spotlight blog of the week. It would be wonderful of you to follow them as well and stop by and say Hello!

Want To Test New Product?

Hello fellow bloggers and mommies. I am currently developing some product to sell in my etsy shop. I would like some people to test them for me and give me honest feedback. While i may think they work well i do not want to offer sub standard products so i need a few people to try them out and let me know what you think and possibly once my shop is up and running to do a review and possible giveaway!!

Currently i have available to test laundry detergent/cloth detergent and cloth diaper pail freshener which can be used to deodorize carpets,furniture ect. in the near future i will also have cleaning products and lotions to try as well. If you are interested please fill out the Form Here I will contact people about testing which product and your scent preference. If you know anyone who is interested send them by and feel free to share post with others the more the merrier!

Help a boy get a service dog

Ok this is a subject near and dear to my heart and i am asking my followers to please help this little boy get an Autism service dog to help him in his day to day life and keep him safe! As you may know my son also has autism so i can relate first hand to this mother/sons struggles Please visit her blog and read the touching story the video made me cry her son is only 1 month older than mine. All you have to do to help her win is click on a link and connect with face book so easy and it could change his life forever so what are you waiting for! Check it out now

Here is her video too thought it would help you decided to help thank you

Busy life this week

Hello followers i wanted to say I'm sorry for the lack of posts this last week i have been super busy. During the day it has been wicked hot and i have no AC in living area yuk! So this has lead to me not wanting to do much of anything and i have been working like every night so again not wanting to do anything during day lol. I am also researching different items in my down time. I am hoping to start my own etsy shop and sell things i make here at home like cleaning items,home made detergent,lotions ect. I enjoy doing it for myself and figured i could share it with others and make a little spare money. There are so many choices out there for materials it is tough to choose. Well just wanted to say hi and share my thoughts on starting an etsy shop. I will write up my next post in the cloth diaper series soon i promise!

Coupon Giveaway!! $300 value*WINNER POSTED*

Thanks for all who entered! WINNER! picked by random.org is number 16! Samantha! Congrats and check you email!
In the spirit of sharing my new found love of extreme couponing i have decided to hold a give away for a huge stack of coupons! There are many inserts of red plum and smart source and even this sundays popular P&G insert Total value if you were to use all of them would be over $300. You get them all including several buy one get one free's for health and beauty items.

Simple ways to enter:

1 entry follow blog via GFC leave comment below
1 entry follow blog via networked blog leave comment below
1 entry follow on Twitter  leave comment below with twitter id
1 entry "like" on Facebook leave comment
5 entries blog about giveaway leave url in comment
5 entries grab my blog button and display on your blog leave url in comment

Be sure to leave a comment for every entry and leave email in at least 1 comment so i can contact if you if you win!  Giveaway will end sunday morning 7/10/11  winner will be posted by 12pm central.

Everyday life with Autism

Not a day goes by that someone doesn't make an off hand comment about my son that may seem innocent enough but to a parent of a child with many challenges it can get to be alot and some days i want to scream "mind your business stop presuming you know my child's problems!" I realize he has no outward signs of autism and no one would just know to look at him but it still hurts. On top of autism he also has severe eczema caused mostly by allergies so he always has skin rashes and constantly itches and often has bags under his eye "allergy eyes". So as i walk thru a store i always get the comments, oh has someone been crying?, got some bug bites little man?, oh my whats wrong with his skin?, Is someone tired?I could go on and on with the comments, is it just my kid? i know i don't walk up to strangers and say things about there kids unless it is too say, oh how cute. Sorry for the rant it has been a long week.

Today was a fun day we don't often go out to do things other than errands or to the park, but i decided to give it a whirl and go out for lunch at out local cafe. First thing the waitress comes over and engages him asking him his name and he just gives me the look of panic"mom why is she talking to me help!" So i answer for him and say he is shy. Oh cutie how old are you? Are you this many? He completely ignores her and points beyond her to some decorations on the wall. I know that they don't realize the pain they cause me on the inside as they are just reminding me that he is not like other kids so i proceed to order before she asks him more question and he gets upset. Our meal time goes great he enjoys his lunch and doesn't have any melt downs thank god. As we go to leave he notices the many fans around to keep the place cool. So much for no melt downs. I sigh since i know now it is gonna be a challenge to get him out. For about a month now he has had an obsession with fans. Any parent of an autistic child I'm sure knows the fun involved in obsessions. I spend most of my day turning our fans on and off depending on mood, there is not a fan in my home that can be off, When he gets up in the morning he leads me around to all the rooms to be sure they are all on. So we are in cafe and he "needs" this fan to be on or his world will come to an end, and trust me that is how he feels and acts accordingly! He is now repeating in an increasingly loud panic voice "fan on!" as the people around start to look on in puzzlement i try to diffuse the situation calmly i reach for his hand and of course he recoils in terror, lol nothing like your child acting like you beat him mercilessly every time you try to touch him. I smile and stay calm as his voice increases more and i notice a showcase full of toy cars! Yes he loves cars so i slowly reach for him as i point to cars and tell him want to climb up to mommy to see cars! Yes he took the bait! We go over to see the cars he is in my arms now so i don't need to worry about a fall on floor tantrum when i try to pick him up i am in control now and we are able to leave with little problems.  Home we go.

I love my son and wouldn't trade him for anything. Our everyday challenges can be stressful but he always makes me smile. Even as he throws himself on the floor to avoid my touch i have to laugh a little to think how lucky he is to be in a loving and patient family because i know alot of children in his situation might be neglected and ignored or even just assumed to be "bad" kids when truly it is not their fault.  I know that he cant help it and only hope i can help him live life to its fullest.

Make your Own Diaper sprayer! Cheap!

I totally needed to share this video with everyone! I watched it then went out and got the parts and an hour later i had my own homemade sprayer! It is very easy to do you don't need to be a plummer and it only cost me $23 to make. Here is what you will need: 1- sink spray kit,  2-barb connectors size 3/8,  1- barb T connector 3/8, 5- clamp connectors, ball valve connector size 3/8 and thread tape.  Tools needed screw driver,hack saw, crescent wrench and pliers. I had my hubby do it just because i didn't want to be sawing things while kids were running around. It works fantastic so much better than my shower head that i was using before. If you were hesitant to get one before like i was because who wants to spend $ 45 on something for convenience here is your low cost solution and well worth  it!!! watch the video for step by step instructions.

Teriffic Twitter Tuesday Blog Hop

So excited i have been chosen to spotlight this weeks hop! please be sure to link up and follow!


Happy Tuesday and welcome to the Terrific Twitter Tuesday blog hop hosted by Crunchy Frugalista and Money Savvy Michelle! Today's blog hop is all about increasing your Twitter followers. If you don't have a Twitter account and are a blogger, I'd definitely suggest checking it out. Twitter is a great way to promote your blog to a variety of people in a short and sweet message.

We're happy to now offer guest host spots for our hops! If you'd like to guest host Terrific Twitter Tuesday with us, please fill out the form located here.

Please welcome this week’s guest host: Minnesota Momma! Go show her some Terrific Twitter Tuesday love. =)

<a <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">href</span>="http://<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">moneysavvymichelle</span>.com/tag/terrific-twitter-<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">tuesday</span>-blog-hop/" target="_blank"><<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">img</span> <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">src</span>=" http://<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">moneysavvymichelle</span>.com/<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">wp</span>-content/uploads/2011/06/<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">twitterblog</span>-hop.<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">png</span>"/></a>

While not required, we'd love it if you could share our blog hop with others through a short blog post, Twitter, or Facebook. After all, the more people that participate, the more followers we can all get!

To Participate:

• Follow your co-hosts on Twitter: Crunchy Frugalista and Money Savvy Michelle. Leave us a comment below saying you followed and we'll return the love! We always follow back those who leave a comment.
• Follow this week's guest host: Minnesota Momma.
• Link up your Twitter account below. Family-friendly and links only to your Twitter account, please.
• Follow as many other bloggers on Twitter that you can and follow back any that follow you!
• We also have weekly hops for Alexa, Giveaways, GFC, Facebook, Wild Card, & Email/RSS Subscribers. Come link up with us!

Monkey Around Monday! Blog Hop

<a border="0" href="http://whereeverafter.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x480/where_ever_after/BlogHop_125.jpg" /></a>

Moms of monkeys: share your blog with us! 

Banish those Monday blues with a fun blog hop. There's always good reading material when our little monkeys are involved! ;)

This week's featured blog and co-host is Minnesota Momma! Minnesota Momma blogs about mommyhood, cloth diapering, and going green from the "land of 10,000 lakes." Be sure to check out her great reviews, and giveaway pages too! 

Joining the hop is easy:

1. Follow the host (that's me!) and the co-host, and we'll follow back. 
2. Add your blog to the linky, and follow the first blog that's listed behind yours. Leave a comment to let them know, so that they can be sure to follow you back! 
3. If you'd like, grab the button above for your blog and spread the word so that more moms can join us! 

That's it! Now, sit back and peruse the list for some great new blogs to read. (Don't forget to leave a comment with anyone you decide to follow so that they can follow you back.)

Be sure to stop back every Monday and link up with us for more monkey mayhem!