COVER THE BOOTY WINNERS!!

The winner of the one size FUZZIBUNZ from Jennifer's cloth diaper boutique is..............

Tina said...

I entered the rumparooz giveaway

June 12, 2010 10:49 PM

The winner of the BabyKicks Hemp Prefold is..........................

Nicole said...

I Subscribe to Home Grown Families via Feedburner

June 14, 2010 3:29 PM

The winner of the Kissaluvs Hybrid Contour is....................

Bao said...

Entered the Rump-z-rooz giveaway.

June 22, 2010 2:40 PM

The winner of the Loveybums Giveaway is...............

Erin said...

Subscribe to Home Grown Families via Feedburner in the upper left corner- 1 entry

June 23, 2010 4:50 PM

Thank you to all who entered! I will be emailing you tonight! Thanks again!

COVER THE BOOTY- BabyKicks One Size Pocket Diaper Review and Giveaway

ABOUT THE COMPANY

BabyKicks was founded in 2000, and brings you premium earth friendly hemp diaper products! Why Hemp? Hemp is kinder to the earth and is also perfect for cloth diapers because of its amazing natural properties. Hemp is naturally antimicrobial, absorbent, and very durable which makes for AMAZING diapers! BabyKicks also does their part by supporting local workshops.

Premium hemp diapering products include pocket diapers, prefolds, inserts, nursing pads, and washable wipes! I have always reached for hemp at night time because it absorbs everything, and that means dry babies in the morning! Remember the awesome hemp prefold I reviewed earlier this month, well the awesomeness continues on with BabyKick's Bumboo pocket diaper!!

BABYKICKS BUMBOO ONE SIZE POCKET DIAPER

TYPE- One size pocket diaper. This diaper is for babies 7 lbs- 35 lbs, and has a front snap down adjusting system that is color coded( if you choose multi-colored). The front snaps lay different than others, but the diaper in general is very trim. The pocket opening is in the front to prevent inserts from coming out or wicking.

CLOSURE- Side snapping- great to prevent wing droop! Snaps come in multi-colored, blue or green. The multi colored snaps serve as a color coded guide for size adjusting. If your little one has the rise set on orange snaps, than most babies will also have the side snap on orange.

MATERIALS- PUL outer, super soft cotton/bamboo blend( 30% organic cotton and 70% rayon made from bamboo) inner. These diapers also have fleece gussets, to allow airflow to your baby's heiny! Still strong enough to prevent leaking and blow outs. I LOVE these gussets!

INSERTS- Each diaper comes with a SUPER absorbent medium Joey Bunz hemp insert. Hemp inserts cut the bulk in half and hold more than other insert out there. Hemp does need to be prepped, but there are clear instructions on the packaging.

UNIQUE FEATURES- AIR GUSSETS!! I love the super soft gussets around my little one's chunky thighs. The unique color coding system makes it easy for dad to know what snap she should be using. Very user friendly!

PRICE- $18.50 for diaper and one hemp insert. GREAT price for hemp products!

OUR REVIEW



This diaper offers so many unique features, that make for a super absorbent and trim diaper. I am big side snapping fan here, and love the Baby Kicks went out of the box with the color coding system. My children are average on size so all the color codes match up perfectly for us. If your child was long and lanky, than your settings may not match up.

The inner of this diaper had a contour sewn in area of bamboo it is SUPER soft. It did fuzz up on the first wash but it just made it even softer. The gussets make it even softer. My daughter has quite the chunky thighs, and this diaper never leaves marks! The gussets prevent leaks or blow outs, and let the air flow through to prevent rashes. I have been using this diaper at night, with the hemp insert and a microfiber doubler and she lasts all night long without leaking. Trim and absorbent- just my kind of diaper!

BUY IT- You can purchase BabyKicks products on their website.

WIN IT- BabyKicks is giving one mama a Bumbino One Size diaper for her little bambino!!

MANDATORY ENTRY
Become a fan of BabyKicks on Facebook and let them know I sent you!
You must be a Home Grown Families Google Follower to participate.

EXTRA ENTRIES
Must include email address if not listed in profile. Each entry must be a separate comment.

• Tell me one thing you love most about hemp. 1 entry
  

• Visit BabyKicks Blog and tell me one thing you learned! 1 entry

• Follow BabyKicks on Twitter! 1 entry
  

• Become a fan of Home Grown Families on Facebook- 1 entry

• Become a follower of Home Grown Families on Twitter- 1 entry

• Tweet about this giveaway for 1 entry per day! Must leave permalink and include Home Grown Families in tweet.

• Email this giveaway to a friend, and CC it to momtosprouts at yahoo. 1 entry
  

• Subscribe to Home Grown Families via Feedburner in the upper left corner- 1 entry

• Add my button to your blog, and provide a URL.- 3 entries

• Blog about this Giveaway on your blog and provide post URL- 2 entries

• Enter any of my other giveaways and let me know which one you entered- 1 entry per giveaway.

• Vote for Home Grown Families on Top Mommy Blogs( link on the left)- 1 entry for vote

Good luck everyone! U.S only!!! - Giveaway will run until July 12th! I will use random generator to pick a winner and will email the winner and announce it here on the blog. The winner will have 48 hours to respond, or a new winner will be announced.

DISCLAIMER: I was not paid for this post. I was given a product to review, and I have provided my own honest opinion. Thank you, BabyKicks for allowing us to review your products and for the awesome giveaway. You can view our PR policies here.

COVER THE BOOTY- Bum Essentials Review and Giveaway

Cloth diapering doesn't get any easier than this!! Bum Essentials cloth diapers and accessories will make any sposie using mama convert! They are the creators of the Bumbino diaper, Bum Bags, and Bum Pads! These beautiful diapers come in bright colors, and are super easy to use! I had the chance to try out a Bumbino Diaper on my little one, and man do I wish I had more than one!

BUM ESSENTIALS BUMBINO DIAPER

TYPE- One size diaper fitting babies 8-34 lbs. It is an AI2 diaper- you can change just the snap- in insert when soiled or change the whole thing.

CLOSURE- Aplix Velcro closure on long stretchy cross over tabs! The super stretchy cross over tabs, get such a great trim fit around the waist. The tabs will accommodate any shape baby and definitely the full weight range.

MATERIALS- PUL outer and micro fleece inner. This PUL is very soft and stretchy. I don't know of any other diaper with these type of PUL.

INSERTS- Snap-in the front inserts. Each diaper comes with 2 " Terry Towel" inserts made from silky smooth organic bamboo, cotton, and polyester(for stretch). You can use each towel separately depending on size of the baby, or use both together when diaper is on larger setting. Bamboo is not only very thin -making for a great trim diaper but also naturally antimicrobial.

UNIQUE FEATURES- The Bumbino diaper features elastic under the tummy and in the back for a complete leak proof system.

PRICE- $19.99 for the diaper and 2 inserts! GREAT deal! You can purchase additional inserts for $9.50, so you can just change the insert when soiled.

OUR REVIEW

Bum Essentials has a one of kind diaper here. Every inch of this diaper is silky soft, so baby is covered in luscious fabric. I am able to get such an amazing fit with these cross over tabs. Lil weighs 15 lbs, and she has sooooooo much room left in this diaper. The Bumbino diaper is an AI2 type diaper with the option to change the inserts when it gets wet. You will save money by only having to replace the inserts and not washing the whole diaper. You could do 5-10 outer shells, and 20-25 inserts to cloth diaper the baby. I love the snap- in inserts, as I HATE stuffing and these inserts are easy to clean! The Bumbino diaper is available in 4 different colors: red, yellow, blue and green!

BUY IT- You can purchase a Bumbino diaper directly from Bum Essentials and all orders over $50 ship free!

WIN IT- Bum Essentials wants one Home Grown Families reader to experience a Bumbino diaper!! Winner has choice of color!

MANDATORY ENTRY
Become a fan of Bum Essentials on Facebook and let them know I sent you!
You must be a Home Grown Families Google Follower to participate.

EXTRA ENTRIES
Must include email address if not listed in profile. Each entry must be a separate comment.

• Stop by Bum Essentials and tell me what color you would choose. 1 entry
  

• Sign up for the Bum Essentials newsletter( click on product info and it is on the bottom)! 1 entry

• Become a Bum Essentials blog follower. 1 entry

• Follow Bum Essentials on Twitter. 1 entry
  

• Become a fan of Home Grown Families on Facebook- 1 entry

• Become a follower of Home Grown Families on Twitter- 1 entry

• Tweet about this giveaway for 1 entry per day! Must leave permalink and include Home Grown Families in tweet.

• Email this giveaway to a friend, and CC it to momtosprouts at yahoo. 1 entry
  

• Subscribe to Home Grown Families via Feedburner in the upper left corner- 1 entry

• Add my button to your blog, and provide a URL.- 3 entries

• Blog about this Giveaway on your blog and provide post URL- 2 entries

• Enter any of my other giveaways and let me know which one you entered- 1 entry per giveaway.

• Vote for Home Grown Families on Top Mommy Blogs( link on the left)- 1 entry per site listed on the left
  

• Grab my Cover The Booty event button! 3 entries
  

Good luck everyone! U.S only!!! - Giveaway will run until July 11th! I will use random generator to pick a winner and will email the winner and announce it here on the blog. The winner will have 48 hours to respond, or a new winner will be announced.

DISCLAIMER: I was not paid for this post. I was given a product to review, and I have provided my own honest opinion. Thank you,Bum Essentials for allowing us to review your products and for the awesome giveaway. You can view our PR policies here.

Preschool Creations- Week in Review

Fast Eddy had a blast this week with field trips painting and more. He is 5 yrs old and will be a Kindergartner this year!

ART

I had him make a design with circle stickers and paint over it. After the paint dries we peeled away the stickers to reveal his design. It is a cave with bears in it, DUH! That is what he told me when I asked what it was.

SPELLING/READING

We played a fun hang man type game to work on out spelling and letter sounds. I would think of a word and write the spaces on the board, so he knew how long the word was. He would one by one ask " Does your word have an E in it, E like ehh" if the letter was not in my word I would draw a feature on the face. Once the face was full, I won!

I had little letter cards, to give him ideas on letters to pick. He liked to be the one to pick the word, and had me trying to figure it out. I think he got more out of it that way too.

I found this great hands on rhyming puzzle at the library. He had to find the rhyming end sound.

He had fun playing this ending sound game at the library. We stop by this awesome library once a week to claim our summer reading prize.

FIELD TRIPS

Fast Eddy enjoed the toys exhibit much more than Carrot Top did. The dominoes exhibit was his favorite!

TOT SCHOOL- 30 MONTHS -Field trips and more!

TOT SCHOOL- Carrot Top is 30 months old.

We had a very busy week! The boys did soooo much this week...including the NEW school room. I have a few things to do before the big unveiling but stay tuned!! Field Trips Galore this week!

I took the boys fishing one day, and although they did not catch any fish they all had such a blasting eating grapes waiting for the "homongous" fish to come!


My FAVORITE picture of my little fisher boy! He had fun making animal foot prints on his paper, with the left over paint from our StArt project! After covering the animals in paint, I let him give all the animals a tub bath.


I have these laminated large shapes, and I had Carrot Top do the shape hop. he still struggles with some shapes like diamonds.

We took the boys to the science museum on Thursday for their new Toys exhibit. Carrot Top played a little bit with the toys with Daddy but was drawn to the fish mainly.



What had an amazing opportunity to visit a not so local farm and get up close and personal with the animals. Carrot Top did NOT want to leave the chicken coop. I can't wait to have a yard of my own...... to have some chickens!

I have many more pictures of our field trips this week, but though I would so a separate post so I can share all the kiddos pictures!

What do I do with these cloth diaper stains?

WHAT ABOUT DIAPER STAINS?

This is another question I get a lot. After I reassure them than stains will not hurt them, I tell then how they can combat them. No mama wants to see her beautiful velour diaper with a huge yellow stain. I have a few techniques though that I use to avoid stains all together and a few ways to treat them.

PREVENTING CLOTH DIAPER STAINS

1- Always rinse soiled diapers right away. The best way to avoid stains, is to treat it immediately. Typically it is only newborn poo that stains, but if you rinse right away that should help the most.

2- If your toddler is prone to multi-colored staining poo than opt for diaper liners. These paper liners lay on the inside, and can be flushed along with the poo. You can also purchase cloth liners too, but obviously these would be stained:)

3- NEVER use a diaper rash cream without a barrier. These stain and NEVER come out, not to mention they block the pores in the cloth causing repelling and will also give your diapers a fishy smell. YUCK!!! There are a few creams(here is a list) that are considered cloth diaper safe, however I would advise you to use a barrier, like a piece of cloth or something.

4- Use a diaper sprayer to really get the junk out before putting it in the pail. You can win one here on Home Grown Families~!

GETTING RID OF STAINS IN CLOTH DIAPERS

1- You can use OxyClean, Bac-Out, and/or baking soda to fight stains in the washer machine. Add to your regular wash cycle or do an overnight soak for very stubborn stains. I use baking soda with every wash but I have never used the others. I am more a minimalist when it comes to my diapers.

2- NEVER USE BLEACH!!!

3- SUN, SUN, SUN Use nature to care for your natural diapers. I lay my diapers out for a sun bath if they have stains. You can spritz the stain with lemon juice to help " bleach" out the stain. This has always done the trick for me, but for tough stains it may take 1-2 days of direct sunlight.

If the stain can not be prevented and will not come out........I promise you the bum will not tell anyone! Remember it is a piece of cloth collecting poo, it is ALLOWED to get dirty :)

COVER THE BOOTY- PLANET WISE WET BAG REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

Planet Wise is a husband and wife ran made in the U.S.A business, that has set a high standard on environmentally friendly products. They work hard to ensure their products are good for families and good for the environment. Planet Wise is a leading "manufacturer" for wet bags, pail liners, and other cloth diaper bags. They ensure that every material used is non-toxic. Every bag is made with PVC free material, and lead free zippers. Planet Wise Wet bags are doing their part to reduce carbon footprints, by reducing the need for disposable products and by using packaging made from recycled paper and soy based inks.

Wet bags can be used not only for cloth diapers, but also for wet bathing suits/towels/clothes, gym clothes, or cosmetic/lotion bottles. I use a small one for my sunblocks, so I never have to worry about a leaking bottle in my bag!! 100% reuseable, just wash with your normal laundry or with your cloth diapers. Planet Wise has several sizes of wet bags to fit all your needs. You can purchase the zippered wet bags in three sizes: small 8x10, medium 13x16, or a large 18x21. These zippered bags are perfect for storing dirty diapers in your diaper bag. Each wet bag has an inner PUL liner, and a beautiful color coordinating cloth print on the outside.


You can also purchase pail liners or hanging wet bags for storing dirty diapers at home. The pail liners simply line the inside of your diaper pail. We use a open trash can and these fit perfectly in it. By using a liner you will no longer have to scrub the inside of the pail to get rid of the gunk and smell. If you do not want to use a pail, you can opt for a hanging wet bag. These bags are 16.5x 27 inches and will hold approximately 20-24 cloth diapers. It comes with 2 compartments; one for the dirty diapers and one pocket for dry things like clean diapers. We use our bag upstairs in our bathroom, and store clean diapers in the front, and dirty in the wet area. When wash day comes, I just empty the bag into the washer, and if needed wash the bag along with the diapers and pail liner. These bags are great for mamas who have cloth diapered babies in child care.

Planet Wise has the most beautiful fabric options that will complement any color scheme. Each bag comes with a color coordinating waterproof inner layer, zipper, and handle(if that bag comes with one). Wet bags are a must for cloth diapering, and Planet Wise definitely has the highest quality bags I have seen.

BUY IT- You can purchase Planet Wise Wet bags online at any of their retailers sites. Prices may vary from store to store but average $16-$30 per bag.

WIN IT- Planet Wise has offered to give one reader a hanging wet/dry bag in their choice of fabric

MANDATORY ENTRY
Visit Planet Wise and tell me what is your favorite fabric choice!
You must be a Home Grown Families Google Follower to participate.

EXTRA ENTRIES
Must include email address if not listed in profile. Each entry must be a separate comment.

• Tell me 2 other things you would use your wet bag for besides diapers. 1 entry
  

• If you have used Planet Wise bags before leave a review for them on a retailer site or Diaper Pin etc. (MUST LEAVE ME THE LINK). 3 entries each
  

• Become a fan of Home Grown Families on Facebook- 1 entry

• Become a follower of Home Grown Families on Twitter- 1 entry

• Tweet about this giveaway for 1 entry per day! Must leave permalink and include Home Grown Families in tweet.

• Email this giveaway to a friend, and CC it to momtosprouts at yahoo. 1 entry
  

• Subscribe to Home Grown Families via Feedburner in the upper left corner- 1 entry

• Add my button to your blog, and provide a URL.- 3 entries

• Blog about this Giveaway on your blog and provide post URL- 2 entries

• Enter any of my other giveaways and let me know which one you entered- 1 entry per giveaway.

• Vote for Home Grown Families on Top Mommy Blogs( link on the left)- 1 entry for vote

• Grab my Cover The Booty event button! 3 entries
  

Good luck everyone! Open to continental U.S. only. Giveaway will run until July 7th! I will use random generator to pick a winner and will email the winner and announce it here on the blog. The winner will have 48 hours to respond, or a new winner will be announced.

DISCLAIMER: I was not paid for this post. I was given a product to review, and I have provided my own honest opinion. Thank you, Planet Wise for allowing us to review your products and for the awesome giveaway. You can view our PR policies here.

COVER THE BOOTY- Happy Heiny's One Size Pocket Diaper from Thanks Mama Shop!

Thanks Mama is an online retailer offering natural living mama's amazing products! Cloth diaper companies like Fuzzibunz, BumGenius, Happy Heiny's and more can all be found in this convenient store. Thanks Mama also carriers nursing pads, baby toys, slings, and much more!! I had the opportunity to review a Happy Heiny's one size pocket diaper from the Thanks Mama store, and I LOVE THEM!!

HAPPY HEINY'S ONE SIZE CLOTH DIAPER

TYPE- One size pocket diaper fitting babies from, 8-35 lbs.

CLOSURE- You can choose from snaps or Aplix closure. Both options offer cross over tabs, to ensure a snug fit.

MATERIALS- PUL outer, and microfleece inner.

INSERTS- Each diaper comes with two microfiber inserts, one large and one small.

UNIQUE FEATURES- I love that each tab has 4 snaps on it, to ensure a nice secure fit. Great for toddlers that know how to take off their diaper.

PRICE- You can purchase a Happy Heiny's One Size diaper that is $18.95.

OUR REVIEW

Happy Heiny's is the perfect solution for any little escape artist! I am loving the extra secure fit I get with the four snaps on the tabs and combined with the super sticky Velcro there is no escaping!! Nothing is worse than finding a "dirty" diaper on your carpet and a naked dirty toddler no where to be found! Happy Heiny's offers super bright colors and beautiful prints that will make every other baby envious! Lil likes this neon pink diaper so much, she keeps staring at it!!

Happy Heiny's claims their diapers will last up to 12 hours, and I totally AGREE!! I have tried the diaper out at night time with both children, and neither have woken up with wet clothes!!! Another great point, these diapers fit both kids perfectly! Happy Heiny one size diapers have 4 settings to really accommodate that newborn or toddler. While Lil does have a very fluffy booty in the diaper, it has a nice fit around the legs and tummy, so we do not have any issues with leaking. I am all about the money saving aspect of one size diapers!!

BUY IT- Stop by Thanks Mama to purchase some one size Happy Heiny's! Use the code "happy10" for a 10% discount a Happy Heiny's purchase!! All orders over $60 get free shipping as well!

You can sign up for the Thanks Mama newsletter to receive updates on specials! Check them out on Facebook and Twitter as well!

DISCLAIMER: I was not paid for this post. I was given a product to review, and I have provided my own honest opinion. Thank you, Thanks Mama for allowing us to review your products. You can view our PR policies here.

I.D . Me Labels for Summer Organizing

The organizing freak in me just hit an organizing high!!! I.D Me labels is perfect for the organizing junkie like me! Offering dishwasher and microwave safe, waterproof labels I will be able to label ever item they own!! Perfect for sippy cups, sibling rivalry items, sporting goods, school supplies, shoes, and baby items! You can choose your design, font, and colors to fit your style!! Check out I.d Me labels and see the endless possibilities of these labels!!

I would love to use the I.D Me labels for items the kids take to our homeschool co-ops and church! We are forever losing items, and of course that causes complete melt downs. These labels would save me the headache! The thought of getting more organized is such an exciting thing!!

FRIDAY BLOG HOP!!

Welcome to Friday Blog Hop!

Thank you for joining the Friday Blog Hop hosted by myself (Melissa) at Home Grown Families, and Nicole at Mama to 3 Blessings. We invite you to join us every Friday to make more blog friends and to get more blog followers as well as the opportunity to follow other great blogs out there!

How to join in on the fun:

Add your main blog link to our McLinky, follow the hostesses in the first 2 spots (Home Grown Families and Mama to 3 Blessings) and then start blog hopping! This is a great opportunity for you to visit other blogs on the link up and comment on their blogs! Take a few moments to follow their blog! - this is a great way to get to know one another! Please only enter your blog link ONE time and G rated links ONLY please. Home Grown Families and Mama to 3 Blessings are family friendly blogs.

When people comment on your blog please let them know that you are part of Friday Blog Hop then return the favor and follow them back! This way everyone gets blog traffic and followers out of participating! Please feel free to grab our Friday Blog Hop button and add it to your blog and spread the word! The more who link up the the bigger the blog hop!

Please leave a comment if you are following me. It may take me time to get to everyone, but have no fear I will get there!

WINNERS!!!

Some Mama's are about to win some cloth diapers!!! The winner of the Thirsties Duo Cloth diaper giveaway is.................

Crystal Biehl said...

grabbed event button 1

June 9, 2010 8:53 AM

The winners of the AppleCheeks giveaway is..........

orangefukurou said...

entered bummas giveaway

June 9, 2010 11:32 PM

and

Andrea said...

I love the diaper in Forget Me Not

June 11, 2010 12:49 AM

The winner of the $25 gift card from The Baby Store Plus is..........................

@Home-Mom said...

already have your button on my blog
http://home-momblog.blogspot.com/

June 13, 2010 6:59 PM

The winner of the Snappi giveaway is.........

slang76 said...

I "like" you on Facebook!

June 15, 2010 7:43 PM

Thank you everyone for entering all my giveaways! I greatly appreciate your continued support in Home Grown Families!I have emailed each winner and they will have 48 hours to respond. Thanks again!