Have you felt the HEAT? …and it’s not even June!  Lazy Green Mama declares that summer has begun (regardless of what you may have thought!).

In celebration of summer, Lazy Green Mama has the deal of the season! 10% off any SleepyWrap purchase with the code:  GreenMama

WHAT???  You’ve never heard of the SLEEPYWRAP???  Let me introduce myself to you:  Hello, my name is Julie and I talk and blog about how much I love my SleepyWrap CONSTANTLY!  At first glance, it does not look like the ideal purchase for a Lazy Mama; you do have to tie it on.  But that is SO EASY!  Once it’s on, you can enjoy lazy strolls, type an email with both hands, or even read a book while your babe enjoys an arms free snuggle.  Oh I love it SO MUCH!

You see, I have this sweet gorgeous baby girl who actually isn’t always so sweet.  She was born premature and was very cranky for awhile (we still have relapses occasionally).  I cannot imagine how I would have survived the “colic” stage without the SleepyWrap.  From 6am to 11pm, Zel was cocooned in the SleepyWrap.  That was the only way she would be calm and the only way I could have use of my arms… a necessity in life, don’t ya think?

It’s actually hard for me to choose a pic for this post because almost all of the pictures I have of Zel before 3 months are of her and the SleepyWrap.  We hiked in it, shopped in it, toured museums in it, flew across country in it…  Everywhere we went, people stopped us to ask questions about it and still do.  You see, we still use it!  Not as much, but it is SO comfortable, portable, and convenient.  At this rate, I’m gonna be dropping her off to Kindergarten in it ;)

If there is ONE item that I recommend to ALL PARENTS… it is the SleepyWrap!  In fact, I know I’ve led a few people down this path already!  So, hurry and take advantage of my Lazy Green Mama discount!  Discount expires June 26th.

 

 

Isn't it AWESOME?  My new button and header are SO COOL!  Thanks to Jenn from southofsheridan.blogspot.com .  I found Jenn through a friend's blog and contacted her to be my button master.  She's really good, eh?  I bought the graphic from istock images, but I'm very particular and Jenn was exceptionally kind with my numerous requests to tweak the image. 

So, it's GIVEAWAY time!  The prize?  A button designed by Jenn!  If you want an image, you will need to purchase one from istock (mine was $12 for the rights to 499,999 uses).  Jenn will even go to your blog and lay it all out for you ('cause even that part of it was too much for this html virgin).  IF YOU ALREADY HAVE A BUTTON, you can still enter and if you win, give this prize to whomever you want!  Surely you visit the blog of someone that is buttonless :)

To enter:
1.  Leave a comment on this post and share one lazy green idea (shameless, but I might run out of material someday!  HA!) (1 entry)
2.  POST MY BUTTON IN A SIDE COLUMN ON YOUR BLOG (5 entries!)
3.  Blog about this giveaway (2 entries)
4.  Go to Jenn's blog and tell me what LGMD stands for (hint, under her About tab) (1 entry)
5.  Refer people to this post (1 entry for each person you refer) ... if you found this giveaway through someone's blog, be sure to leave a comment with their blog address!

You can let me know which of the above tasks you've completed via a comment (be sure to provide a link to your blog so I can check-out your post and/or button posting!)

This contest will END Sunday, June 6th at 11:59pm.  I will count the entries and use the random.org number generator to choose the winner.  Winner will be contacted via email or their blog.  GOOD LUCK!

WHO AM I KIDDING... you are gonna get a lot more than my 2 cents today and many other days.  We are a cloth diapering household (except for those few times when I've procrastinated laundry and the times when we're traveling and I just can't be bothered with packing all the CD supplies). 

This post is part of the Real Diaper Facts carnival hosted by Real Diaper Events, the official blog of the Real Diaper Association. Participants were asked to write about diaper lies and real diaper facts. See the list at the bottom of this post to read the rest of the carnival entries.

I wasn't planning on entering the Cloth Diaper discussion just yet on this blog, but I'm excited about the Real Diaper Event... so here I go!  I'm going to repost something from my personal blog and update it.  You'll get my opinions on my cloth diapering at 3 months and now at 10 months.

I'm hesitant to even tell you what the laziest food is because I fear it might stretch some boundaries too far.  Kinda like the time the subject of anal beads came up at a friend's bachelorette party... or the time my husband tried to teach me how to multi-pitch rock climb (which entails scaling a rock face high enough to necessitate attaching self to the rock face in order to use the length of rope again and again)... too far!

Ready?  Hold onto your chair (or undies... or rock face)...

TOFU.

psst... click over to the right where it says "read more"

 Do you feel it?  The pressure to be all things to all people at all times?  I do. 

Mamas, let's make a pledge to ourselves to take things one step at a time.

I'm starting this blog with quite a few "aces in the hole".  (ooo... I like writing within quotations almost as much as I love writing within parentheses!).

So, I'm gonna start with a topic I've been asked to explain many times:  CLOTH WIPES.

CONTAIN YOUR EXCITEMENT LADIES!

Yes, cloth wipes are the easiest way to green up the output process of your wee ones.  (Ha!  I just came up with that- "output process"!  I feel clever.)

If you already use cloth diapers, this will be an easy addition for you!  The wipes go right in the diaper pail.  If you use disposable diapers, this is a way to be a little greener, a little healthier for your baby and a little more confident around any tree-hugger friends you have.

For the first 8 months of my baby's life, I found a zen-like joy (only slightly exaggerating) in folding the wipes accordion style after washing* them and then placing them in my Prince Lionhart wipe warmer (hey, now they sell one with bamboo wipes!  glad they jumped on the band wagon!).  Just remoisten the little sponge thing every day and your wipes are always the perfect moistness and a pleasing temperature. 

Now that my baby is a little hardier, I'm relishing the freedom to be a little lazier with my wipes.  I toss them into the dryer (ok, sometimes I line dry them, but only sometimes!) and then stuff (emphasis on the helter skelter here.  no folding allowed!) them into the unplugged wipe warmer. 

Now, if you aren't a cloth diaper mama, you may be a little squeamish about the idea of having to wash poop (that word makes me smile).  If that's the case, no biggie... use disposable wipes on those diapers and cloth wipes for all the others!  If you want to go all-out and use the cloth wipes for everything, I've been really pleased with the bumgenius bottom cleaner
that I received as a baby gift.  I spritz a little on the dirty bum and everything wipes cleanly off.  One 4 oz. bottle has lasted a LONG time!  However, once that runs out, I'm gonna fill the bottle with ye ole H2O and a squirt of Dr. Bronner's (I'll let you know how that goes).

As for the cloth wipes.  I really like these thin unbleached flannel squares.  I imagine it wouldn't be too hard to make your own flannel wipes, but come on... this is MY blog!  I have also tried cloth wipes that are more terry cloth (bumgenius brand, though they don't seem to be for sale online anymore).  These are great as washcloths, but too thick for a wipe.

What do you think?  Do you already use them?  Will you try?

*How I wash:  I wash my wipes with the cloth diapers.  1. cold rinse; 2. hot wash with 1/4 the amount of detergent (Dreft or any free & clear); 3. extra cold rinse.  If you don't wash cloth diapers, throw the wipes into the washer for a cold rinse before adding whatever else.  The wipe-to-skin contact is brief, so let's not over think the detergent!