Green Cleaning

I never was one to worry about cleaning products. I happily used my Kaboom, Easy Off Bam, and Scrubbing Bubbles to clean my bathroom with no ventilation. It just never bothered me. My husband would sit in the next room and complain about the smell, but I was never affected by it.

While I was pregnant with B I found myself unable to use any bathroom cleaners. The chemical smell of even the scrubbing bubbles was too much for me to stand. I would have to clean in 3-4 minute intervals and then leave the bathroom for 10 - 15 minutes. That was the day I knew I needed a change. I went online and started searching for green cleaning products and recipes to make my own green cleaning products. I started using a vinegar and water mixture on my floors, baking soda and borax in my dishwasher, and my favorite change, I dropped the bottle of liquid laundry detergent for Jenny's Simply Clean. Jenny's is all natural, developed for her child with eczema. Jenny was trying to find a detergent that would not aggrivate his condition and she developed her own. I LOVE my Jenny's. It cleans better than the liquid detergent I had been using, and I love that it's not only "green" but I'm supporting another mom by buying it! I was also given some Method cleaners. They're much better than the normal cleaners, though they still are a bit strong smelling for me.

I'm always looking for other "green cleaning" options. Have a green cleaning recipe you want to share? I'd LOVE to try it out! I am still looking for a good dishwasher detergent.

Maternity Clothes that aren't ugly...

Maternity clothes are usually synonymous with UGLY. I've been there...twice. You walk past maternity stores and see the one really cute outfit in the window when you're not pregnant, and you yearn for the day you can wear such "cute maternity clothes". Then you get pregnant and you have to shop in those maternity stores...Too bad you can't wear that same one cute outfit that season every day!

When I was pregnant the first time I was very frugal when buying clothes. I shopped at those big box maternity stores, I tried to say with the stuff on sale. I also had the good fortune of having a Target that was remodeling. For those of you who haven't had the good fortune of a Target remodel, there are AWESOME deals to be had on the clearance rack. I found the staple of my wardrobe there. Two pairs of black dress pants. I wore them until they fell apart at the end of my pregnancy. They were stretchy and comfy and they weren't ugly! They looked nice with a sweater, and worked with a black suit coat for work.

The one thing I couldn't find was a good pair of jeans. I had 2 pairs of jeans and I hated them both. When I got pregnant with B I knew I needed a pair of jeans that actually fit me. So, I went to the Gap and bought a full price pair of jeans (insert jaw dropping gasp here). I loved them. I wore them all the time. Because I had bought such cheap clothing my first pregnancy and hated it all (and it all shrunk or fell apart) I decided to do things differently this time. I wanted to make sure my clothes actually looked good, because when you look good you FEEL good! I didn't want to miss a moment of this pregnancy, and I sure didn't want to regret a thing! Even though I was on a budget, I didn't want to LOOK like I was on a budget. How did I accomplish this? I'll tell you..

After I bought my jeans I found some basic style tops on sale. I shopped at Target for tees and tanks. I bought a lot of GREAT basic pieces from Ann Taylor Loft. I am not lucky enough to have an Ann Taylor Loft with a maternity section close, but their website has free shipping for exchanges on Maternity items. So, I waited for good sales, watched the pieces I want, and most importantly I signed up for their email newsletter. I got an email from them every week letting me know what was on sale, so I could keep an eye on what I wanted and buy when I felt it was good timing. I got another good pair of jeans from Ann Taylor for only $12! Imagine my surprise when 2 weeks later those SAME EXACT PANTS were back in stock, at regular price for over $50! Wow!

I am proud to say that I avoided the big box maternity stores this pregnancy and my clothes still look great! There are 2 shirts that the seams are coming out of, and they were shirts I spent less than $10 on at Old Navy. The rest of the clothes are in great condition for pregnancy #3. I figure when I am done having children I can pass them on to someone who could use them or sell them on eBay or Craigslist, depending on their condition. If I do manage to loose the weight I gained with A and I am smaller to start my next pregnancy I'll put them on Craigslist or eBay and recoup some of the money I spent. I didn't pay full price for anything anyway.

I also bought a few pieces that were not maternity, just larger than my normal size and they worked very well. One of my favorite pairs of capris from last summer had an elastic waist and I wore them below the belly. They'll probably be a little big this summer, but I'll still be able to wear them if my smaller pants are still too small!

The best way to stock your maternity wardrobe is to cover your basics and accessorize from there. Buy quality pieces on sale so that they will withstand the wear and tear of 9 months, and think outside the box. Find non-maternity pieces that will work with your expanding waist line. The better you look the better you'll feel, and you deserve to feel good during your pregnancy!

Have you tried a Bella Band?

So now that you're pregnant, what do you do? Your belly starts to bloat, and your clothes are becoming uncomfortable. However, you refuse to give in to maternity clothes just yet! Believe me, we've all been there. When I was pregnant with A all my clothes got tight RIGHT away (we won't talk about the fact that I was already gaining weight before I got pregnant, right? RIGHT?). Of course, Hubby and I headed to the mall to the big maternity store and spent a boat load of money on clothes to get me through the pregnancy....Or so we thought. It got me through the first half or so. After A was born I discovered the Bella Band. They were so cute, and I knew I wanted one for the next pregnancy. When I got pregnant with B I knew it was time for my Bella band. Of course, I am frugal to the core, so I look at all of my options. I settle on a belly band that is NOT a Bella Band. Let's say it was ok. It made my shirts longer, but it sure didn't hold my pants up!

I was disappointed, but I was glad I only spent $20 on the knock-off. A few months later I was told the benefits of the authentic Bella Band. It is seamless, made of a single piece of fabric. This helps give it strength. It also has a double sewn bottom band to help hold up those pants when you need to unbutton them and give yourself a little extra room. I received my Bella Band at 29 weeks pregnant. It was LOVE at first sight. I chose the sand color because I had a white knock off, and I thought it would be more versatile. I wore the Bella band through the rest of my pregnancy. Even less than a week before B was born (at 38W5D) I wore the Bella Band with a pre-pregnancy shirt to add a little extra length!

After B was born the Bella Band allowed me to get out of those maternity jeans that just made me feel frumpy. At 6 weeks post-pardum I was able to use the Bella Band to hold up my non-maternity jeans that I couldn't button. I am happy to say that the Bella band has allowed me to not have to wear maternity jeans since! Having a baby does crazy things to your body, and your emotions, so being able to wear jeans that were not maternity was a huge help to my mental state!

I think every pregnant woman needs a Bella Band. Just trust me, get the real thing!

Let's Start At The Beginning....

Since this is a new blog, and my focus is being a mom, I thought I'd start at the beginning. For both of my girls, the beginning of them had something to do with Natural Family Planning. When I got married I decided to try the Fertility Awareness Method as birth control. Funny thing about FAM, if you don't understand it, you can't effectively use it. So, 6 months into our marriage my oldest daughter was conceived. A surprise? Yes. A happy one? Without a doubt!

After A was born I did some reading. I read Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler. I finally understood FAM and was able to figure out exactly when A was conceived by looking at my old charts. We used FAM to prevent pregnancy between A & B, and when we were ready for another baby, we used FAM to conceive B. Even if you don't think FAM is for you, I would highly reccomend Toni's book. It's amazing the knoweldge I gained about my body from that book. I now reccomend it to all of my friends. Especially those who are trying to get pregnant, but are unaware of their body's natural fertility signs.

Welcome!

As the mom of two girls, I have been pregnant or breastfeeding for almost 5 years. I've seen my fair share of clothes, lotions, gadgets, and toys for every stage of being a mommy from pregnancy through breastfeeding, as well as for infants, toddlers, and pre-schoolers. I've tried more soft baby carriers than I can count, always trying to find the best way to take care of my children while handling the housework and my WAHM job. I hope that you will enjoy reading about my journey, the gadgets I can't live without, and the gadgets I'd rather leave behind. I hope that I can inspire other moms to do what is best for their children. Thanks for reading, I'm looking forward to getting to know all of my readers!