Cloth Diapering and some Giveaways I have found!

My goodness, I've been terrible about blogging lately! You would think, since I have so much time during the day that I would definitely do more stable blog posts, but it's actually the exact opposite. I think sometimes I have too much time and I don't want to use that to be productive. :)

Lately I've been doing insane amounts of research as far as cloth diapering goes! I think that sometimes I may research it a little too much, but I guess I just want all the information I can have before A. I make a huge purchase and B. before Marie actually gets here! Lately I've been signing up for lots of giveaways as far as cloth diapers go. I'm hoping that I may be able to win a few of them so that I can get some variety in my stash without having to pay a fortune, but I'm not really expecting anything.

I'm not going to go too in depth in this post about cloth diapers themselves, but I will definitely have several posts to come that will go into it further and really explain the things that I have learned with all my searching.

 If you're interested in cloth diapering, you should check out some of these giveaways!
Awesome Cloth diapers
Diaper Junction 
The Cloth Diaper Whisperer
Cloth Diaper Geek
Dirty Diaper Laundry

If you read this post after this week those specific giveaways may be closed, but check the blogs there are bound to be others that have started!  Those are only a few of the many giveaways out there and I can wait to see if I happen to get any of them!

With love,
Erica

Daily Cleaning Schedule

I have moved! If you are interested in new content, stop by my new blog Our Living World! Your stop for an environmentally sustainable home and life.

Today I wanted to share with you my Daily Cleaning Schedule that I live by! One of my biggest struggles is that when I don't break everything down to a workable schedule, I end up skimping on the important stuff, like taking out the trash or mopping the floor.  My house would be visibly clutter-free, but I wasn't really getting everything done as necessary.  So I came up with a plan that allows me to break everything down throughout the week.  This helps me keep up with everything, without getting overwhelmed! It also gives us more freedom on the weekends, rather than having to clean all day.

A few notes about this schedule:
1. There are some things I do each day. For instance, I do one load of laundry a day, as to not get overwhelmed with it.
2. I do dishes each day so that they don't pile up.
3. Everything else is spread out throughout the week.
4. I use this in my Home organization binder, which I will post about next week! That way I keep track daily of what I do.

I hope this helps you think creatively about a cleaning schedule of your own! What are some things you find it's important to do throughout the week?

With love,
Erica

23 Weeks | My Pregnancy

Hey everyone! I am officially 23 weeks along today! It's so exciting that I've already made it this far, but it also feels like time is going minute by minute.  Here is how my belly has grown this last week.

(don't mind my overflowing trashcan!)

craving milkshakes and La Gondola 

trying to go for longer walks

beginning to plan your nursery and putting together a registry 

wishing my feet would stop hurting so much 

definitely having trouble sleeping, lately 

1 pound 4 ounces

Moving around all the time 

Starting to kick more and more each day 

beginning to hear the things we say to her

I had an ultrasound today, which was absolutely amazing to see my little girl moving around and doing so well, however I am still dealing with Placenta Previa.  As of right now, my placenta is completely covering my cervix and birth canal. This puts me in the status of a high risk pregnancy and could require a C-Section if it does not move away from the cervix. Please be praying that it will move on it's own over the next few weeks. I have another Ultrasound in 6-8 weeks to see if it has moved at all.  

Also, please be praying that she continues to grow as she is supposed to and that there are no further complications! 

With love, 

Erica 

Cloth diapers vs. Disposable diapers?

I've always had a pull towards cloth diapers, even before I was actually pregnant.  I wasn't really sure why I had such a pull, I just knew it was there. Once we found out we were pregnant, I started to actually do my research as to which we would choose: Cloth or Disposable.

On one hand, I completely understand why so many people use disposable diapers. It's very simple, since you literally just put them on the child, let them dirty it, and then throw it away. I also see the value in time as well.  Disposable doesn't require the extra steps that cloth diapers do, so it's a huge time saver! However, I just can't seem to get over the simple cost of diapers and wipes as well as how many diapers must be sitting in landfills right now.

Now, let me just clarify one thing... I am not a crazy environmentalist who takes every precaution to keep things out of landfills. I do, however realize that the hundreds of diapers I would use over the next few years will just pile up!

So I have made the decision to go with Cloth diapers. It took a bit of convincing for Kendall to go along with it, but eventually he just kind of gave up. :)

Here are a few of the reasons why we are going cloth with our diapers: 
1. The obvious one: financial.  Once we put the initial money into the diapers we will have very few to purchase in the future.  I know there will be a few expenses later, and some of them will wear out and such, but I think the initial couple hundred we may spend on our diapers will be much better than the $500-$1000 we would spend each year on disposable diapers. They also have a great resale value if we decide to sell them later. I've seen people pay $20 for a diaper and sell it for $15. That's over half your money back!

2. The environmental factor: Although using cloth diapers will require a bit more water usage each month, the amount will be minimal compared to the huge pile up of diapers that would end up in a landfill.

3. they are so cute!: Alright, this isn't a super valid reason, but I had to throw it in there... Cloth diapers are so cute!! You can get them in the colors of the outfits and they will match a dress or look adorable when they pop over the top of a pair of pants.

4. We can reuse the diapers on our next child as well.  Since we will be investing in these diapers, they should last long enough to even be used on our next child! That means that potentially we could end up spending next to nothing with our next child's diaper needs.

5. They can be good on sensitive skin: Although every child is different (I know people who get diaper rash with cloth diapers as well) however, many moms that i've spoken to say that they deal with very little diaper rash after they switched to cloth. I am hoping this will hold true for us as well!

There are also a few cons that go with cloth diapering as well: 
1. I hate laundry! I will definitely have to get over this one... However, I am not currently on a good laundry schedule and so I get very overwhelmed when laundry time comes.  Once I am on a better schedule, I will hopefully like it a little better.

2. It's kind of gross at times: Since we will have to dump the poop into the toilet... That will probably be a little gross at times! However, I'm sure we will get used to it rather quickly.

3. the initial finances: Even though we will save money in the long-run, we still have to dish out a couple hundred dollars for the diapers up front. Which will be a little harder than just adding it to the budget each month.

4. they aren't quite as absorbant: which means changing diapers a little bit more often. This can pose problems at night which is why some people do disposables at night (when they sleep through the night) or they double stuff the cloth diapers to make them more absorbant.

Altogether, I still feel that the pros out-weigh the cons in this situations. However, I would love your input as well! What do you think about cloth diapers or disposable diapers? 

With love,
Erica

Military Appreciate Day at the Rodeo!

Even though I've lived in Texas for nearly a year now, I still had yet to go see the Rodeo.  It's not really a first thought of something to do for my husband nor I. However, in honor of memorial day they had a night where the military gets in free! I couldn't pass up a FREE date night! So, after much convincing to get Kendall to go, we decided to enjoy this "Texas experience."

We were surprised at how fun the evening actually was. It was incredibly hot initially and we had to sit on bleachers (not the best place for a pregnant woman to sit!) but overall I feel that I did really well :).

Enjoy a few pictures from that very fun evening! They started off with a show by the US Army Cavalry which was followed by the actual Rodeo. 

I tried to take a picture together and instead he made this face... So I decided it was only fitting to share it with the world! :) Hope we can have more new experiences in the near future!

With love,
Erica

My Growing Belly

I have just reached 22 weeks of pregnancy, which is absolutely amazing! I So far the only real cravings I've had are foods from back home, which of course I can't eat here :( However, I do really enjoy anything sweet and I will never pass up Macaroni and cheese! According to an app on my phone, our little girl, Marie Isabella Gilliam, is currently about 11 inches long and nearly a pound. It's amazing how much she is already growing!

She also started kicking within the last few weeks. She isn't a huge kicker, typically one time and then she'll wait a while. But every once in a while she will have little kicking fits! Kendall has only gotten the chance to feel once or twice though :( She usually stops when he comes around.

A few weeks ago I did have an ultrasound and found out I do have placenta previa, which means my placenta is covering my cervix.  Although 99% of women's placenta does move away from the cervix, I do have another ultrasound next week to make sure that it has moved like it is supposed to.  So please pray that this is the case! If it has not moved by the time I go into labor I will have to have a C-section as well as there is higher risk of bleeding out.  So we want everything to go safely and smoothly!

Here are some pictures of my belly's progression as far as growing is concerned!

above: 12 weeks 

 above: 13 weeks 

above: 14 weeks 

 above: 15 weeks 

  above: 16 weeks 

  above: 17 weeks

  above: 18 weeks 

  above: 19 weeks

  above: 20 weeks 

 above: 21 weeks 

I have yet to take my 22 week photo, but you can see that my tummy has really grown over the last few months! I am planning on doing several crafts and projects before little Marie is born! So keep an eye out for those! I will also be updating with a photo each week as she continues to grow inside of me :) 

I can't wait til I finally get to meet our little girl! 

Love, 

Erica 

Our trip to Oklahoma

I used to be so good at taking pictures everywhere I could! Anytime we went somewhere my camera was by my side.  However, after always being behind the lens I have really wanted to just enjoy things through my own eyes.  Although, I always wish I had more pictures from the trips we take or the things we do!  So I am re-learning how to keep my camera with me...  Sometimes this is an easy process and other times it feels like a bit of a chore. But I'm working on it, which is the point.

Over memorial day weekend we made a trip up to Oklahoma City to visit some family. My Aunt Jackie lives there and my grandparents as well as my cousin were making the trip down from Indiana. So we thought it would be a perfect time to make a trip up to visit as well! It was, however, a very short trip as Kendall had to work on Sunday. So we drove up Friday morning (6 hours!) and then drove back Saturday afternoon. While we were there we got to spend some much needed time with family. It's so hard to get a chance to be with our family while living so far away.  Although I don't have a ton of images from our time there, I do have a few and I wanted to share those with you!

Above: I wish I could say that I took this image, however my amazing husband Kendall did! When I was getting the image above it he grabbed the camera from my and just held it in front of him and got the above image! I didn't crop it at all. It's the exact image he got.  I was really impressed with his ability without even trying to get a good shot!

Altogether the trip was very fun! I do wish I had a few more pictures to show for it, but I thought that these few would definitely give a bit of the beauty we saw while on that trip!

With love,
Erica