AppleCheeks Cloth Diaper Review & Giveaway

Giveaway Ended!

Winner is #424:

Congrats Cecette!

Cecette said...

Following you on Twitter
cecette.brons.rhodes at gmail dot com

June 3, 2010 10:55 AM

** The winner was contacted via e-mail and has 48 hrs to contact me! If I do not receive an email, another winner will be chose using random.org's number generator. **

I've tried a few different types of cloth diapers since I started using them, but have pretty much stuck with my Bum Genius Deluxe 3.0s. However, a few months ago I was lucky enough to win an AppleCheeks cloth diaper and now I get to review it!

About AppleCheeks

AppleCheeks is a Canadian cloth diaper company created by two WAHMs, Illana & Amy, who wanted to show the world that cloth diapering is not like it used to be. Gone are the days of diaper pins and uncomfortable plastic covers! The AppleCheeks envelope cover and insert provide a unique combination of style and functioning. The form-fitting washable cloth diaper is praised for its trim design, which fits skinny legged babies, too!

My Thoughts

I was originally interested in AppleCheeks for two reasons: the vibrant and uniquely named colors, from Mrs. Robinson (navy blue) to Lemon Zest, and the slim fit since Liam is a preemie and is smaller than most babies his age. I had leak issues with other cloth diapers in the past because the legs were too wide. 

When my package arrived and we tore into it, I was immediately amazed at the softness of the inside of the cloth diaper and the insert! (The insert is made of rayon, bamboo and organic cotton fleece and the inside of the diaper is microfleece.) Not only did I love the feel of the diaper, but so did Liam. He grabbed the insert and didn't let go! I didn't have the heart to take it from him so, after 2 months, that original insert is still his. I had to buy extra inserts to actually try out the diaper! He prefers the insert over other blankets, stuffed animals, and other fabrics and carries it around everywhere! 

The fit? It is absolutely perfect for Liam. The rows of snaps allowed me to custom fit the diaper to Liam and the stretchy elastic contains messes completely! I've never had a leak, which is more than I can say for some cloth diapers! At first the inserts were not very absorbent, but Illana assured me that if I washed it a good 3 times before using it, the absorbency would increase drastically. Sure enough, the insert was plenty absorbent once washed a few extra times.

I love this diaper! It's easy to use and economically priced at around $18 USD.

Buy It
Make a purchase from the AppleCheeks Store. Also, there are several retailers listed on the AppleCheeks website.

Win It
One Lucky Winner Will Receive a AppleCheeks Mini Test, which comes with 1 envelope cover and 3 bamboo inserts, instructions & a reusable bag!

How To Enter:

• Visit AppleCheeks & Tell Me Your Favorite Color Diaper Cover and What Size You Would Want If You Won (Size 1 or 2)             

*Remember to include your email address if it is NOT visible in your profile so I will know how to contact you!
The initial entry is mandatory! Be sure to answer that question before earning extra entries listed below! Each bullet is worth one extra entry unless specified. Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry you earn and include your email address is at least one entry.
Additional Entries:

• Join the AppleCheeks Mailing List
• Become a Fan of AppleCheeks on Facebook 
• Follow AppleCheeks on Twitter
• Make a Purchase From the AppleCheeks Store (3 Extra Entries)
• Follow Children Teaching Mama via Google Friend Connect
• Subscribe to Children Teaching Mama via Email
• Enter My Other Upcoming Giveaways (1 Entry for Each Entered Giveaway & I just added the Plum Organics & Revolution Foods Giveaway!)
• Grab the Children Teaching Mama Button & Place on Your Blog (2 Extra Entries) - leave url 
• Grab the Green Goodies Giveaway Button (5 Extra Entries) - leave the url where placed
• Become a Fan of Children Teaching Mama on Facebook
• Follow Me on Twitter
• Tweet about this Giveaway on Twitter (make sure to link back here!)* 2 Tweets Allowed Per Day At least 1 Hour Apart!

That gives you 19+ Possible Entries PLUS Extra entries for each giveaway entered. Don't forget your 2 Daily Tweets and extra entries for entering my other giveaways! Plenty of opportunities to increase your chance of winning! This Giveaway is open to US & Canadian Residents and Ends June 12 at 11:59pm EST. Winner will be drawn by random.org. An announcement will be made on the blog and the winner will also be contacted by email. The winner has 48 hours to respond to my email or another winner will be chosen. 

All opinions on this review are 100% mine and based on my experience with the product.
Good Luck!

Recess Monkey Review & Giveaway

Giveaway Ended!
The Winner is
#15 
I♥thesecrazykids said...I follow you on twitter
bcgood83@yahoo.com
Congrats! The winner has been contacted via email and has 48 hrs to respond. If the winner does not respond, another winner will be picked by random.org! Thanks everyone!

Recess Monkey is a children’s band based out of Seattle comprised of three rockin' school teachers. We had the distinct pleasure of reviewing their newest cd, The Final Funktier, which will be released on June 15^th! 

If your kiddos are anything like mine, they absolutely love music! My 3 year old, Josiah, was so excited to get his own cd in the mail, he couldn’t wait to pop it in the cd player. As soon as the music started up so did the groove fest in our living room. Josiah ran to get his drums to beat to the rhythm and Liam bounced so hard in his bouncy chair I thought he’d bounce out! From beginning to end The Final Funktier is filled with catchy tunes, a variety of fresh beats and interesting lyrics that will captivate both kids and parents alike.

Usually when I hear the phrase “Children’s Rock” I cringe, but Recess Monkey is in a totally different realm, placing themselves in a genre called “Kindie Rock”. As a big Indie Rock fan myself, I have to say I dig this group. Search for this group on google and get ready for an endless stream of articles and rave reviews about Recess Monkey, including NPR, USA Today, Time Mag! I have to admit, after I started listening to them, I automatically had to stalk them and find out more info. 

I definitely give my seal of approval for Recess Monkey's The Final Funktier and think it's a great cd to add to any collection. Whether your kids want to dance around the living room or listen to some tunes in the car, the music is perfect for entertaining them! Check out a list of songs & lyrics on their website and get a chance to hear some of the new album. 

Buy It

The Final Funktier will be available on the Recess Monkey website store

Or

Reserve your own copy on Amazon 

Win It

One Lucky Winner will add Recess Monkey's The Final Funktier to their CD collection!

To Enter:

• Visit Recess Monkey & tell me 1 thing you learned about the band!                   *Remember to include your email address if it is NOT visible in your profile so I will know how to contact you!

The initial entry is mandatory! Be sure to answer that question before earning extra entries listed below! Each bullet is worth one extra entry unless specified. Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry you earn and include your email address is at least one entry.
Additional Entries:

• Join the Recess Monkey Mailing List
• Become a Fan of Recess Monkey on Facebook 
• Make a Purchase from the Recess Monkey Store 
• Subscribe to Children Teaching Mama via Email
• Enter My Other Upcoming Giveaways (1 Entry for Each Entered Giveaway)
• Grab the Children Teaching Mama Button & Place on Your Blog (2 Extra Entries) - leave url 
• Grab the Green Goodies Giveaway Button (5 Extra Entries) - leave the url where placed
• Become a Fan of Children Teaching Mama on Facebook
• Follow the Children Teaching Mama Blog
• Follow Me on Twitter
• Tweet about this Giveaway on Twitter (make sure to link back here!)* 2 Tweets Allowed Per Day At least 1 Hour Apart!

That gives you 15 Possible Entries PLUS Extra entries for each giveaway entered & your 2 Daily Tweets! Plenty of opportunities to increase your chance of winning! This Giveaway is open to US residents and Ends June 11 at 11:59pm EST. Winner will be drawn by random.org. An announcement will be made on the blog and the winner will also be contacted by email. The winner has 48 hours to respond to my email or another winner will be chosen. 

All opinions on this review are 100% mine and based on my experience with the product.
Good Luck!

Wordless Wednesday - Best Buddies

For More Wordless Wednesday pictures, go to 5 Minutes For Mom. You can link up your own WW post and meet some other great bloggers! Be sure to leave comments so they know you visited! :)

Watching Scooby Doo together on the computer!

Josiah told me they were going to take a nap together on the floor so, he got pillows and blankets out!

My Silly Monkeys @ Nap Time!

Liam will be 8 months old on the 27th of this month! He & Big Brother Siah are still best buddies. Liam looks for him and doesn't want him out of view during the day and the first thing out of Josiah's mouth if he doesn't see Liam is "Where's Eman?" They amaze me each and every day at how much they truly love each other and how strong their bond has become!

Event Kickoff Contest: Name That Event

The moment you've all been waiting for has finally arrived! It's time for the big giveaway event to kickoff! The reviews and giveaways will begin next week. Today is the kickoff contest! Here are the rules and regulations:

How to enter: 

I need a fun, relevant, and creative name for my very first event. I am open to all names related to organics, babies, my blog, my children (my 2 yr old is about to celebrate his 3rd birthday in June), etc. Put your thinking caps on and enter your favorite ideas. 

• You can enter as many times as you like by leaving a comment!

The prize package:

A Gift Basket of Goodies for Baby! 

• Boudreaux's Organic Butt Paste
•  Huggies Natural Bath Wash     
• A Sample of Era Free & Clear  
• Johnson & Johnson Baby Lotion
• Blue Gumdrop Pacifier 
• Pottery Barn Kids Bear             

The contest is open to residents to all states and countries! This is one of the few open to ALL countries so, get your vote in and win some great baby items. :) 


To make the voting fair, there will be 6 judges and the suggestion with the most "likes" will be the winner!
If your email address is not viewable in your profile please provide it in your comment so I will know how to contact you. 
I am new at this so, this is a trial contest for me. If you have any questions, issues, or suggestions please email me @ writeroxie@gmail.com

The Contest ends Sunday, May 23rd @ midnight Eastern Standard Time
 Good Luck!

 

Wordless Wednesday

Our newbie garden!

Our little rows of flowers & our first tomato of the season! Yay!

Our Strawberry Patch is blooming and producing lots and lots of yummy strawberries!

We pick them each day for our afternoon snack! Want some? :)

The Boys enjoying watering flowers and picking strawberries after lunch today! Josiah thinks Liam's push car is his now and drove all over the yard, the silly boy!

Happy Wednesday! 

Before you know it, Friday will be here! As a reminder, Wednesday afternoon I will post my first official contest to mark the beginning of my first review/giveaway event! I need a creative name to call the event so, think of some ideas and win some organic baby prizes!
Also, Children Teaching Mama now has a facebook page so "like" it if you'd like to keep up with the giveaways and future events! 

Aloha Friday

TGIF! This has been one long week. Believe me, when the Hubs has an operation and can't lift the kids for 6 weeks or do half of the things he used to, you long for the weekend with the hopes of some sleep even if it may not happen. lol!

Anyways, Friday means it's time to sit back and relax. Kailani at An Island Life knows all about that, which is why she sponsors the awesome meme Aloha Friday!  It's a great way to link up, hop around new blogs, and find some new friends. All you do is post a simple question on your blog and go answer other people's questions on their blogs! So, you can just go to that link to find other Aloha Friday questions on other blogs, too! So, go answer some questions and have fun, but answer mine first! :)

My Question:

Where is one place you really don't enjoy going to, but endure it because your kids, spouse, boy/girlfriend, and/or family loves going there? 

My Answer:

My soon to be 3 year old, Josiah, absolutely loves going to Chuck E. Cheese. I really dislike going to that place because it's always dirty, half the games are broken or the tickets are out, and the last time we went a fight broke out in the parking lot so the cops came. Luckily we were inside and missed that whole scene. Ugh! He really wanted to have his birthday party there at first, but somehow we convinced him to have a carnival party here at the house. Thank goodness!   

Since I can't help myself, here are the pics I took today of the boys and myself!

Clifford came to our public library. Josiah was super excited... we waited in line for 15 minutes and as soon as it was our turn Josiah ran off and planted himself in a chair, refusing to move. Doesn't he look pitiful? He said, "I scared, Mama!" Poor boy! It broke my heart!

 Liam and I still got our picture taken, of course! Who could resist a photo op with Clifford? :) 

 Josiah wanted to stay until "Clifford goes back to his house" so, we sat and watched while I fed Liam. Josiah waved and waved yelling, "Bye, Clifford!!" It was adorable. I guess he still loves Clifford, the show and his books, anyways! 

Happy Friday! Have a Wonderful Weekend!

Wordless Wednesday

Mother's Day Happiness!

Two cousins sharing a yummy raisin snack!

Liam playing with PawPaw 

Enjoying the beautiful day!

We had a wonderful Mother's Day spent with family. I hope yours was just as great!

For more Wordless Wednesday pictures and links, go to 5 Minutes For Mom

You can link up your own pictures and meet other great blogging Mamas!

Top Ten Tuesday

So, I am a little late, but things have been a little hectic around here without the Hubs being able to help much! The blog has been marinating while I take care of business. :)
I've developed a bit of a routine with the boys over the past few weeks that has been working well, though the weather is finally cooperating once again so, this routine will not last much longer! Here it is:

Top 10 Daily Routine Events

1.  7:30am - I hear Liam waking up so, I run to the kitchen and reach for formula and coffee! Liam and I both need our morning fix!
2. 9am- Just as Liam starts rubbing his eyes and is ready for nap #1 of the day, we hear the pitter-patter of Josiah's feet down the hallway! :) 
3. 9:30am- After Josiah has time to wake up a bit, drink some juice and I try to get him to eat something (usually unsuccessfully), it's playtime! We usually have art time, put together puzzles, play with cars and/or make blanket forts! 
4. 11:30am - Lunchtime! I haul Liam, while in his bouncy chair, into the kitchen, which is finds absolutely hilarious! He watches and babbles comments while Josiah and I concoct something scrumptious for lunch, which is usually honey battered chicken strips, hot dogs, pizza, salad, or a sandwich at the moment! Once or twice a week we also make a dessert! Then we all eat! Liam is quite a fan of Peachy Pear Granola. Yummy!
5. 1pm- Nap Time- I prepare Josiah a sippy cup of milk, Liam a bottle, take diapers back to the bedroom and give Liam his bottle all the while trying to get Josiah to be quiet and lie down. Liam finishes his bottle and I put him down in his room with his much adored musical teddy bear and them attempt to get Josiah to sleep for the next 30 minutes or so.
6. 3:30pm- By this time both of the boys are usually up and ready for a snack and playtime! Then begins our impatient wait for Papa to arrive. Josiah often keeps an eye out at the window for that last hour. It's so cute!
7. 5:30pm- Papa gets home and Josiah immediate runs and hides so Papa can seek him out! For the next few hours Josiah can't decide if he wants to love on Papa or be mean to him, payback for being gone all day even though he talks about Papa and misses him the entire time he's gone. Poor Papa. 
8.  6pm- Time to eat dinner then clean dishes, fold clothes, clean the house, wash cloth dipes, etc. Woo! It's saved only by the fact that the Hubs is home and we talk about our days and play with the boys.
9. 7:30-8pm- Liam's bedtime! He takes his final bottles and is out like a light as soon as I put him down with Mr. Teddy lulling him to sleep as he snuggles up to him and listens to the music. I kiss him on his forehead, say goodnight and have to make myself close his door as he stares back at me smiling. It's so darn hard to shut that door! Ack!
10. 10:30-11:30pm- My night owl, Josiah, finally winds down for the night... and so do we. There was once a time that I'd stay up until about 2am after he went to sleep, but 7:30am comes too quickly and nap time doesn't! After Josiah's asleep I am usually out within an hour or two at the most. :) 

So, that's my day! Pretty typical most of the time, but there are always a few hitches along the way. Plus, some days we go out and about or picnic in the yard! I'm so glad the warm weather is once again heading this way. The past few days of rain and cold have been no fun for us.
On a happy note, though, the strawberry patch has very much enjoyed the rain and we've already eaten 4 deliciously ripe and sweet strawberries! How exciting! :)

Aloha Friday

All I can say is TGIF! What a long week it has been around our house with the Hubs getting old and having a hernia operation. He's recovering very well and this weekend will be much welcomed and needed!

Kailani at An Island Life has a really fun meme. It's a great way to link up, hop around new blogs, and find some new friends. All you do is post a simple question on your blog and go answer other people's questions on their blogs! So, you can just go to that link to find other Aloha Friday questions on other blogs, too! Cool, huh? :)

My Question of the Week: 

Do you have a garden? If so, what do you plant? If not, would you like to have a garden and what would you want to plant?

My Answer:

I usually just plant random flowers that I think are pretty. Last year I tried potted tomato kits, but they didn't do a thing. This year, however, I have planted several different flowers, 2 tomato plants, have a patch of strawberries, and we have a blueberry bush that's pretty self-sufficient, thank goodness! :) I just bought a squash plant, too, but Josiah was overly eager to plant it and broke it to pieces. Poor squash! 

Here are some last minute pics I took of the garden tonight with my Mother's Day present, a new digital camera! Yay! The pics didn't turn out very well, but it was dark, after all!

See the little dot of red? It's my first red ripe strawberry ever! Yay! :)

Josiah admiring... and trying to pick the strawberries! :) He is so excited, but who can blame him!?  

Georgie Kitty

 My 2 Little 

Tomato Plants

                                    

 

  

Lastly, my little plot of flowers. It's unfinished, but getting there! :)

Have a wonderful Mother's Day!

A Long Week!

Sorry the blog has been neglected this week! The hubs had an operation this week and has had some complications along the way. After doctor's visits and late night hospital runs, I think he's finally on the mend! Phew! In the meantime, I've had hardly any time to do much other than take care of the family, which, of course, comes first!
All is well and the weekend is near! AND this brings us one step closer to the upcoming reviews and giveaways! Are you excited? :) I added an subscription button on the left-hand side of the blog, as if you hadn't noticed... but, in case you haven't, please add your e-mail address to the subscription list for the updates and giveaways in the near future. As I mentioned before, some of the items will only be for US and Canada residents, but I still plan to include my UK followers, too, in honor of Josiah's internet buddy, baby Mikey, whose pictures he adores!
Well, back to the Hubs for now! I will be hosting my first giveaway within the next day or so in order to ease the pressure to come up with an interesting and appropriate name for the Giveaway Event coming up! So, put your thinking caps on and come up with a good name to win some organic baby products! :) More on that later today, hopefully!
Happy Thursday!