Project 52: Colors

So I feel like it is time for an update on everything that has been going on!! I am currently 2 weeks into my 8 week course of women studies I currently have an A with a quiz under my belt!! So although the reading material is dreadfully boring, the class isn't half bad.

Also if you haven't already noticed I have gotten a new camera!!! And started to really pursue my interest in photography!! Maybe someday when we are back in the states where there isn't taxes and stuff to worry about I will be able to make money off of it. But for now I am simply doing it as a way to learn the ins and outs of photography!!

Today I did a family photo shoot so they could have pictures for Christmas Cards!! It turned out great and I will do a blog about it later!! Yesterday I also did a photo shoot of Kyra!! One of which will make it onto our Christmas Card!!!

But while waiting for them to come to the shoot today I had a chance to photography the beautiful colors of the park!! Fall is such a colorful time of year. Here are the 3 Prettiest colors I saw while I was there!

On another note I would like to thank everyone who comes and continues to come back and read my blog!! Because of you I have reached over 10,000 views!! That is amazing!! And proof that I am doing something right :D

Sorry I haven't been writing that much in the past week or so, I have somehow managed to get a virus that only affects a couple things on my computer but one of which is my Blog and it only allows me to see one line of text at a time so it is more difficult to read what I have written!! Hopefully when Dustin gets home he will know what to do!!


For complete list of all pictures from my Project 52 follow this link to Resolutions which has links to all of my project 52 blogs.

Fall Fun Series!!!

 Hey everyone just swinging by to say: IT'S FALL!! Yup tomorrow it's September and although the first official day of fall isn't until the 21st, I always count the whole month of September in the Fall months!!

And although Christmas is my favorite holiday, Fall is my favorite season!!! Last year I did the 25 days of Christmas Series and got great reviews and everyone loved it!! So this year I thought instead of trying to think up 25 new things for Christmas time, I would celebrate fall!!!

So in the next 3 months be prepared to see (almost) ALL THINGS FALL!! I am so excited to share my love of fall with you and my dear Kyra this year!! So be sure to stick around, because starting tomorrow the fun begins.

Side note: Kyra slept through the night, I think we may have survived the Jet Lag finally!!!

Cloth Diaper vs Disposables

   This is a blog post that has been sitting here waiting to be written, and I kept putting it off knowing it was going to take a while to write!!! But today I had a dear cousin ask a few questions about cloth diapers and disposables. And although this is one of those topics that is really a matter of opinion, and is different for everyone. I think the more info you can grab hold of and have to think about when you are looking into it the better. So I am finally getting around to writing my experience in the diaper world.

     So maybe its where I live or maybe its just a time we are entering, but the cloth diaper is a very interesting subject!! A lot of people here in Germany cloth diaper and wouldn't have it any other way. But don't get me wrong there are some who still would never do it as disposables are so much easier. Then there are the few of us who can see it both ways. I have to say I am not die-hard either way, I can see the benefits of either way. So to start with my opinion, that is where I am gonna start, a list of pros and cons for each way. Than I will tell you our experience, and how I feel about it going into another child!!

Cloth Diapers:

Pros: cheaper

environmentally friendly

cute designs

Cons: More laundry

Harder to do when your out and about

The trial and error phase

Disposables:

Pros: take off and toss

Easy to bring along

works from day one

Cons: more trash to take out

Takes forever to decompose

Hard on sensitive skin babies

    Alright now that all being said where do I stand and which do I prefer? Well this is how I am. I am lazy as you all know from my "about me" section. And that being said if I fall off the cloth diaper band wagon and go back to disposables I tend to stick with disposables for the whole case. Which causes me to forget about my beautiful clothes!! I have also quit cloth on occasion for traveling because face it on a week long trip 14-18 diapers is just not gonna cut it and when you are in Europe traveling its really hard to find a washer that you can wash diapers in every night, and you don't entirely wanna carry dirty diapers around with you while you are out and about. So I have had my fair share of disposable use. But that being said, every time I go back to clothes and sit and wonder why I ever quit? Because I LOVE them. They are just as easy to put on as disposable, and especially around the house they are great for her to wear!! I do worry when I go out that they will leak as I get distracted and don't check them as often as I should. But we are getting better the more I do it. 

This image is not my own. I claim to rights to it.

    My favorite part is how much money I save. This is our major go to when we are broke and can't afford diapers because they are always there, they will fit her probably until she is 3 and completely potty trained, and you don't need a ton as long as you are willing to do laundry every or every other night. Which frankly I am doing laundry anyways. And my favorite part? The designs!!! We are big fans of pockets and use Alva or Sunbaby because they run around 5 dollars a diaper. And they are the cutest freaking things I have ever seen. Pocket are great, I just wash them and stuff them so when you pull them out of the drawer its literally like using a regular diaper. Dustin was against it at first but has gotten used to it and as long as I stuff them before hand he has no complaints. We do have a couple all in one's that my mom got us at a used baby supply sale, and I like them well enough but they are velcro and I have problems with them staying hooked. So an All In One with snaps would be great as it would be exactly the same as a disposable only you wash them. The only thing with them is if you have problems at night with leaking with a heavy pee'er you will not be able to double up as the inserts should not touch the skin, the microfiber is rough on skin.

  Now to answer a couple questions. Do you save money? YES YES YES. Normal people have a stock of about 40 diapers and if you go the brands we do that is only about 200 dollars. Which is about 8-10 cases of diapers depending on what disposable you choose to use. Which is about 5 months worth of diapers??? so considering these diapers will last you around 3 years per baby and can be used for more than one kid I say heck yes it will save you money!!!

This image is not my own. I claim to rights to it.

What Brand? We love Sunbaby and Alva. They have the cutest designs and are really cheap. And we have had no issues with leaking outside of the trial and error stage of deciding which buttons to snap it to and how to wash them and all that fun stuff. They have boy and girl designs and frankly I don't even mind when Kyra runs around in just her diaper when she has them on it is so cute!!

Disposable inserts? Not really worth it. If you are breastfeeding you don't even need to rinse out the poop before washing it as its all natural ingredients!! I still did cuz for some reason sticking poop into my washer was weird to me. But when you get to more solid poop you just knock the majority off into the toilet and rinse it in a sink or tub than toss it it. And I haven't had any staining issues. The disposable inserts wont save you much money as you will just be throwing them away... and can cause the pee to leak, also if they do just go pee and not poop you still have to put a new one in so your gonna use a lot of them, so I wouldn't even bother. I don't know as far as formula and the possible discoloration it may or may not give them...

Washing? I know this wasn't a question specifically asked but something I feel like I should touch on as its a big part of the process. I am only gonna give you what I do there are many different choices and ways to do it and people will swear by other ways.

1. Place diapers in a basket or bucket or straight in the washer during the day, I do mine every night so I just throw them in the washer during the day( but if you do every other day or have other stuff to wash a basket will do) 

2. I was them on cold wash, warm rinse. With a smaller than normal amount of detergent. You don't wanna use to much it can build up and cause the inserts to not absorb the urine like they should. ( I just use none scented Tide)

3. During the rinse cycle take a peek in, if there is still soap bubbles you're gonna wanna run another rinse (like a said soap build up is BAD!!!)

4. Drying, this one is opinion based depending on what you think works best for you. Some people think using the dryer can wear down the elastic etc...but I have had no issues as of yet so I use the dryer. I just do like I normally would. NEVER use fabric softener in the wash or the dryer sheets as it makes materials water resistant. An obvious thing you don't want your diaper to be!

Tips? Two that I have learned from other moms: Wool, and fleece repel moisture. So they are great to have the kids wear with cloth diapers during the trial and error phase and at night it will keep leaky diapers from going anywhere but the diaper region.   And 90% of stains can be sun bleached out, if you have stains on either diapers or clothes from poop, after washing them hang them in the sun for a few hours and they will be gone. On clothes you can even splash lemon juice on the area to make it work even faster!!

Opinions? Well I feel like either way you go there are benefits. We have gone back and forth between the two and have found good reasons to use both. I think I prefer the cloth because I am home all the time and its just as easy for me. I plan to do only cloth when we have another baby as we have spent a lot of money on diapers we could have been spending else where!!! I hope this has helped you in making your decision easier. Feel free to share this where you please and maybe somewhere a long the time line it will help someone else too!!!

Pretty like a princess!

After sitting and watching a bunch of makeup tutorial videos I felt inspired to make one. But lets be honest none of you wanna see me stutter my way through making a video. I think I will stick to just using my words and pictures! Besides I really only know one way of doing my makeup so it's nothing special. So instead I thought (although it is out of the harm for what I normally do on my blog) I would show you all what make-up I use on a daily basis.

I always start with lotion! I use Olay total effects, I used to use Aveeno but ran out and sent hubby to the store to get more and he came back with this kind. At first I was offended because it is an aging lotion but after using it a few times I fell in love! I really like the texture of it on my face!

After my lotion absorbs into my skin I start to apply my foundation, I am a long time user of Mary Kay foundation. I absolutely love the coverage and it matches my skin tone just perfect! I just use a very light layer rubbed in like lotion to even out my skin tone with out covering all my freckles.

Than I apply concealer I use Maybelline in fair that I just recently bought, I am still not sure I like it. I used to use physician's formula that had green on one side and my color on the other but it was getting old!! I use it to cover blemishes and the dark under my eyes. But this new kind seems to get into my wrinkles and makes me look old.

After I have applied this all, which really isn't much I try to keep it all very light, just covering it up a bit. Than I use a light powder from physician's formula. I love this powder!!

After all the basics have been applied I do blush I use mineral effects from Sally's wonderful product, very pigmented and it takes very little to go a very long ways. I also use hot mama from Sephora it is fantastic for when I go out I love the shimmer it has in it. At the same time, but very rarely I use bronzer. It is also mineral effects from Sally's. Gotta love minerals and how nice they feel on your face.
 

Onto the eyes, where I also keep it very simple. I start with just a simple brown or black line on my eyelid along the lashes. Than I apply eyeshadow. For the bare essentials look I wear silky caramel by Mary Kay, for a little more coverage I use the amber blaze, and for night time I use island bronze which is a gel shadow. I guess you can say I am stuck in some brands of makeup. Looks like I use mostly Mary Kay and Mineral effects or physicians formula.

 The final touch is mascara I use cover girl in dark brown. So as you can see I don't wear much makeup, and doing a video would have just been boring for everyone. Haha honestly this blog was probably just as boring. But I thought it would be fun. Don't worry this isn't going to become a usual thing, I will be going back to things I know better like traveling, crafts, and taking pictures!!

Project 52: Flowers

     Alright guys, this one has come very late, it was supposed to be done by March 9th or so, but with the extended winter we got here and what seems like a lot of places!! So it wasn't really until this last week that the flowers have really started to come out.

    With the warm weather my walking group also started meeting up to walk also. As I was walking to post, I walked over the foot bridge and saw the prettiest tree ever. The plum tree. It is all in bloom and has the prettiest flowers. I just love how it arches over the path and really is just the prettiest back drop!


   I love this tree:

For complete list of all pictures from my Project 52 follow this link to Resolutions which has links to all of my project 52 blogs.

Project 52: Still Life

          Sorry I keep skipping things in the order of this challenge. But some are really hard to take like the city lights, it is VERY rare that I am out late enough to see the city lights. And the fog is hard to get unless you are up and outside early in the morning. So I will eventually find a time to take both those pictures by the end of the year just obviously not on time.

         With that this weeks theme is Still Life something I can do in the comfort of my own home! I was thinking about all the original idea's I could come up with. But than my husband came home Valentines night with these beautiful yellow roses. And it was all I could do to not take 1000's of pictures. I don't get flowers very often so when I do I get really excited.

         But sadly as my friend has been helping me work with my camera she is going to be disappointed that I used my auto on this picture it seems that it focuses better on close ups when it is on that setting. Cuz it won't let me use the Macro button on manual. But I have been using Manual 90% of the time now as I understand what it all means now.

Here is my picture of the rose:

1/70   f3.1    iso 400

I am happy to know that if I read those number I have a better chance of replicating this picture on my own in Manual.

For complete list of all pictures from my Project 52 follow this link to Resolutions which has links to all of my project 52 blogs.

Controversal Parenting

So this blog is about the topic of parenting that can often be very controversial. I wanted to write about them as a way for people to see where I stand on things. But I really hope that it will not cause people to start any drama or be rude to each other. Honestly I think any choices that you make as a parent as far as how you choose to raise your children is what works for you. Not everything I do is going to work for every family!  This is a tag so meaning its a starter topic for discussion, the idea is for you to read than converse over how you feel, which does NOT mean bash on others opinions. For me it was interesting way to Learn about the different options more than anything.



Pro-life Vs. Pro-choice: This topic has probably been one of the most controversial topics that has been an issue for a very long time. And to me having an opinion on this is something you can't really have until you are faced with the choice. So being a man and never having to give birth to a child you should have no opinion in the matter. I am really not sure where I stand on this topic. I don't think that you should use abortion as like a form of birth control. You should NOT be able to go in and get an abortion because you just don't want to be pregnant. Specially when you should just use a condom. But there is also the situations where someone was raped, and having that child would only bring the pain of the rape back to memory every time they saw it and that wouldn't be fair for the mother or child.  And the other thing would be if a medical doctor were to say that it was deemed necessary to abort a pregnancy when the mother was absolutely not able to bear a child.

Baby Wearing: Well this topic if you follow my blog at all should be an easy one to answer. I really didn't know that much about it before I moved here to Germany but after attending the annual baby convention thing with Danielle, I was set that I was going to wear Kyra EVERYWHERE. And since my mom was awesome and got me one of the BEST brands in baby-wearing, I was set to go. And living here specially during the holiday season I don't know what I would do it I wasn't a baby wearer. I would NOT have wanted to push a stroller through the crowded streets with people everywhere.

Circumcision:  This isn't something I have had to deal with yet since Kyra is a girl and my only. But I feel like this one is kind of confusing. I have been listening to a lot of different opinions on the matter and have yet to decide where I stand. This is something I will certainly need to do more research on when the time comes that we are expecting a boy.

Adoption:  I am 100% pro adoption for not only the case that there are 1000's of families out there that simply can't have kids of their own, but also that I think making the decision to put your child you carried up for adoption is completely selfless. This is the choice I hope that anyone who becomes pregnant unexpectedly and know they won't be able to provide a great home for the child would do. They should always consider this option over abortion or trying to raise a child they know they don't have the means to provide for. You as a mother or father should know what is best for the baby you conceived if you know you can't provide the right care be honest with yourself and do the right thing.

Baby Piercing:  Now this topic I can't say I am against because it is your choice if you wanna pierce your baby's ears. We chose to simply not until Kyra is old enough to ask for it. If at age 6 she comes home and wants her ears pierced we will sit down and explain to her that it is going to hurt and show her how she will have to take good care of them. And if she still wants to get them done we will allow her to. As it is her body and she can decide what to do with it. That being said I will be strict about other piercings lol. Don't think she will be a metal face by age 10 or anything :)

Breast Milk Vs. Formula: This one is also a no brainier if you know me. I have been exclusively breastfeeding Kyra since day one. I knew I would always breast feed as I know the benefits of breastfeeding that totally out weight formula infinitely. My opinion is that breastfeeding may be a lot of work at first and can often cause people to quit but its a very selfless way to provide the best for you children. I think every mother should at least try to breastfeed their children because how can you know its not for you if you have never tried? I know there are some mothers who can only do it for a little while and their bodies dry up or simply are just unable to produce at all. And for that I am glad there is such thing as Formula to provide a nutritious supplement to the baby.

Spanking: This one is something that I have had a lot to think about. My husband is pro spanking as that was how he was raised. I was raised the same way.  But I think that spanking caused us to simply fear my dad more than anything. We knew if we messed up we were gonna gets spanked so we tried to behave but I would rather not have my children have any fear in us. I really want them to be able to trust us and respect us instead. So I am pro trying other ways to instill good behavior in your children before spanking. I intend to be very strict about time out and getting down on their level to explain what they have done wrong. I think being disappointed and speaking calmly will cause them to listen and behave better. But all of this is just in thought and we will have to see for ourselves when we reach this point what works and what doesn't as every child is different.

Co-sleeping: For some people co sleeping is the right thing for them. For us it was never an option. We like our sleep too much and I felt like if she was sleeping in my bed I wouldn't sleep well at all for the fear of rolling onto her and hurting her. Also now that she is getting older she needs her own space sometimes during the day. And she has learned to love her own bed. In my opinion co-sleeping causes issues later in life when they are old enough they should be sleeping in their room every night and they still think they should sleep with you. This is something we didn't want to have to deal with.

Home Vs. Public Vs. Private Vs. Charter Schooling: This is one of the topics where I am not sure what we will do. With all the craziness that is our world there has never been something so tempting as home schooling. But I know that for my child to be social the best is to go to school with other students. I grew up public and never had any problems with it. But I would also consider private school if I could afford it. As the security and advanced classes they are able to provide would be nice for my children to have access to. But this topic I need to look into a lot more before I can decide. And we certainly have sometime to do that.

Vaccinations:  As a military family it seems like it is kind of required to get your children vaccinated. But I  am sure you are allowed to not if you choose. But I think for your child's safety and the safety of the children your kids are around vaccinating against diseases is only the smart thing to do.

Medicating Children:  I don't know if this is referring to like Tylenol and stuff like that or bigger issues like ADD/ADHD. One I am pro the other I am against. I don't see that giving your child Tylenol or cold medicine is a bad thing. If you baby has a fever you don't want them to just have to suffer when there are things that have been invented to help relieve the symptoms. So as far as over the counter medicine that has been tested and proven to help I don't mind it one bit. But if you are going to take your child to the doctor because they seem to have a lot of energy and you just aren't sure how to deal with it. Putting kids on addictive drugs is not a safe or smart solution. Maybe your child just needs a more disciplined schedule or to get involved in something more physical that will allow them to use their energy in a more productive way. Again all kids are different and not all are going to be able to sit still and read, and not all are going to want to be chasing a ball up and down a field either. Learn your child's ways and do what you can to make them happy.

Cloth Vs. Disposable diapers: This one is something I don't find all that controversial. It is obvious that Cloth diapering saves you money and helps the environment. That being said it isn't for everyone. I does take a bit more work and time but can be done. I am a part time cloth diaper-er I wish I had the energy to do it always but we do try to do it when we are caught up on washing clothes. But that is not as often as it should be.  We tend to live out of the clean baskets and not get them put away lol. And I am not comfortable with doing it out and about cuz I don't wanna have to carry the dirty diapers around with me until we get home. But we have gone weeks at a time just cloth diapering when we are home to stretch out the amount of time a package of diapers last, when we are broke. I have even made wipes too! It wasn't that bad at all. I think with the next baby I may try to collect some more cloth diapers and do it exclusively for them.

CIO Method: This one to me is a matter of how long you do it. I don't think you should let your baby cry all the time. They probably need something if they are always crying and you need to be responsive so they know they can trust you to be there for them. That being said we do do the CIO method at night time because I know she can sleep through the night and often wakes up just because its a routine, or won't go to bed because she wants to be up with us even when she is tired.  But our routine is we let her cry for 5 mins than go in rock her for no longer than 2 mins, and than lay her back down. Than if she continues to cry we wait 10 mins and that rock her again for 2 mins. And continue to do this but if after 15 mins of crying she hasn't calmed down and slept instead of trying to rock her we just let her get back up for a while. If she hasn't slept she probably isn't tired and doesn't need to be stressed out by being trapped in a crib!! And normally by this time she will be so exhausted that she will come out to play and will only last maybe 15 mins before she is ready to be laid back down it just calms her down to know that we are still there and paying some attention to her.


Well those are my opinions and how I feel about the top topics in parenting. Feel free to comment and leave your opinions but lets play nice and not bash each other. Every individual is different and not everything will be the same so be respectful!

Hippie Baby

So I feel like the more I learn the more going natural and trying to save the planet also saves us money!! Cloth diapers may be an abstract concept to most cuz it takes a bit more effort with cleaning but, less likely to irritate, don't have to continuously purchase more, seem more comfy for the baby, and aren't filling up landfills sounds smart to me!! Plus if you haven't seen them lately they are SO freaking cute far cuter than Minnie or Mickey mouse!! And I feel like they are more elastic around the legs and waist so less likely for explosions and that is ALWAYS GOOD!!!

Other things I have learned? Sunshine takes out baby stains, for the win. Bright yellow stain on sheets after wash...4 hours sunlight no more stain!!!

Uh also swear by the Amber necklace, though it doesn't relieve all pain it cut the pain some...not as cranky as often about the teeth ROCKING!!!

Also BFing has been a money saver, and so much more convenient no need to wait for the formula to be made, fresh and ready 24/7!  And the bonding is amazing I love when she is all cuddled up wouldn't trade it for the world!!

And Carriers, hands free, hold baby in a good direction for their digestive system, gives them closer access to communication to help with their speaking, and bonding from knowing you are close by!!! I love EVERYTHING I have learned about the more natural routes. I can see now why so many people who do these things get so inspired its amazing, and super great for your baby!!!

Next step with 6 months right around the corner is how to introduce food. We have done the puree's homemade but so far she hasn't been thrilled. Have done some research on BLW and may try this, and my just accompany it with some puree's we shall see gotta try them both out some more and follow my gut on whats best like I have with all of the Above things :)

Sorry that was a blurted out random blog but I wanted to get it all done and written while I was thinking about it!!!

4 days and a wake up and home sweet home we go!!!