Saturday, March 20, 2010

Buy $10 Get An AIO FREE!!

My good friend Jess just facebooked me with an awesome deal at Kelly's Closet. Parenting Magazine has 2 bumGenius coupons, and the folks at Kelly's Closet are making them available online.

The first coupon is buy $10 worth of Flip, bumGenius, or Econobum, and get a free All In One BumGenius diaper! Use promo code: BGMAGAIO. I've been curious about the hybrid diapers, so I just bought a Flip diaper to try out.

The second coupon is take 10% off a bumGenius 3.0 one size pocket diaper 24 pk promo pak. Use promo code: BGMAGTEN. This is a great deal for those who are just starting their stash and know that they love bumGenius pocket diapers! If you aren't sure which diaper you want, be careful about buying a 24 pack of anything, though.

Also at Kelly's Closet, for 3 days only, take $20 off Smartipants Seconds 10pk at our Bulk Cloth Diaper Store! Use discount code 20SMART ! (You end up getting 10 diapers,10 inserts for $79 PLUS free shipping!!! No limit on how many you can order) However, the offer expires on 3/21 at midnight or while supplies last..

On top of all this, Kelly's Closet also lets you earn "Diaper Dollars Rewards" points for every purchase that get you free merchandise (including diapers). Sweet!

By the way, for those who are wondering about hybrid diapers, these are diapers that have an insert that just lays in a cover. The insert can be cloth or disposable. I haven't tried one, but like I mentioned, I have one on the way, so I will let you know how I like it!

Happy shopping!

Friday, March 19, 2010

Re-usable Homeade Paper Towels

Are you tired of grabbing for a paper towel, using it, then throwing it away? Are you still using paper towels because you don't know what else to use? Me too!

I asked for a roll of re-usable paper towels from Etsy for Christmas, and my husband thought I was crazy. He was like, "we are not getting rid of paper towels in this house!" Needless to say I did not get them for Christmas. Now that I think about it, what a horrible gift to ask for! Cleaning supplies?!?! Really? That's like asking for some toilet bowl cleaner for Valentine's Day! What is wrong with me? All well, if you can't laugh at yourself, then you don't know what your missing. :-)

Either way, I decided that I would start searching for the perfect cloth that mimics paper towels. I tried old boxer shorts, ribbed tank tops, T-shirts, dish cloths, cloth wipes, socks, basically anything cotton. They were do-able, especially for things like cleaning the bathtub. But mirrors and other surfaces that I wanted to look really nice, well, paper towels were what I kept coming back to.

Then I tried my prefold cloth diapers. These are the kind of diapers that you can find really cheap at any store that come in packs. Mine are Birdseye cloth. Bingo! Found my re-usable paper towel. These things are WONDERFUL for cleaning up anything. I used one for cleaning my mirror and my sink faucet in the bathroom, and I've never seen the faucet shinier. They are way more absorbent than paper towels, so no more having to use more than one. I actually prefer them in a stack in the kitchen more than in a stack at the diaper changing station.

I HIGHLY recommend buying a pack of Birdseye cloth diapers for this. You should probably prep them, however, by washing them on very hot a few times to make sure they reach maximum absorbency, and to make sure they are lent free. And think of all the money you can save!!

I may try to slowly wean my hubby from using paper towels. I'm thinking a good place to start is when he is cleaning the inside of the car. Who knows? Maybe I will get REALLY crazy for cloth and put snaps on them to snap together in a roll on a paper towel roll. Or maybe not...sounds like a lot of work. :-)

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Is It Thursday Night Already?

I apologize to my small group of readers! Where has this week gone? It's been crazy here. First, my parents, who currently live across the country are in the process of buying a house not too far from here, so we are very excited. That also means my house has been a revolving door ever since with them staying here for a while and visitors and pets, etc...

I love visitors. I have always had this fantasy of inviting everyone over, feeding them a huge meal, having a huge party. It happens sometimes, but honestly, living in a place where you don't know too many people makes it a little more difficult. I also have a policy that if I know you well enough to invite you over more than once or twice, then you are not to ring the doorbell. It is way too formal! I am totally fine with people just walking in (if they are that type of friend, of course).

So, anyway, that's been my week. And I've been up to my eyeballs in AP exam ordering and handling crises at work (is that how you spell the plural of crisis?). I just hope I am helping someone. I worry sometimes that I am so swamped at work that I can't put my all in just one thing, and I am spread out too thin. If there is any school staff person that doesn't feel like this, I would be amazed. I just try to re-focus myself every hour or so on crazy days, and I make myself take a lunch break (sometimes that is only 10-15 minutes) and bathroom breaks.

My post is starting to ramble, so I think I'll call it a day. I apologize for waiting so long to post! I'm not going to gain anymore followers this way! Come on summer time!!!!