"Do you ever wonder if your child is the only one who _________ ?(insert crazy thing here!) I want this blog to be a place for questions, support and creative ideas for those situations we face daily with our children."

Thursday, April 26, 2007

This is a mom must!

Hi everyone.
Its me Drea from Fina' Drea. Im filling in for Donna this week.

After having two kids I have grown addicted to many things... baby wearing and cloth diapering being my most recent addictions. :-)

One of my very 1st addictions though was the lovely lines of "Diaper Bags." Before kids it use to be purses for me... I had to have like a new purse each month. Not the case now :-) My problem is getting my eye on a fancy new diaper bag monthly. I must say though since Taites birth I havent purchased one :-) While pregnant though I attained 4 HAHA! I got one free from the hospital... one from my mom (SilverLine Fling Bag)... one from an online website called LTD Commodities and I won one (and my fav. right now) through Crazy Hip Blog Mamas site. [I wrote a blog entry to win it located HERE]. Its a JP Lizzy Designer bag costing a whoppin' $92.00 new! I could never afford a bag like this so its so nice having one heehee.

I thought I would showcase some of the bags I own and give pros and cons to each....

Then in the comments share with us your favorite diaper bag, and why.
Im always interested in new bags!

1st. I'll start w/ the cheapest of my bags

The Messanger style bag I got from LTD.


*click image for larger view* - Me sporting the
bag 8 months pregnant

Pros:
- BEAUTIFUL silk brocada exterior
- Wide opening
- Side pockets big enough to hold large avent bottles or even a water bottle
- Lots of pockets
- Long adjustable strap. Can be made short to use as a Tote Style bag... or long to drape across your shoulder (This is a very nice feature for me. I prefer messanger style bags)
- Interior is vinyl so it washes out very easily
- Came with adorable matching cell phone case
- Its not to big, yet not to small
- Folds flat for easy storage
- THE COST. Was only $14.00 WITH TAX included

Cons:
- After a year or so of use it may not look so pretty, depending on how rough you are with your bags. Im very careful with mine so this should last a long time
- Wasnt actually a DIAPER BAG. Its just a messanger bag. So it didnt come with a matching changing pad or anything else
- Brocada stains easily with juice but bag is washable (by hand)
- No interior bottle pockets (which I personally love)

Over all this bag ROCKS. Even though its not really a "diaper bag" it works just as good as any diaper bag I've owned.
They also had it in red and black. I prefer the gold color.

The next bag is my SILVER LINE FLING BAG
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketPhoto Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketPhoto Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
(green and black bag pictured. I actually own the
pink and brown one)


Pros:
- It has straps inside the bag that pop out to hook to stroller handles. I have a stroller without the connecting handles.. so this is a huge help
- Has pockets on the outside large enough to hold avent bottles or large sippys. It also has a nice elastic band inside the bottle pockets that keeps them secure. No more bottles slipping out :-)
- The colors are really pretty
- The Interior and exterior stay clean
well
- Has LOTS of pockets (the most pockets out of all my bags)
- Very slim
- Long strap adjust for tote style or messanger bag style. This bag has a really long strap so it can even go across my husbands chest.
- Has two compartments inside. Allowing you to seperate childrens items if you have two kids.

Cons:
- Its expensive. I got mine on ebay for $45.00... but to buy them new you'll pay atleast $55.00 or more.
- The bag is very slim so it has a hard time standing up on its own. This is annoying when you really want it to stay open sitting up straight.
- Doesnt hold as much as my other bags


and last...

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
My JP Lizzy Tote bag that I won.
(I own the pink one)

Pros:
- Beautifully made. VERY STRONG
- Wonderful colors and style
- Has little metal feet at the bottom so it wont ever touch the ground when you sit it down. The feet are very descret and tiny. Nothing ugly looking
- WIDE opening
- Lots of pockets
- Two exterior and two interior bottle/sippy holders
- Diaper wipes/diaper pockets inside.
- 3 inserts. Changing pad, larger pocket pouch and a little wallet tote
- Nice comfortable straps

Cons:
- WAY expensive... $92.00
- I wish I could make it a messanger bag some days... because with two kids my bags tend to slip off my shoulder easily.
- It can be bulky some days... but thats because I have a sling inside it and cloth diapers HAHA. So it fluffs it up fairly big


Well Donna, this post is very long :-) I should of warned you I talk a lot.
HAHAHA

So comment and tell us about your favorite bags!
http://www.diaperbags.com/ << is a great website with LOTS to pick from if you need one... Oh boy did I just cause temptation? HAHA. Yea... ok im going to go look at some bags ;-)

Happy week/ weekend ladies.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Sharing stories!

I love to share stories of my kids. With Ethan being 2 1/2 I have many!

I was talking to my friend on the phone the other day and we were telling stories of the funny things our kids say.

Share 1-2 quick stories of words or phrases you child has used at the funniest times.

#1 A few months back Ethan and I were at Walmart, on the way out I decided I would grab a 25 cent can of pop. I out my money in and it wouldn't work, I pressed every selection, then I pressed the coin return and a dime came out, even though I used a quarter...Okay so I try again, nothing and this time it kept my money...so I kicked it to see if anything would happen. I got some money back so I kicked it again, nothing...RRRR...so I kick it again and say "Stupid thing". Well we were at the same Walmart yesterday and Ethan spots the pop machines and points and says "Stupid things mom" "stupid things broken"......LOL. Hilarious, yet not! I explain to him we shouldn't say stupid and that mommy was wrong for saying that. Kids!!
How the heck did he remember this??

#2 We were out of town last week. There was a bad storm outside and the electricity int he hotel went out. It wasn't dark yet, so we just had the curtains open in the room, where we were playing Wii. Out in the other room the curtain was still closed so it was a bit dark. Ethan comes running back in to tell us it was "pooky" out there. I never use that word, I couldn't figure out where he heard it. The I remembered he and Merci had been watching Scooby Doo, he must have picked it up from the show...and used it in the right context how funny is that!

Let's hear your story about funny things your kids have said!

We can do different stories next time! We all need a good laugh now and then!

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Patience

Patience is a virtue, a fruit of the spirit.

Is it hard for you?

How have you learned to be more patient?

Are there excersices or something?




Monday, April 2, 2007

Guest Blogger Stacey!

I asked Stacey to blog about her life with a 20 month old and expecting a baby in 18 weeks!
Hope we can offer her some solid advice and encourage her!

My Thoughts on Baby #2

Where to start... well, my first son was born July 20,
2005, 8 days early, and very unexpected! I was
certainly not ready to go into labour when I did. I
think this has had a huge effect on my feelings as a
mom, and I've been trying to change my perspective for
#2.

This baby is due August 6, 2007. I'm very excited,
yet pretty nervous all at the same time. This time I
have more to think about too. How will I deal with
two? Will Rowan be jealous? Do I potty train Rowan
now, or wait til after the baby is born? Am I crazy
for having them only two years apart? How will I go
grocery shopping with two? Am I ready to give even
more of myself?

My list could go on and on. The things I've been
thinking about most lately are whether I will get back
to my pre baby size again, or if I'll gain way too
much weight this time. How was it for you other moms?

~Stacey