The Best Priced Diapers to Buy

If disposable diaper brand isn't important to you (and why should they be -- they all end up in the trash after use!) but PRICE is, the best priced diapers that I've found that get the job done is...

Comforts by Baby*.  They are carried by any store that sells Kroger products.  
They are far better priced than buying diapers at Costco or Amazon Mom any day.  

They're the ones in the green box with the firefly that is mistaken for a bee.  I think they are good diapers, soft and thick.  Like any diaper, including cloth, as long as you change often and practice good hygiene, your baby won't get rashes.  

The best thing about these diapers is that if you have a Smith's app (or Kroger app), you can download Comforts for Baby coupons to your rewards card keychain.  The coupons range $2-3 dollars and you get one every month.  

Usually they retail at 18.99 for their biggest box. For Size 5 diapers, it is 20 cents a diaper.  With a $2 off coupon, they are $16.99, 18 cents a diaper. 

Sometimes though, when a good Comforts for Baby coupon is circulating, the price of a box goes up to $20.99, which is still pretty good for Size 5 diapers at 22 cents a diaper.  But most of the time, they sell for $18.99.

Compare this with the Costco brand, Kirkland Signature. At $38.99, for a box of 150 Size 5 diapers, 26 cents a piece.  Sometimes Costco has a $6 coupon, making it 22 cents a diaper.  
Guys, that is still more expensive per diaper than buying Kroger diapers WITHOUT a coupon!  

The Southern Savers couponing blog has a terrific and helpful chart reference on best diaper price for a variety of sizes.  I recommend reviewing it before you start price booking on diapers.

Boxes for Comforts for Baby start selling at Size 2.  I only buy small packs if it's $4.99 or less.  Once in a while, I manage to get a pack of Pampers for $4.99 but not often, it's only possible with a $3 coupon combined with a store promotion.  There is another Kroger diaper brand however, called p$$t! that has Size 1 diapers retailing for $4.99.  They are just like Comforts for Baby but thinner.  

Here are the quantities for boxes retailing at $18.99 as of 4/13/2015 with the exception of Size 1.  Comforts for Baby at Size 1 sells for $5.99 a pack.  I bought them only when I had a coupon (making it less than $4.99 a pack)


- Many times, I've managed to pay $16.99 for a box.  
- Boxes last a little over 3 weeks of diaper changes.  

COMFORTS FOR BABY
Size 1   44 ct = 14 cents
Size 2 148 ct = 13 cents
Size 3 128 ct = 15 cents
Size 4 112 ct = 17 cents
Size 5   96 ct = 20 cents

At the beginning of this month I bought a box selling at $18.99 with a $2 coupon.  
On 7/22/2015 we bought another box at $20.99 with a $3 coupon.  
That made it buying a total of 192 diapers at Size 5 for $34.98 at 18 cents a piece.  

From my last two purchases with coupons, I got about a week and a half worth of diapers than if I were to buy the store brand at Costco at retail for $38.99.  Another way to look at it is that instead of paying $4 more at Costco, I got an additional 42 diapers by buying Comforts for Baby.  That's like paying 10 cents a piece for 42 diapers of Size 5!!!!

Which leads to the next thing in mind: are cloth diapers worth the money?  

This will largely depend on whom you talk to, but in this case you are talking to me, a person that is very objective on price, and tells it like it is with how money is made.  The thing I'll point out about with what I see with cloth diapering that most people do not is that cloth diapers have become a huge business where one can easily sell diapers to parents willing to pay $800 to $1500 upfront and never come back again.  Kind of like wedding vendors and used car salesmen, the price for a good elsewhere is usually inflated a lot more when you attach "wedding", "used" or in this case, "cloth"  

I do not know how cloth diaper advocates come up with such high costs for disposables because in a year, we spend under $330 on disposables for one child.  The low cost is driven by the coupons and also the cash back for groceries swiping our credit card.   

If you are apprehensive about cloth diapering and worried about paying for disposable diapers, the good news is that you can still save just as much, or even more money using disposables instead of cloth.  Again, Comforts for Baby are the best priced diapers I've seen to date.  




*disclamer I receive no incentives promoting this product. 

Stay At Home Moms - Stay AWAY from "Home Based" Businesses

Not just SAHMs but to anyone that is involved with the following:

Mary Kay
Scentsy
Nerium
Arbornne
MonaVie
WakeUpNow
Melaleuca
Stella & Dot
DoTerra
JuicePlus
Pampered Chef
Young Living
Herbalife

This list can go on.  The thing they have in common is that they are MLMs.  

There is nothing good about MLMs no matter what you're told.   

MLMs divide families and make families poorer than they were when they first got involved with it.

If you are working full-time, and invest in an MLM you will screw your job; the job that pays vacation, sick leave, health insurance, pension, and/or 401k.  Along with a steady paycheck.

Your co-workers will not know you too well other than you spam their work email about parties/events (against company policy by the way), solicit your products during lunch (they will avoid you or mention it in passing to your boss) and know you took vacation to go to a "conference" or traveled to sell/present to someone during the workday.   Your HR or hiring manager will laugh when you list MLM as applicable job experience on your resume and you may be out of the running for a real job when your background check flags out your negative credit score rating because you charged for thousands of dollars in inventory that you never end up selling.

Beyond the annoying party requests, meetings, presentations and such, I think the people who run MLMs are evil incarnate for running these scams at peoples' expense - anyone in a vulnerable point in their life that need something like extra money, more friends, a career, a purpose, a miracle cure etc.  

Every MLM you face say you can get any and all of the above INSTANTLY.  Reality aka "negative people in your life" will say that these things take time and effort, and in some instances, no miracle cure - accept what's true and live with it.  

To consultants

I wish I could say that it would work for you by deciding to be a consultant.

It is unlikely you will make any money.  

It is very likely you will have mounting debt from inventory, expenses, and travel.  

It is unlikely that you will be home with your family the longer you're in it.   

It is very likely you will be manipulated into ordering more than you sold at any given time.  You will be told you "need" inventory because you "can't sell from an empty wagon" 

You - the consultant - are the end consumer in the eyes of the company.  Those companies sell ONLY to consultants, and THIS IS HOW THE COMPANY MAKES THEIR MONEY.  

THEY SELL THE PRODUCT TO CONSULTANTS. 

It is very likely you will keep hoping for a better month next month, and you will be told this by your sponsor/recruiter.

It is very likely that the product you sell is at least one of the following, or all:

• Overpriced - any customer can get whatever you're selling at retail for better cost or FREE.  Your friends/family may just buy a candle or a tube of lipstick but that's it.  
• Not proven by real science, or not approved by the FDA - the "research" is fake.  
• Makes no life-changing difference in your skin, weight, time management etc
• Makes no improvement in your health - or worse
• Surprise! You will not sell as much as anticipated because of the reasons I've mentioned.    

In order to keep your status as a consultant to move up in the chain, your sponsor/recruiter will tell you to RECRUIT.  

Why do you want to get your friends to be consultants when you have been barely successful selling the product yourself?  

Your sponsors/recruiters are lying to themselves and to you about this “opportunity.” They are NOT your friends and they DO NOT have your best interests at heart.   

That company founder that you idolize who keeps telling you all the things you "need to hear to be successful in life" does not have your best interests at heart either.  

All of MLM  businesses are doing is trying to rape you - financially.   

Protect yourself from this happening to YOU.  Protect your loved ones that are involved.  

Remember, rape is NOT your fault.  Do not blame yourself for what happened. These companies are very good at tricking women (and men too) in making them believe that what they're doing is good and right for them and their family.  They use a thread approach.  One thread at a time, until you are handcuffed under threads of manipulation and lies of omission.  

This is a Mormon Ad but MLMs are notorious for preying
on the religious and abuse Jesus and God in their marketing

If you are a consultant whose fog has lifted I want to say that you CAN be successful outside MLM, as soon as you get out.     


Get out now.  

Help Family in Need Win a Van with Wheelchair Access

This young family needs your help!  Right now! 

The Stangers of South Weber, UT

They need the highest number of votes in their state before May 2014 to win a van with wheelchair access

Mom recently diagnosed in summer 2013 with a genetic disorder that is dislocating her joints and affecting her organs.  She is deteriorating physically and quickly.  

The only thing that is keeping her joints together is wearing braces and being confined to an electric wheelchair.

She relies on her husband who does the things she can no longer do.  Such as:

• Take a shower or bath
• Put on clothes
• Play with their two babies
• Brush her hair
• Brush her teeth
• Cook dinner for their family

In addition to doing all the things above, her husband must take the time to relocate her joints and tape them back together.  

Ever dislocated a joint? Remember how painful that was??  

Imagine several dislocated joints and putting them back together all day, and everyday.  This is a reality for this family.  

In her hardest moments when she cries from the pain and the frustration of no longer being able to do the things we take for granted on her own, her husband is her rock and has shown nothing but love, strength, and commitment to her and their little family.

Her husband has learned to carry her from the bedroom, to her wheelchair, from her wheelchair to the bathroom etc. all in effort to not dislocate her joints while moving her from one place to another.  

They do not have a van with wheelchair access because health insurance does not cover the cost of such vehicles.  In their situation, they cannot afford such a vehicle out of pocket.

Her husband has learned to take her out of her wheelchair, put her in the car seat, relocate her joints again and repeat the process all over again.  This is painful.

He wants nothing more than a van with wheelchair access to minimize the physical toll on his wife when transferring her place to place.  From the doctors' appointments, when visiting family, or just to get in the car to drive to the park and watch their kids play.

Vans such as these provide the facilitation in transportation for loved ones
in an electric wheelchair

The National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association is giving away wheelchair accessible vans to a winner in each state of the US.  They will announce the winners in May 2014.

If you read this post, you ARE able to help this family in 3 steps below:

1) Please vote for them to win in the state of Utah!  Read more of their story and vote here.

2) Tell your friends to tell their friends to vote for them too.

3) Vote TODAY and EVERYDAY until May 2014.

It's Parents, Not Homework that Make Kids Sick.

What an eye sore reading this article from CNN about kids having too much homework and that it will ruin them for life.

Boo hoo!


Wait until you go to university.  The majority of your professors are convinced you're are the only student taking his/her class and assign homework like no other.  Along with having a final that is worth 80% of your grade and problems you are forced to figure out on the spot, not having reviewed how to solve them in class beforehand.  

Wait until you get a real job. Success on the job means you go above and beyond your role to get things done, because they have to be done!  Your boss gives you a deadline that is physically impossible: reconcile 3 months of payroll data of 800 employees in 3 weeks.  I pounded those reconciliations like no other, along with the other deadlines and tasks that had to be done.  At the night before the deadline I went to work at 8AM and did not leave the office until 5AM to shower and get back to the office at 7AM to present all what I did at 10AM.  Oh and I wasn't making $65K+ a yr.  It was probably less than half of that, and nope, not hourly.   But I developed grit and experience that benefited me in other jobs that came along my way.  My payroll overnighter on crack was nothing and will never come close to my long nights with a newborn though.  I deal with it and figure it's life. I have to do the hard things even when I'm tired, sick, and close to my wits end.

It brings me to mind of Amy Chua's "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mom", it's a memoir with the thought provoking analysis of the Western mentality vs the Asian mentality of raising children.  An excerpt from the book published in the Wall Street Journal struck a nerve with many parents.

Read the 8000+ comments in the WSJ about the book

Chua mentioned a study where 70% of Western moms thought stressing academic success is not good for kids, and... 0% of Chinese moms felt the opposite.  ZERO

The reason your Asian friends get A's is because their moms believe they can get A's and thus order them to do so, whether from a balanced loving autocratic standpoint, that most Western parents would find harsh, to death-grip parenting.

Chinese moms have no problem making sure their kids get their homework done, even if it takes them hours and whining on the kid's part.  I wouldn't be surprised if these parents felt their kids didn't get ENOUGH homework, and send them off to Kumon after school.  And they certainly won't watch "American Idol" in front of their kid that is trying to finish their homework.

If I had to choose between one parenting style, I'd pick Asian.  Not because my husband is Asian (he has a Western upbringing) but because Asian moms spend the time with their kid on homework and not go blame the teacher and make excuses for their kid when they're struggling in school.

I read some of the comments concerning the CNN article from parents living in Utah.  My first thought from reading the comment was trolls.  The more I thought about it, I know so many people that still can't keep or find a job, can't handle college, dropout, still live with their parents because they can't handle the stress of managing their finances, paying their bills, dealing with insurance companies or *GASP* pay rent

Some comments below which raised my too-thick eyebrows:

"I think kids, especially the really young ones like my 2nd grader, have WAY too much homework these days...I'm also extremely concerned about the 1-2 hours of outdoor play my little guy's missing 5 days a week because he's sitting at the kitchen table slaving away at paperwork and getting fat in the process! And crying because he really needs a break - physically and mentally."

"I have a high-school senior who spends hours on his AP stats homework each night. There is no class time to work on assignments. So, the application of lecture to assignment happens at home where there is, unfortunately, no one to help answer his questions. He has to stay after school often to get the help that he really needs."

"I think homework gets very overwhelming for my kids when they have 8 classes and almost each teacher gives them homework. They will get behind on a few assignments because all they are doing in their spare time is homework"

"I always hated homework... I would get terrible migraines from it. Math was the worst..."

This comment was refreshing and proof that not all is lost in the world (emphasis added):

"Yes, lets soften our already failing education system by not encouraging our High School kids to not do homework. Also no failing anyone, or holding anyone back. Stress is a part of life, it does not get any easier in College or in the workplace. Stop the excuses, if the AP and Honor kids can't handle it then drop back to normal courses. These kids are trying to get into the top tier schools in the country, you have to work hard to do so. I remember pulling all nighters in high school for AP courses, it helped me prep for all nighters in college, and now that I am in the real world I am grateful for that work ethic.  Please, raise adults, not children." 

I am a big fan of Harry Harrison Jr. who has no-nonsense parenting advice that childhood should be preparation for adulthood.  The last point he makes in his article is compelling: "We need to overcome our fears and let our children struggle.  That, more than anything will help them become successful adults."

Another book that I love, "A Nation of Wimps" emphasizes the reason kids are wimpy is because their parents made them wimpy.  According to the author, it's the parents' fault; through doing everything for them, asking the teacher to lighten their kids workload, go with them to their job interviews, give winners and losers a medal etc.

These adults can't function on their own.  They crash instead of bounce back from stress or failure.  They can't confront a problem faced in front of them.  "A Nation of Wimps" elaborates more the consequences of invasive parents and how it already exists.

I know it exists.  I'll never forget an experience I had during my freshman year in college.  I was called to the Dean's office because my roommate's mother thought I was bullying her kid and instead of telling her daughter to talk to me about the problem, the mom went ahead and called the Dean to do something about it.

People who know me personally know I do not come across as a bullying type.
Dave says I'm bossy.  Rude!  ;-D

I believe limiting homework assignments with the intention of easing stress on children will do them more harm than good as adults later in life.

To end the post I love this poem. 

It's not enough to say as a parent "I can do hard things"  As a parent we HAVE to do the hard things to raise successful children.  Moms and Dads should keep what this poem says when parenting seems like a swift kick in the butt and a super dose of humble pie.  

19 HARD THINGS YOU NEED TO DO TO BE SUCCESSFUL

Dan Waldschmidt, Edgy Conversations

You have to do the hard things. 

• You have to make the call you’re afraid to make.
• You have to get up earlier than you want to get up.
• You have to give more than you get in return right away.
• You have to care more about others than they care about you.
• You have to fight when you are already injured, bloody, and sore.
• You have to feel unsure and insecure when playing it safe seems smarter.
• You have to lead when no one else is following you yet.
• You have to invest in yourself even though no one else is.
• You have to look like a fool while you’re looking for answers you don’t have.
• You have to grind out the details when it’s easier to shrug them off.
• You have to deliver results when making excuses is an option.
• You have to search for your own explanations even when you’re told to accept the “facts.”
• You have to make mistakes and look like an idiot.
• You have to try and fail and try again.
• You have to run faster even though you’re out of breath.
• You have to be kind to people who have been cruel to you.
• You have to meet deadlines that are unreasonable and deliver results that are unparalleled.
• You have to be accountable for your actions even when things go wrong.
• You have to keep moving towards where you want to be no matter what’s in front of you.

You have to do the hard things. The things that no one else is doing. The things that scare you. The things that make you wonder how much longer you can hold on.

Those are the things that define you. Those are the things that make the difference between living a life of mediocrity or outrageous success.

The hard things are the easiest things to avoid. To excuse away. To pretend like they don’t apply to you.

The simple truth about how ordinary people accomplish outrageous feats of success is that they do the hard things that smarter, wealthier, more qualified people don’t have the courage — or desperation — to do.

Do the hard things. You might be surprised at how amazing you really are.

Finding Reliable Information on the Internet

Note: This is from a handout I received on 12/18/2013 that was compiled by the physicians and staff at the University of Utah Pediatric Clinic.  I thought what I read was excellent so I typed it down to share with everyone.   

Many other sites offer valuable information, but be wary of the reliability of information you find on the internet/web.

Try to find information provided by trustworthy organizations and that is not tainted by political, commercial, or sensational motives.  Consider the following as you search the web:

How accurate does the information seem?

• Is the material free of spelling, grammatical, or typographical errors?  These suggest poor quality control.
• Are the sources of information listed so you can cross-reference them from another site or published literature?
• Is it clear who is responsible for content of the site and are their credentials provided?
• Does the information confirm what you have already found on other sites?

How current is the information?

• Do the pages indicate when an article was first posted, and when it was last revised?
• Is there any other indication that the material is kept current?

Does the information appear to be objective?

• Is the material free of advertising and, if not, is commercial content clearly differentiated from the informational content?
• Is the information provided as a public service?

Who is ultimately responsible for the contents of this site?

• Is there a description of the sponsoring organization and its purpose in providing the information?
• Is there contact information for the sponsoring organization, including a phone number and postal address?

The more questions to which you can answer "yes," the more likely the source contains high quality information.

Sources of Reliable Information on the Web

MedlinePlus, from the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, offers comprehensive, reliable, up-to-date health information.

The American Academy of Pediatrics site offers information about a variety of children's health topics, parenting, advocacy, and provides official statements on many important aspects of child health.

Healthy Children, a website for parents from the American Academy of Pediatrics with information about healthy living, safety, development, health issues, and answers to parents' questions.

Vaccine Education Center, from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, this site offers reliable, balanced information about vaccines and their safety.

Other trustworthy sources of information about immunizations include:

National Network for Immunization Information

American Academy of Pediatrics (link to immunization questions for families)

Quackwatch, "Your Guide to Quackery, Health Fraud, and Intelligent Decisions"-helpful for checking out "information" that may not sound quite right.  The site operates several other sites focused on specific topics, such as autism and MLM. (Multi-level-marketing)

The Center on Media and Child Health aims to educate and empower both children and those who care for them to create and consume media in ways that optimize children's health and development.  The "For Parents & Teachers" section offers ideas to help families and kids use media responsibly.

Let's Go! has lots of ideas and resources for parents, kids, and families on healthy eating and active lifestyles.  Organization is based in Maine.

From the Nemours Foundation, KidsHealth offers sections for Parents, Kids, and Teens, providing information written for consumers about many health and development related topics.

FDA U.S. Food and Drug Administration offers information for consumers about safety related to drugs, medical devices, and more.  Click on "Consumer Information by Audience" and then "For Kids" for information and games about health and safety.

The CDC site offers information about infectious diseases (including vaccines and traveler's health), birth defects, disabilities, and environmental health.

Also on the CDC site, Safe and Healthy Kids and Teens provides information on many topics related to raising healthy kids, including safety tips and web sites for kids.

From the National Library of Medicine and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Genetics Home Reference provides patient-friendly information about the effects of genetic variations on human health.

Focus T25 Review

Baby is magically starting to sleep longer.  That's great.  But I have a hard time falling asleep after putting her down for the night.

I decided I needed to work out so I could improve on my sleep.  Plus kids require a ton of energy.

This cutie has kicked my butt and pushed
my mental toughness to my limits

Dave and I aren't getting any younger and we got to keep up with Baby if we want to get anything done.  Before Baby we would swim and work out all the time.  

We were sitting on our fat butts on the couch one evening, exhausted and browsing through the channels. 

We were sold on the infomercial for Focus T25.  25 minute workouts 5 times a week.  That sounded doable to me.  And I didn't want to do Insanity.  No thanks, not about to kill myself.  

We bought Focus T25 for $35.  There's a thuggish ruggish running loose on ksl (the local classifieds in Utah) selling T25 and Insanity for way cheap instead of purchasing through Amazon.com or the infomercial.  I don't know and don't care how he gets them to sell it for so cheap but it's the exact same thing.

I'm glad we got it for $35 and not $145.  That box is tiny.  

I also liked the meal plan, it's a generalized one.  It's basically a gestational diabetes and "clean" diet plan combined.  Less processed foods, the better.  And shop the perimeter of the grocery store.  Less carbs in the morning too.  

I thought I looked pretty good looking at myself in the mirror.  But when I looked my "before" pictures I was like "Ugghhhhh........"  So there's room for improvement.  :-)

We got up at 6AM.  The only thing that got us going is knowing that anything new you try out really sucks at the beginning.  Nothing is fun until you're good at it, and to be good at anything, you gotta put effort.

We had a hard time keeping up with Shaun T but thank goodness there's Tania the Modifier.  Barely made it through the workout today but we are committed to our goal of finishing the program.  Obviously to get a nice body like Tania (who had a baby over 2 years ago) takes longer but you have to start somewhere and commit.  I'm jumping all over the place during the work out and say "I want to be like Tania!"

And it's fun working out with Dave :)  Always.  

Book Review and FREE Giveaway!!!

UPDATE: Giveaway now closed.  Congrats to Megan D. from Utah on winning!!


The Mommy MD Guide to Losing Weight and Feeling Great now available in paperback!

More information about Mommy MD Guides HERE

I loved, LOVED reading this book; this is a great book for any woman, not just the ones who've given birth.

From the authors:

"The Mommy MD Guide to Losing Weight and Feeling Great is the fourth book in our Mommy MD Guides series. It features more than 500 tips that 50 doctors who are also mothers use to slim down, shape up, fight fatigue, boost mood, look great, and live better."

I think every woman wants to look her best but this book helps women to have REALISTIC and safe expectations for losing weight, taking care of her appearance, and managing stress.

This book was extremely refreshing to read especially since mothers are inundated by advertisements everyday to look "perfect" or be so negative about the challenge of getting back in shape after a baby.

Not all the mothers are OB/GYNs in the Mommy MD Guides (my first assumption) but all are medical providers.

Reading the comments, tips, and the experiences shared, I went through the book thinking "I can totally relate to that" or "Hmm I should try this out" or "Oh! That's good, I better keep this in mind"

What I also liked was that you don't have to read the book cover to cover, you can open a page and start reading.

There is even an index of topics you can turn to if you are looking for something specific to flip through.


There are other books in the Mommy MD series too:

• The Mommy MD Guide to Pregnancy and Birth
• The Mommy MD Guide to Your Baby's First Year 
• The Mommy MD Guide to the Toddler Years

"Losing Weight and Feeling Great" would be a great gift to give for the woman who's looking for positive changes for the New Year 2014!

You also have the chance to WIN a copy straight from the authors as a giveaway! Yes!!!  Free present!!!!

So...

Comment on my Facebook page or the blog post below to enter in a drawing:

What is YOUR tip for losing weight and feeling great?

The winner will be chosen at random by me, and announced next Friday, 12/20/2013

Winner gets to pick one of the 4 books of her choosing.

Old dogs are the best dogs

I am not a dog person!!!

Didn't grow up with dogs as a kid, had a phobia of being bit by them, and dealt with more than enough weird dogs while proselyting as a missionary in Brazil.

I would be perfectly fine without one for the rest of my life!

However.

I love only one dog.  My in-law's dog.  She's perfect.  She's old.

Meet Sadie!  The sweetest, fluffiest doggy around.  She does request her dog food to be seasoned with chicken bullion.

When I began dating Dave, I knew that he was a good guy and would be a good parent because of how well he treated this little old lady and took good care of her.   That being said: RUN FOR THE HILLS if your significant other has a pet and it's not well-fed and taken care of.

Anyhow.

Old dogs are PERFECT for anti-dog lovers like me because they don't do stuff that drives anti-dog lovers batty.  Here's why:

Old dogs don't jump on you.

Old dogs don't jump on your bed.

Old dogs are potty-trained (okay, rare accidents do happen, but they're old so let them out often)

Old dogs sleep most of the time.

Old dogs don't chew on your stuff.

Old dogs don't wear you out.  Especially when you're pregnant.

Old dogs love you just the same.

If we ever get a dog, I want to adopt an old rescue dog.  They are the first ones to be euthanized and that's so sad, because they are probably the best dogs to have around.

I'm dog sitting Sadie this week.  Today I was trying to see where in the house she went and I was able to find her because of her snoring.

Dave is Home Makeover and Upcoming GIVEAWAY

Dave is Home has a new look!  

I finally figured out how to add links below my blog title thanks to some online reading and help from one of Dave's friends.  I learned that this is called a "menu bar"

I also made some cosmetic updates.  I don't know anything about coding or graphics.  Only enough to know that I can view the source code of a couple blogs I liked and copied and pasted some cosmetic coding in CSS and played around with it.  

It's still a work in progress, there are still some things I want to tweak on.  

I wanted to improve the look of the blog since I'm doing a legit book review and wanted to make the blog look nice for the FREE book giveaway so...keep your eyes out for it.  

Other stuff, I'm becoming more physically similar to Humpty Dumpty and getting ready for the baby that's coming soon.  Weekly visits to the doctor now.  She's getting bigger and my bladder has become her punching bag.  

Pregnancy Book List

For obvious reasons I started reading books on the topic.

I have many good friends and family that lent me their pregnancy/baby books for me to read so it was nice not having to buy a pregnancy book. 

My book list

Healthy Eating During Pregnancy: This is fun and has recipes in the back.  Great for anyone that needs ideas to improve their diet during pregnancy.  

Your Pregnancy and Childbirth: Month to Month: I haven't read this one yet.  It is more of a textbook format.  But I will read some of it. 

Natural Hospital Birth: Probably the only book I read cover to cover.  Loved it!   For anyone that wants to deliver without an epidural but deliver in a hospital and not by a river.  I liked the part about the stages of labor, how our American culture doesn't value birth pain like in other countries, and that you can do it.  

The Baby Book: It's a huge book and has interesting tidbits even for those not into attachment parenting, (I read "A Nation of Wimps: The High Cost of Invasive Parenting before reading this book)

What to Expect When You're Expecting.  Fun book but I skimmed through it and reading the sections about labor and delivery

What to Expect the First Year  Reading more about the first month after baby.  I am nervous! 

Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child:  Written by a doctor who's a world expert on sleep disorders, he was even sought out by a Saudi Arabian princess to train her nannies about how to make sure her babies sleep enough. Hah!  Like she doesn't have to wake up at night for her baby...


The best part was going on Amazon.com and reading all the 1 star reviews as well as the 5 star reviews on these books.  It shows that there is no 100% foolproof method for pregnancy, delivery, sleep habits, breastfeeding, and child-rearing.


By the way, has anyone ever told you not to scratch your belly so that you don't get stretch marks?

I'm wondering if it's a Latina thing.

Book Review: Piece of Cake by Cupcake Brown

I am not a book reader, I'm more of a magazine/newspaper reader.  But when I quit my job, I decided to read some books.  I could not put this book down.  

It is one of the best books about recovery (drug addiction and other hard stuff in life).  It has a lot of strong themes but it has a happy ending!! 

Loved it!  

It is a quick and great story.  

It has passages that are disturbing and emotionally provoking, just a warning for more sensitive readers...  

Part of what this book does is expose the failures of the child welfare system in this country and the ignorance of our society; it shows very well how and why a fractured and abusive childhood can lead to a life of crime and substance abuse. This probably won't be in the list on the mommy book clubs in this area.  

Sheltered people would come across this book as "offensive" or say that what happened to her can't possibly be true!  

The best part was that Cupcake gives hope for those who've been there that they are worthy and can be better, even when feeling defeated.  With the support of loving and patient network of people, you can overcome the biggest obstacles and realize your dreams, and put what you experienced badly in the past to rest.