I know Valentine’s Day is still more than a month away. But in the age of online shopping it’s good to start early to account for shipping time. So I am pleased to present to you my second list of gift ideas. This time it’s gifts for the coffee fanatic in your life! {You can read my previous list for Geeks here.}

Do you love coffee? Which of these gifts would you most want to get or give, and to whom? My top choice would be the “I Love You, Blogs, and Coffee” print!

   
Both of these shirts are available in unisex or women’s styles. They’re from Think Geek. Prices range from $15.99-$18.99.


And finally, my personal favorite is this cute little print. I gave one of these to Adam for our wedding anniversary. It’s sitting on a shelf in his computer armoir. I’m pretty sure he likes it. Because, you know, he said he likes it. It makes me smile every time I see it. It’s $10 from Geek Details. The frame is not included.

Don't miss my list of gift ideas for coffee lovers!

Do you have a geek in your life? What are you getting him/her for Valentine’s day?

I love these cute, vintage {holly-themed!} tea light holders I found on Etsy. The jingle bells make me happy.
{This photo is part of the December Photo Challenge. Come back tomorrow for more.}

Here are two random pictures for the December Photo Challenge. The first is part bragging that I already have things cleaned up from Lucy’s party and half showing off my Christmas table setting. The second is another shot of my birthday headband in action. See the tiny bit of purple left in my hair? Yeah, it’s faded almost completely. *sigh* I’m done trying to dye my hair. Come back tomorrow for another picture, and to see if I’m either a: trying not to be a sore loser or b: trying not to pee my pants in excitement.

Adam got me this headband from my Etsy wish list as part of my birthday present {he also got me some pretty slippers}. I think it’s fantastic. I can’t wait to wear it out and about.
Come back tomorrow for another Christmas photo for the December Photo Challenge.

The winner of the WeeEssentials giveaway is…

Congrats Serene! You’ve been contacted and have 72 hours to respond! :D

Being the kind of mama who uses cloth diapers and cloth menstrual pads I naturally planned on using cloth nursing pads. But my leakage levels + cloth nursing pads = FAIL, epic fail even. I’m talking I could enter a wet t-shirt contest kind of fail.

But then I found WeeEssentials on Etsy.

Her nursing pads are more than just freakin’ cute {and trust me, they ARE that}…they’re made with a feature that makes you go “that’s genius!” They’re made with a layer of PUL {the same waterproof stuff diapers like Bum Genius are made with}. So I placed an order. And folks, I couldn’t be happier.

As you can see, they’re super pretty. The cores are made with bamboo and organic cotton. And the PUL lining is really fantastic. At night I’ve leaked past, but only because {being reusable} these pads don’t have stick-um on the back to keep them in place and I leaked around, not through, the pad. But, to tell the truth, I’ve had the same problem at night, even with disposables.

And Lucy sure likes ‘em.

Along with my order were some soap bits samples and one of the yummiest smelling lip balms I’ve ever encountered.

The lip balm is the “Citrus Blast” flavor, made with orange, lemon, lime and grapefruity goodness. It goes on really, really smooth. And I like that I can recognize and pronounce all of the nine ingredients. There’s no chemical crap in this lip balm.

The soap bits are surprisingly cute, considering they’re just little blocks of soap. I guess it’s the size factor that makes them seem so sweet. They can be used {melted and mixed with water} for cloth diaper wipes, or just as regular soap. I tried washing my hands with 1 bit. At first I didn’t like the way my hands felt after washing, kind of sticky. It’s the same feeling I get whenever I use any non-liquid soap. But it passed quickly and my hands didn’t feel dry or anything. And the soap had a nice, light scent {strawberries and champagne}.

Here’s another great thing. The service was great and the products well made. I heart shopping on Etsy because I love supporting small businesses. And when the businesses make such nice things and treat me so nicely it keeps me coming back. In fact, I’ve already planned my next purchase from WeeEssentials. I’m sooooo ordering some of the “Soothing Sinus Relief Balm” because my nose always gets so sore and red when I’m sick.

And though I haven’t had an opportunity to try WeeEssentials’s cloth menstrual pads {yet} I couldn’t resist telling you about them because they have two features mine don’t {but I wish they did}. Just like the nursing pads, they’re lined with PUL! Aaaand each pad is embroidered with stars on the wing so you can tell which pads are the most absorbent. Genius!

Basically I’m in love with WeeEssentials now. And you should be too. Know why? Well, besides the reasons I’ve already listed, WeeEssentials is sponsoring a giveaway!

What can you win?

a $20 gift certificate to spend on anything in the WeeEssentials shop {which ships everywhere}

How can you win?

1st entry (mandatory for any others to count}: Visit WeeEssentials and leave a comment on this post about what your favorite item is . You must leave a way to contact you on all entries {either leave your e-mail or make sure you can be e-mailed through your blog}. If you leave no way to notify you, or if you do not respond to notification within 72 hours a new winner will be chosen.

2nd entry: Blog about the giveaway and leave a link to the post in a comment on this post.

3rd entry: Follow @WeeEssentials on Twitter and leave a comment on this post saying that you did.

4th entry: Follow @DomesticDork on Twitter and leave a comment on this post saying that you did.

5th entry: Become a fan of WeeEssentials on Facebook and leave a comment on this post saying that you did.

6th entry: Follow me here on Domestic Dork and leave a comment saying that you did.

7th entry: Tweet about the giveaway and link to the tweet in a comment {you must leave a link to the specific tweet not your Twitter account!}. You may tweet once daily.

How will the winner be chosen?

Winner will be chosen via Random.org then notified and announced here on the blog.

When will the winner be chosen?

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Good luck!

{This review contains my honest opinion. I was not compensated in any way for providing it.}

I love wearing my baby. But our black wrap gets awfully hot some times. It also shows cat hair like crazy. Plus I get tired of people calling Lucy a boy. And...well...I like pretty things. That's why I sold my old Palm Pilot and got this:


It arrived today and I loooooove it! It's a lighter weight fabric so I'm having to get used to how that affects the tightness with which I need to tie Lucy on but it also means that I'm not going to get as hot as I do wearing the black wrap! You can get your own (in many different colors, and even in reversible styles) here.

Now maybe I won't have to choose between dying of heat or wrestling our big stroller when I walk to the fabric store.

PS: Those pants? Yeah, they're PRE-pregnancy! Woo-hoo!

PPS: Do you see how long my hair is getting? I soooooo need a hair cut!

CANCELED due to lack of interest.

Ta-da! The raffle begins today! It will run through the end of March and is open to US and Canadian residents. First, the nitty gritty details on how to enter:

1. Visit the donation site here.
2. Click the "pledge me online" button.
3. Make a donation of at least $5. For every $5 you pledge you will get one entry into the raffle.
4. Wait for me to e-mail you to confirm your entry.
5. See if you win stuff!!!

For an extra entry blog about (and link to) the raffle (leave a comment on this post with your blog address).

Now for the exciting part! The prizes:

This colorful wristlet is perfect for sunglasses, cellphones, coupons, and quick errands that don't require a big bag. It's from the Etsy shop Baffin Bags.

But guess what. This is just the beginning! I plan to have several more prizes posted by the end of the week! So be sure to check in again. And good luck! Remember that this is for a really great cause! And hey...why not win some neat stuff while you're at it?

This one's for you, Kamis!

CLOTH DIAPERING FOR BEGINNERS

The modern world of cloth diapering is quite different from that of our grandparents. There's no need to fold, or pin (unless you want to). Moms nowadays choose cloth for a number of different reasons: environmental, health, and financial being the most common. Some added bonuses to cloth diapering (CD) are the cuteness factor and (often) earlier potty training. But when delving into the world of CD for the first time the differences between diaper styles, the laundering questions, and the lingo overwhelms. Fortunately, it's not nearly as complicated as it seems.

For a really thorough (but quick and easy) beginner's guide I'd go here.

Some things you ought to know about cloth diapering:

• Do NOT use fabric softener (unless you want diapers that are not absorbent and I can't imagine why you would).
• Do NOT use too much detergent. You don't need much (in fact...if you use this method you don't need any real detergent). Like fabric softener too much detergent can screw up the absorbency of your dipes and is terribly difficult to rinse out (which means it'll be sitting against baby's sensitive skin).
• Be careful with diaper rash creams. If diaper rash shows up make sure to use something meant for cloth (again, it's an absorbency issue). Some options that are supposed to be CD-firendly include this (although pricey), Aveeno, Burt's Bees, or breastmilk (also great for cuts/scrapes, acne, etc.).
• As for baby poop...exclusively breastfed babies don't have "poop" like we normally think of it. Their dipes can just be thrown in the wash (rinse, then wash, then rinse). For babies with more solid poop just shake the dipe out over the toilet (or swirl it in the clean water). Many moms like to get a diaper sprayer but it's not required.
• Consider WAHMs (work at home moms). There are plenty of women out there making and selling cloth dipes. Etsy is an excellent place to find them. In fact, the cutest dipes and covers available are usually made by business-moms (like this one). You can also find lots of patterns and tutorials online for making your own.
• Consider cloth wipes. If you're going to be washing dirty diapers anyway there's no reason you can't use soft baby washcloths (or old cut-up t-shirts) as baby wipes. You can find recipes for wipes solutions (such as these) all over the internet. However, I personally would avoid using lavendar oil (especially on little baby boys) as there are still concerns as to it's long term effects (better safe than sorry!).
  
• Do what works for you. If that means using 'sposies when going out and about then go for it! Maybe you'll want to do prefolds during the day and all-in-one's or fitteds at night to make midnight changes easier. The trick is to figure out what is best for you and your family.

And if you want some serious "crunchy" bragging rights with your hippy friends there's always elimination communication.