Killer Cloth Maxaloone's

Cloth diaper butt pants.

What are those, you say? They are stretchy pants that are made to fit over cloth diapers. They are also made to fit from 6 months to 3 years of age. Maxaloone's are the official name of these oh so cozy pants! 

I stumbled upon an Etsy shop dubbed 'Killer Cloth' by simply searching "cloth diaper butt pants" & was not disappointed. Her stuff looked very trendy & cool! 

To quote from the owner Amber herself: "When I had my son I felt a big hole in baby/toddler boy clothing department. Unique, cool, environmentally friendly and affordable, that's what I wanted. The majority of the fabric I use are from Europe and GOTS certified. Becoming a single mother kicked my bum into gear and Killer Cloth was born! I have had so much fun and have met the most wonderful women. I love being part of a community of women supporting women."

We discussed via Facebook message on a custom order and she linked me to one of her fabric albums and I immediately fell in love with BABY bearded vikings. Oh my. Let me say that again.. BABY BEARDED VIKINGS. Hello! They are adorable! Here is a close-up shot of the print:

Amber is the sweetest shop owner I have ever met. Patient & willing to work with you. She is enthusiastic and praises any ideas you may have. It was an honor putting our brains together to come to a final decision to pair some yellow & orange stripe fabric with the bearded vikings. At the last minute, she told me she could actually embroider a bearded Viking on the bum. I was like, "hell yeah!" and, Voila:

Is that not the cutest thing you have ever seen?

Our pants arrived super fast & she also included some care instructions. 

A full shot of the Maxaloone's by Amber at Killer Cloth:

and the bum (!!!):

Her attention to detail is superior. You can really tell she puts a lot of love into her work. Something you should definitely look for in any business owner. 

The waist & ankle cuffs are what make the pants grow with your child.

Action shots on the bum:

Don't you just want to eat those chunky baby feet? 

And during play time:

He is wondering why that spoon has no food on it.

Jude is only 5 months right now & on the larger side (22lbs-ish & 27 inches), so these fit great right now. They are so soft & stretchy! We are so excited to see how they grow with him! I am definitely a satisfied & loyal customer of Killer Cloth. Our family loves to support work at home mom's & small businesses. You will not be disappointed in Amber's work! Support all the badasses! :)

Go check Amber out on Facebook: 'Killer Cloth' & her Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/KillerCloth

Xo <3

Cream cheese stuffed Jalapeno's wrapped in Bacon..... in DIP form!

Yes, you heard me right. 

DIP. 

Ingredients: 

2 blocks HEB cream cheese, softened 

3 Fresh Jalapeno peppers; 2 diced & 1 split in half for garnish

1/2 c. HEB Shredded Habanero Jack Cheese, divided

1/2 c. HEB Mayonnaise 

1 7oz. can Hill Country Fare Diced Green Chile's

1 2.5 oz package of HEB 100% Bacon Pieces

1/2 c. HEB grated Parmesan cheese, divided 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Place the cream cheese in a 9" X 11" baking dish & put in oven for 5 minutes.

3. Remove cream cheese from oven & add mayo, combine until well mixed.

4. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well,  reserving a 1/4 cup each of the Parmesan & Habanero Jack cheese.  

5. Top the dip with the remaining cheese and halved jalapeno. 

6. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F for 30-40 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling & slightly browned. 

I used a lot of HEB brands, but feel free to use whatever brand of your choosing. 

We ate with HEB brand ruffle chips because, well, salty ruffle chips & cream cheese go hand in hand! 

Enjoy! Let me know how you like it! 

Xo <3

We love Applecheeks!

My little  in Applecheeks size 2 in the color 'Cherry Tomato'. 

This is a review/why we love Applecheeks. :)

Ryan & I stumbled upon Applecheeks on Amazon.com while looking at all the options of cloth diapers out there. We fell in love with the colors and shape of the diaper! A few months later we now have 25+ in our stash. The trim fit is what made me fall in love with them. It seemed no matter how I stuffed or what I laid in, the shape still was trim and snug fitting. Easy to wash, easy to rinse, and come in all different colors & prints! Their newest color & print release happened this past February 14th with 'Love Happens', a pink-ier version of 'Wingin It' & FINALLY a pink we can afford (ahem, Samoa) 'Pink About It'.  Applecheeks have two size options: 1&2. Size 1 fits babies 7-20lbs and size 2 fits babies 18-40lbs. The diaper has two rows of snaps to adjust the fit on the waist and on the legs. We have tried a lot of the mainstream cloth out there & Applecheeks is still the only one I grab for. They have lots of accessories as well, such as wipe spray, wet bags, cloth wipes, and more! 

Now, let's get down to details! 

Pictured is the outside of the diaper:

This is the color 'Steel Me' in a size 2.

The outside is a breathable & waterproof PUL (polyurethane laminated polyester)

The inside is Microfleece; soft to the touch & has a stay dry feel for the baby. 

Here is the envelope style opening:

This large opening makes it very easy to stuff and un-stuff your inserts. 

Close-up shot of the PUL & braided elastics. Crinkly PUL is normal. :)

Close-up of the ruffle style leg elastics. Very stretchy to contain the messiest of messes! 

Now, I will show you the insert options I have on hand. What's missing are their Stay-Dry Rayon from Bamboo Booster & 2-layer Rayon from Bamboo Booster. 

One-size Microterry insert:

The bottom is Microfiber which should never go against baby's skin. It is super absorbent and will dry out your babe's delicate skin. The Applecheeks tag states which side is up & which side should be down. 

Applecheeks One size 2-layer Rayon from Bamboo insert:

 We tri-fold & use stuffed for daytime. 

3-ply Bamboo Insert (my personal favorite):

We tri-fold & use stuffed for nighttime. 

Pictured is the 2-ply (white serged edges) & the 3-ply (green serged edges) side by side:

A few action shots of 'Steel Me' size 2 on my model:

I want to say Jude is around 22 pounds. He started fitting into size 2 at about 16 pounds. 

There you have it! We love our Applecheeks cloth diapers! 

Here is our growing stash shot (missing a Dark Cherry Tomato, Purple Rain, and Delicious):

Xo <3

Crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

I busted out my dusty crockpot yesterday morning for a super simple recipe I saw on Instagram. 

2 frozen chicken breasts

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can kidney beans drained & rinsed

1 can pinto beans drained & rinsed

Half bag of frozen corn

1 packet of Chili spice mix (mix with a little water)

1 - 8oz packet of cream cheese

Place chicken on bottom of the pot & add all the ingredients. Stir together & place cream cheese on top. Cover with lid & cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir cream cheese into chili & use fork to shred chicken. Serve with corn bread! 

There are so many different ways to make this chili YOUR OWN! That's what I love about it. Add cilantro, a packet of ranch mix, jalapeno's, etc. 

We made corn bread as well and afterwards, I said, "I should have made jalapeno corn bread!"

To do that, just add fresh sliced or canned sliced jalapeno's to the cornbread mix & bake as usual. 

Easy recipe, happy family with full bellies. 

Xo <3

Introducing baby #2, Lincoln Jude Wilson

Our sweet boy! 

We welcomed another bouncing baby boy to our brood on October 21st, 2013.

I had a scheduled c-section for that afternoon & everything went to smooth. Of course I was nervous! Surgery is a big deal! I had Ryan by my side, my friends, and my family were all there. With the birth of Eli (by c-section) & with the birth of Jude, I got the worst shakes. Doctor said it's because the anesthesia is wearing off. That was the only bad part about the whole birth! I saw his little crying face and the tears were instant. During my entire pregnancy, It was my main goal to breastfeed. And to make every milestone (3,6,9,12 months) along the way. Guess what? We have been exclusively breastfeeding for almost 4 months now! Oh my, to not make bottles during the night or wash bottles 3 times a day, or have to worry about buying formula and/or running out.. I am one happy lady and I think my little guy is, too. 

Isn't he just a ham?

We made the decision to cloth diaper after our disposables from our baby shower and couponing ran out. It's been going on 3 months & we are so happy to have made that decision! I will post more details about it in the next post. :) Nothing too exciting going on around this house! Two crazy boys & daddy works full-time. I also started making nursing/teething necklaces. It is so therapeutic to DIY. Here is a photo of one:

Baby has something to grab onto while nursing instead of your hair and skin. They can also teeth on it. The ring is all natural wood coated in organic coconut oil and wood beads are on the inside surrounded by a stretchy knit fabric. Oh, these are so fun to make. I have sold to a handful of people already and they came back with great reviews for them! Makes me incredibly happy. 

Well, It is Sunday and I am making crockpot cream cheese chicken chili! Say that 3 times in a row, huh? I will also make a post with the recipe! Super simple meal. 

Until next time.. 

<3 Xo 

Big adventures!

So far, it has been a very good summer. 

Texas is hot. And summer just started. No one living here is looking forward to the triple digits that will for sure hit soon. :( What we do look forward to are the swimming pools, lakes, and rivers! Woo! Ryan & I are thinking about taking a boat on the lake on the 4th of July to surprise Eli with a huge firework show. We took him last year to the city of Shertz where they have this firework show and it just wasn't fun. 

My best friend Rebekah got married to her sweetheart of almost 8 years on June 22nd.

It was a beautiful ceremony of her close friends & family. She did all the decor herself. All the planning, decorating, invites, thank you cards.. everything! At 30 weeks pregnant! She is a remarkable woman. 

 The Bride, her son Bradley, and I.

                                                     Her dream cake ordered by Alicia.

 One of the table settings. 

 

 My best friend, Alicia, came all the way from Midland for Rebekah's special day.

It was a romantic wedding. Very intimate. Alicia came down for about 2 days and it was glorious! She had not come to San Antonio since my baby shower when I was pregnant with Eli! It was so good to see her & we had such a great time. 

On to the BIG NEWS!

We are pregnant! 

Sorry for the blurry picture. I took it myself. 22 weeks! We found out when I was 5 weeks and 3 days. This is a very exciting time for us. Ryan has always wanted kids of his own & we are now making a little family of our own. Eli is going to be a great big brother. He kisses my belly and knows exactly where baby is. We are in the process of packing to move to a bigger place! Let's cross our fingers and hope for a stress free time because no one enjoys moving. 

So, that's that. Pregnant & moving. Hectic times here in my wee little family. We are hoping for great outcomes for the future. We have high hopes for the next big things to come and are so happy with the way things are turning out. 

<3 Xo

Sweepstakes: Tips, Tricks, and Freebies

I got into couponing when I was pregnant. The big baby related companies like Pampers, Dreft, Huggies, Dr. Browns, and Similac would give out free stuff & coupons for signing up on their websites. I also got a free hospital bag with Similac formula, Johnson & Johnson soaps and lotions, Pampers diapers, and more. You can't beat free, you know? I was about to have a baby and I was struggling so anything helped at that point. After I saw how easy it was to get free items, I kept it up a few months after Eli was born. While I would be visiting these websites, I noticed some of them had Instant Win games and Sweepstakes going on for baby related prizes. I saw a jogging stroller on the Similac website and I said to myself: "Hey, Why not!?" I never won the jogging stroller, but just for entering they sent me a coupon for a free Similac powder formula up to $13.95. That's almost $14 FREE! Of formula! A must-have when you are not or have stopped breastfeeding. And my fellow mothers can agree with me when I say formula is expensive. 

Now back to sweepstakes.  I know you hear of sweepstakes everywhere. Watching TV, listening to the radio, surfing the internet, billboards.. They are everywhere! Publishers Clearing House, anyone? Remember those infomercials where that man rings the door bell with a 6 foot check under his arm holding a handful of bright balloons? "You've won $20,000 in the Publisher's Clearing House Sweepstakes!" then comes the 5 alarm scream from some stay at home housewife with 6 kids. That scream made my ears ring. In the back of my mind I always wondered what it would feel like to win something. Especially cold hard cash. I had to do this. I had to start entering. You can't win if you don't enter. That has been my motto and a lot of other sweepers' motto, too. So, Eli was a few months old by now & I finally had some free time. I went back again to those big companies online: Pampers, Huggies, Dreft, etc. On their websites, they would make you aware of some other sweepstakes going on with their sister companies. Little Tikes, Walmart, Target, and so on. The entries were so easy, too! Sometimes it was just enter your e-mail. Other times it would be to enter your address, e-mail, date of birth, and so on. Easy as pie! Enter your info and you could win a $100 Target gift card. 

Sweepstakes Tip: Always, always, always, (did I say 'always'?) read the OFFICIAL RULES of every sweepstakes you enter! Google the company to make sure it is legit. Check how many entries. Is it one prize per household? Companies will forfeit you if you don't abide by the rules. After you get the hang of sweeping, reading through the rules will be a breeze. It's usually the same rules with every contest. 

I started out by entering the sweepstakes that were giving away the things I needed on a daily basis: Money, Diapers, Cars, Clothes, Kitchen appliances, etc. Then, when I started getting everything I needed and was caught up, I started entering for all kinds of fabulous things! Beauty products, Hair products, jewelry, TV's, etc. Sweepstaking is JUST like gambling. You never know if or when you will win! But it sure is fun playing. I am writing this blog post to encourage my friends and family and blog readers to win. It really is simple to win. (Surprise wins are so much fun to receive in the mail.) 

Sweepstakes Trick: Set up a notepad on your computer and list the sweepstakes by entries and end dates. You don't want to enter a sweepstakes two or three times that required only one entry and get disqualified. I have had that happen to me. :( 

Google sweepstakes, search the hashtag #giveaways #sweepstakes on Twitter, follow beauty blogs and momma blogs. You will find something you want to enter. And once you get that first win, the rest is history. Believe me. :D For Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter, make sure you sign up for e-mail notifications so you don't miss out on a win. Once you start following the big companies on Twitter and 'liking' them on facebook, it gets easier from there. Blogs will promote them and other smaller companies will do giveaways with their items and/or gift cards. You must have patience. It can take years from the contest end date to receive your prize. It also can take as little as 2 to 3 days. Have fun with it and remember that these things are FREE! (Unless you win a car that you have to pay taxes on. haha) 

Post any questions or comments you have on this blog post. I will try to answer the best I can. This isn't a full detailed explanation of sweepstakes. I just wanted to share how I started and a few tips and tricks of my own. 

<3 Xo