SoDelicious Yogurt Review and Giveaway

So, having a baby with food allergies is challenging. Most everything is trial and error. Finding foods that he likes and that will not cause a reaction is difficult. Since Samuel has been on antibiotics many times (much to my dismay), I knew he needed probiotics to balance his system. Finding a dairy and soy free yogurt is a challenge. I was browsing my local Earthfare and stumbled upon SoDelicious Coconut milk Greek yogurt. It is by no means cheap. In Augusta, at Earthfare, I paid $1.99 per small container. A little pricy, but worth it. When I first opened the container I was pleasantly surprised by the smooth, creamy, thick texture. It is very custard like. I tasted the vanilla and it was very sweet. I gave a bit to Samuel and he loved it!  He is a very picky eater so I was quite surprised. Since we tried the vanilla we have also had the blueberry. Both very good. I will definitely keep buying it. 

I had issues with one container of yogurt and the company was wonderful. They sent me two free product coupons. I would like to share one with you so you can try this great product. This coupon is for any SoDelicious product. For a chance to win follow this blog and leave a comment. Winner will be drawn on September 1st. 

Diapers, Diapers everywhere!...A real life diaper review

When Samuel was born I though I knew all about parenting. He was my second baby,of course. We were not new to this. Well, I was seriously wrong. Samuel is nothing like Simon. He has extremely sensitive skin and multiple allergies. This complicates thing. Something as simple as choosing a diapers has been a nightmare. So, for all of the sensitive babies out there, here are my thoughts on various brands (all purchased by me and worn by Samuel). 

1. Huggies Snug and Dry

The Huggies diapers are what I went to first. They are what I used for Simon and loved. The fit is wonderful for chubby thighs. They never seemed to leave marks from being too tight. Absorbency was great as well. We rarely had leaks or the infamous "diaper blowout". Sounds like the perfect diaper, right? It was. Notice I said was. For some reason (I suspect Huggies changed something) Samuel began getting red rashes on both hips right where the diaper fastens. So, needless to say, Huggies were no longer an option. 

2. Seventh Generation

Since we were having allergy issues I switched to a more natural diaper. Seventh generation diapers are non bleached, plant based diapers. They claim that they do not have all of the harmful chemicals in standard diapers. The fit was great. The rise in the front was a bit higher than other brands, making them especially great for boys. Absorbency was very good as well. They appeared to hold as much as the Huggies. I really like these diapers. Only problem is the price. At $12 per 22 diapers I just could not afford them regularly. 

3. Kroger Comforts Touch of nature

I was pleasantly surprised by these diapers. I first noticed how soft they felt to the touch. Much softer than other brands of diapers. The fit was a lot like Huggies. A little bit more room in legs for chunkier thighs. The absorbency was pretty good, but not as good as Huggies and seventh generation. The great thing is that they did not bother his skin. Another great thing is the price. At $6.99 per 22 diaper they are a great deal. I was surprised at how much I liked these diapers. 

Pampers Baby Dry

We did not use Pampers diapers for long.  Unfortunately, Samuel's skin reacted  to the very first one. Therefore, I cannot comment on the fit and absorbency. 

Luvs

Luvs Diapers seem very similar to Pampers (both are Proctor and Gamble). I was hoping by trying Luvs we would not have the same chemical issues as Pampers. Surprisingly they have not bothered his skin. The fit is very good. Samuel has thinned out quite a bit so they work well. The absorbency seems to be okay. They work fine for the daytime, but I have to use a doubler at night. For the price ($8.99/pack), and the  convenience  of every store carrying them, I would definitely use them again. 

Aldi diapers

Who knew that Aldi sold diapers. I was grocery shopping the other day and did not have time to go to a second place for diapers. I was totally out so had to get something. I was quite surprised by these diapers. They are definitely a thinner diaper. The fit is the same as Pampers and Luvs. Absorbency leaves a bit to be desired. For my heavy wetter they are great for daytime, not so much for night. They did not bother his skin which surprised me. In a pinch they are definitely a good option. 

Target Diapers

Target diapers were not bad. Honestly they were a lot like the Aldi diapers. They were fine for the daytime but a little thin for the night. I had to use a doubler or Samuel woke up wet. They did not bother his skin though. 

Publix Diapers

Publix diaper were my least favorite. I am generally quite happy with Publix generic products. Diapers are the exception. They were thin, like many generic diapers, but the rise was much lower. For my heavy wetting boy this would not work. He leaked through these even during the day. Though they did not bother his skin, I would not buy them again. 

Prices in Augusta, GA

The prices vary slightly from store to store so I am giving you the average, not on sale or with coupons prices that I see. The prices are for a standard (22-23 diaper) pack of size 5 diapers. 

Pampers Baby dry-$10.99

Huggies Snug and Dry-$10.99

Seventh Generation- $12.99

Luvs- $8.99

Publix- $8.99

Target-$6.89

Kroger Natural- $6.99

Aldi-$4.49

Conclusion

In conclusion, for the cost, absorbency, fit, and skin reaction, my favorite is the Kroger Touch of Nature. They seem to work the best for Samuel for the best price. When Kroger is not available I would choose Luvs as my second choice. Both are good diapers for good price. 

Random photo of the day

I love when they are being sweet!!!

Gluten free zucchini bread

So I am new to the gluten free way of life. If I was left to my own devices I totally would be eating all the bread I could. But having a baby with multiple food allergies has been interesting. I am always looking for ways to make yummy things he can eat. I was so excited the Bisquick created an awesome gluten free baking mix. It is truly wonderful. Here is one sweet treat I recently made. I really can't tell it is not wheat based. 

Gluten free Zucchini Bread 

 

2c bisquick gluten free 

2c shredded zucchini

3 eggs

2/3c sugar 

1/4 oil ( I used coconut)

1tsp vanilla

1tsp cinnamon

1tsp nutmeg

1/2c chopped nuts (optional) 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix everything together  . Beat well for about a minute. Pour into a well greased loaf pan. Bake for approximately 1 hour. 

We moved!!!

So life once again became crazy. We bought a second house! 

Around Christmas we began to talk about how we were starting to outgrow our house. Since it seems like we will be in Augusta for awhile we decided to begin looking. I started looking for short sales in target areas. Short sales as I came to realize are a total nightmare. I was beginning to get discouraged. So I thought what the heck...I should pray about it. So I did. I kept looking and found our new home. It is in a neighborhood that I had not previously been looking in (typically out of our price range), and was plenty of space. It was a bit over budget but I decide to set up an appointment anyway. I was scheduled to look at it on Thursday. On Monday, as I was pulling the listing link to send to my mom, low and behold the price was just dropped by $20,000. I Pushed up the viewing and we put an offer the next day. By the beginning of the next week we had an offer accepted and they were going to fix everything we asked for. God was definitely in this process. 

So it has been a month now and we love it. So happy with the house! 

My political rant

I do not often go off on political tangents but today a comment just sent me over the edge. I am so sick and tired of constantly having to defend my conservative christian beliefs. I believe some things are just wrong. There's no grey are. It is black and white. There is a differnce between right and wrong. We cannot go through life with the believe that it is ok to do someting morally wrong under the guise that it is just someones person opinion. I want my children to grow up know the difference between right and wrong. So this will be my one and only political rant on the blog.
Abortion
 Abortion is wrong. It is not a woman's right to kill her baby whether he or she has been born or not.
Psalm 51:5 – “I was born a sinner – yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.” (NLT)
Jeremiah 1:5 – “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.” (NLT)
I believe that God has the ultimate say in when a baby, inside of outside of the womb, dies. I had a miscarriage at 18 week. I did not mourn the death of a ball of cells. I mourned the death of my baby. He was no less of a baby because he was not viable. I do not know how a person can so causally end another persons life our of convience.
Spending
Running a household I cannot spend more that we take in on things that we do not need. I can’t just decide that I want it anyway and go take some money from someone else to cover it. Why should this be ok for the government? Under the constitution, the role of the federal government is to provide national security, a post office, courts, and build roads and bridges to promote interstate commerce. That is it. Most of the other things that they do now (such as health and education) are intended to be regulated by individual states. We (I mean my family personally) are already heavily taxed and are not rich. I am sick of seeing people at the grocery store wearing designer clothes, with new manicures and new iphones, driving new cars, but paying with food stamps. The government is not to solution to all of your problems. I do not want to be beholden to the government for all things. Sharing the wealth is not something I am game for. My husband works for what we have. If he lost his job I can guarantee you he would take any available job (even beneath his usual pay grade or educational experience) in order to provide for his family. We do not expect nor want to government to take care of us. I don’t know when Americans lost all sense of pride in themselves.
Immigration
Did you know that Canada has very strick immigration laws. Even if you have a job waiting for you they only let a certain number of people in per year. If they let everyone in there is the belief that it would run down the system too much. A non-partisan report in 2007 from the Congressional Budget Office concluded that most estimates show that illegal immigrants impose a net cost to state and local governments. I know that most people in this contry were from families of immigrants at one time. How many of those families snuck into the counrty? I have a feeling most came leagally. I am all for legal immigration. This country was build by immigrants. I am not ok with illigally coming over.

Dr. Seuss' Birthday

So today is Dr. Seuss' Birthday. It seems that every school around here, with the exception of Simon's, is doing something fun. Even though they were not officially doing anything I decided to make something anyway. After looking through Pinterest and getting tips from my neighbor Danyell, we settled on "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish Jell0". Other than the fish getting a bit slimey (which the kids did not seem to mind) it turned out cute.

So I was looking around on the internet and saw this interesting list and I thought that it was appropriate for today.

21 Lessons Learned from Dr. Seuss

:

1.Be a thinker of great things. Dr. Seuss teaches us, “Oh, the things you can think up if only you try!”

2.Be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it. Sometimes you just don’t know what you’ve got until after it’s gone. In Bartholomew and the Ooblek, King Didd got what he wished for, but the sticky Ooblek goo was worse than the fog, snow, sunshine, and rain that it replaced. The King quickly wanted his old weather back and he learned to appreciate it.

3.Be your best you. In the words of Dr. Seuss, “There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” Make the most of what you’ve got. In Yertle the Turtle, we see “feather envy” and it’s a gentle reminder to be careful what you wish for and appreciate what you’ve got.

4.Bend your world in wonderful ways. Nobody bends it like the Cat in the Hat. From the metaphors you use, to the thinks that you think, you can shape your world that’s right in front of you.

5.Don’t put yourself in a box. You’re only limited by your own imagination. The Cat in the Hat teaches us how to let our imaginations run wild.

6.Don’t waste your time worrying who’s better than who. In Yertle the Turtle, Dr. Seuss teaches us that “You have better things to do than argue who’s better than who.”

7.Dream it and do it. You can move mountains when you put your mind to it. Direct your life like a blockbuster and make things happen.

8.Edutainment wins over boring and ho-hum. With whacky words, wondrous worlds, and fantastical characters, Dr. Seuss taught us the edutainment is how you change a child’s life. Reading is only boring if you make it so.

9.Kindle your curiosity. Keep your mind open and your eyes peeled. Stay curious and follow your growth.

10.Life happens in moments at a time. Don’t miss out on life by tuning out the little things along the way.

11.Own your fun. There’s more to do than play in the rain. When you’re bored, you’re boring. The Cat in the Hat teaches us to be the maker of our own fun. Make each day your own special blend of whatever it is that best floats your boat.

12.Play at your day. You can play at your day, in every way.

13.Persistence pays off. Be relentless in your pursuit of things. In Green Eggs and Ham, it was through persistence that Sam-I-Am finally got the unnamed character to try the green eggs and ham. In real life, Dr. Seuss’s first children’s book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, was rejected 27 times before being published by Vanguard Press.

14.Treat people fairly and squarely. In The Sneetches and Other Stories, Dr. Seuss shows us that we can’t judge people by their lot in life or whether they have a star on their belly. In Yertle the Turtle, it’s a reminder not to climb over people on your way to the top, because they’re same people you’ll see on your way back down.

15.Try it … you just might like it. In Green Eggs and Ham, when the unnamed character was surprised to find out that he actually likes green eggs and ham once he tried them. You just never know until you try.

16.Saying you’re sorry can help make things right. In Bartholomew and the Oobleck, when the king finally said the magic words, “I’m sorry,” and “it’s all my fault,” he helped make things right again.

17.See the bright side of things. It’s a great day for up, when you can see the sunny side of things. Sure sometimes you’ll have to work at it, but positivity is a skill. Do it daily.

18.Setbacks happen. Deal with them and move on. Make trouble think twice about messing with you.

19.Some people are much more unlucky than you. When you’re down in the dumps and things get real bad, remind yourself that somewhere, somehow, someway … somebody is much “more unlucky than you.”

20.Success is a journey and we all have our own paths. Make your journey count. Don’t let fear stop you. Don’t let conventional wisdom stop you. Lead the life you want to live, and when there’s no path, make one.

21.Your voice counts. In Horton Hears a Who, Dr. Seuss shows us how one little voice can tip the scale … after all, “A person’s a person, no matter how small.”