This Week

*First and foremost, Jacob has been having pain in his side and has been short of breath the past week. Our Hospice nurse yesterday said that he has restricted airflow to the bottom part of his left lung. The doctors put him on antibiotics and we are praying that it is just an infection that will clear up with this medicine and not effects from the tumors. He just received the second dose of antibiotics tonight but his breathing seemed more labored today (with him getting quite out of breath just walking up the stairs). I pray to see an improvement tomorrow or the next day. Please keep him in your prayers. The majority of his updates are on his Facebook page.

*I am doing well on Lose It and am down a pound this week. I noticed my real problem is sweets - I crave them all the time, more so when I am stressed (which is a lot lately). Any suggestions on how to curb the sweet tooth?

*I'm trying out the facial oil that I received in a subscription box. It's only day 2 so I'm not sure what the effects will be but it seems so wrong to put oil on skin that already gets so oily. Rumor has it that by using oil on the face it makes your face less oily and less prone to breakouts? I don't know how that works but it will be interesting to see and with the major breakouts since Amy's birth I can use all the help I can get - my skin feels like a teenager's again (not in a good way!).

*The kids finished up their reading log at the library and are now on the bonus reading logs. I'm loving their love of reading this summer. 

*I donated two more full bags of items to the charity shop this past week and have another bag started. I know I've said it before but I really want to be ruthless with what goes and what stays. With four kids with different hobbies and interests it is hard to pair down our belongings. It's getting there though - just slowly!
 

June Cotton Booty Review

This is the second month of receiving Cotton Booty and this month it came in a mailer instead of a box. I have been looking forward to this (all you cloth diaper mamas will understand!) and was not disappointed.

It was all wrapped up nicely in brown tissue paper and came with a nice information sheet about the products.

Milky ($2?) is an all natural herbal tea supplement that promotes location. It can help boost your milk supply. This will be perfect for those growth spurts that Amy will be having.

Bumkins Dr. Seuss Wet Bag ($10.95) Such a cute bag! These are for cloth diapering on the go - just throw your wet and dirty cloth diapers in here until you get home. 

Bumkins One Size Stuff It Cloth diaper ($15.95) and extra Minky Insert ($3) I love, love, love the design on this diaper (bird cages!) and love Bumkin diapers so am very happy with this!

This subscription box costs $24.95 a month (or less with a 6 or 12 month subscription) and the total of this box value is $31.90 this month. It's a great way to get into cloth diapering or add to your stash. Cloth diapers have an excellent resale value as well so once we are done we can make a little money back!

ecocentric Mom June Box Review

Last month I canceled several subscription boxes and tried a few new ones this month. With all the subscription boxes out there it is hard not to want to try them all but I hope to find a good fit for each person in our family and keep those. With several referral links I don't have to usually pay full price for boxes (thanks to those of you who go through my links when you decide to purchase a box).

I've been hoping to find a good "baby box" for Amy. I ran across ecocentric mom and thought it sounded fun. I'm glad I gave it a try!

It was packed full, wrapped nicely, and contained items that are quite useful with a baby in the house, plus a treat or two for mom!

Sweet Potato Chips ($1) I have had these before and love them!

Happy Family Organic Happy Creamies ($4 per bag, two bags included). Amy is too young for food but in several months she will be able to have these snacks and since they don't expire until 2015 I can put them into the cupboard until she is ready.

EcoTrek Fitness Whole Food Bar $2.29 I love bars like this to throw in the diaper bag for an energy boost or eat for an afternoon snack. As a nursing mom I start to get shaky when I haven't eaten in awhile so this will be perfect to grab and go.

Dapple Pacifier Wipes ($2.99) Amy doesn't use a pacifier but these will be perfect to wipe off toys, sippy cups, dirty hands and cheeks, etc.

Bummas Eco-Friendly Baby Cloths ($1.50) A soft wash cloth

Wee Gallery Art Cards ($12.95) So cute! These can be shown to baby, used as flash cards for when she is older, or an idea I have seen is to frame them in dark frames and make a gallery on her bedroom wall. I got the "Garden Collection" and think these are whimsical and fun.

Novena Maternal Organic Cucumber and Cranberry Eye Gel ($22) This sounds lovely and with how tired I have been lately I can use some help with my dark circles!

Emily Skin Soothers' Diaper Plus ($3) I forgot to include this in the photo but it's a sample tub of diaper cream. We can always use more diaper cream...especially in this hot weather when she tends to get sweaty.

$5 Gift Card to Jude Bug Boutique

I love how ecocentric mom includes brochures about their products, a very detailed information card, and also an information card about something corresponding to that month and how to be more green (this month it talked about how to avoid bugs outside naturally).  

This month was worth about $55 and each box is $21 (or less with a longer subscription). I will use everything in this box and am putting this up there on my "favorite subscription box list". This one is a keeper!

Birthday Boy

Jacob celebrated his 8th birthday in a cabin in the woods. It was his idea and he enjoyed his first time camping! Star Wars cake, light saber fights, and camping food made for a fun filled evening. Happy 8th birthday, sweetheart!

This Week

*Has been wet, hot, and humid. Which in turn means we have all been hyper, crabby, and tired. Yucky. Hoping for some sunshine in the coming days.

*My favorite seven year old will be turning eight tomorrow. Every year, every month, every week, every day that we get to spend with Jacob is a huge blessing. Here's praying for many more (days, weeks, months and hopefully years).

*Amy turns 12 weeks old tomorrow. She is such a sweetheart and the easiest (knock on wood) baby ever. We've been blessed with these four little souls and even within the midst of chaos I thank God for them every single day.

*I've started a weight loss journey on Lose It. It will at least keep me accountable for what I eat and when I exercise. I upped the calorie intake I'm allowed since I am breastfeeding and I'm not so much dieting as I am just trying to eat better portion sizes. I considered joining Weight Watchers here in town but the meetings/weigh in aren't at the ideal time so maybe doing something like this at home will be just as effective?

*I'm loving your comments about the library/reading on the previous post. I knew there were some book lovers out there!

*Speaking of books, I have an advanced review copy of my mom's book (Coupon Crazy) in my hands and am about 1/4 the way through it. Can't wait to review and share it with you all...it's an awesome book (even if I am a bit biased!).  

Hidden Surprises

I was catching up on my blog reading and ran across Whispering Writer's post about library books. She mentioned that she can't stand dog eared pages but that the worst is finding a stain of unknown origin on a library book page. I've found those too - and you hope it's chocolate and not something worse.

Anyway, I had to read the comments and saw several people mention "That's why I bought a Kindle - now I don't have to go to the library!" or "And that is why I don't go to the library!" 

WHAT?!

We love the library. I can't imagine not going to the library! The kids are all gung-ho about the summer reading program and we check out piles of books each week. I grew up with a love for the library.

So you can imagine my surprise when I learned early into our marriage that my husband did not go to the library growing up. That he never had read a book willingly in his life. I was all "You're kidding, right?!" I just couldn't fathom a life without the library or a life without books.

I admit that those random things you find in books can be disgusting - squished bugs, dried boogers, strings of hair. It does make you want to shudder. But the dollar bills, random family photo, odd grocery list stuck in other books all make up for the grossness of "who was here before me and what did they leave behind" factor.

Do you or do you not frequent your own local library? Did you growing up as a child?

June Citrus Lane Box Review

Citrus Lane is the subscription box that Joe receives each month. It is for newborns up to age 5. It is $25 a month (if you are a new subscriber use code TAKEHALF for a 50% discount on your first box). Joe gets the 5 year old box.

I had heard bad reviews on this months box even before we received ours. We have been happy with our past boxes but once I saw spoilers I knew that we would be disappointed.

Joe immediately grabbed the water bottle and then shut the box. He wasn't interested in anything else inside. What a bummer when the box is supposed to be for him!

Included was a stainless steel bottle from Eco-kids ($11.99). He loves this and has been carrying it and drinking from it ever since!

Mole Hand Sand Set from Haba. These are for the sandbox and are $6.17 on their site but truly feel like dollar store items and he played with them for less than a minute and hasn't touched them since.

Top to Toe Body Wash from Bathtime Kids ($12.50). I love that this is hypoallergenic and organic and Joe and Amy will be using this but it isn't *exciting* for a child.

Sunny Sunscreen from Episencial. I'm not even going to count this since the bottle is only half full and was sent out as a sample.

This month just seemed so empty and not geared towards children or fun. Others received sun hats, incomplete sand toys, etc. Odd how some boxes used to be such a good value and this one isn't. There is an uproar on their Facebook page but so far they haven't resolved any issue with the customers.