I'm very excited to get out my crochet hooks and start crocheting again. I haven't crocheted in at least 2 years. At that time I finished an afghan for Fuss (which I still have to weave all my ends in on), but didn't have the ability after that to keep going.
Tonight, while out with my mom, I found some Alpaca blend wool yarn ON CLEARANCE!!! The original price is $8.99 for 3.5 ounces (approximately 115 yds). It was marked down to $4.99. I decided, why not? I'll go ahead and get it. It's an investment after all. What I hadn't taken into account was that the giant CLEARANCE EXTRA 50% OFF sign actually meant that! *Hello, my name is Tara and I am a ditz.* Imagine my surprise, and delight, when I get to the register and each skein is only $1.80! Apparently, they had been marked all the way down to $2.69 even before the extra 50% came off! I'm seriously considering going back to scoop up all that's left. Not necessarily for myself. I can always use it to trade with someone for a new diaper, dress, or necklace.
This yarn is very chunky, so I hope I can make a nice pair of winter longies for Fuss. The other yarns were a lot lighter and thinner, but I think those might make great dresses. I need to stop thinking of ideas and reasons why I *should* buy the rest of that yarn...before I crochet myself into a corner. LOL.
Any particular sites you like to visit for patterns? Words of warning? Words of encouragement?
Monday, January 30, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Alexa Rating is Dropping!
I know to most people this isn't a big thing. Most people don't even know what an Alexa rating is. I didn't until I started this blog! It took a lot of research on my part and getting in to a few blogging groups and awesome blog hops, but I am on my way! What this means is that I'm becoming a more PR-friendly blog and will (hopefully) be able to bring more traffic in and get more giveaways going!
Here is a rundown of where I started:
1/3/2012 - 11,457,771 This is where I started. Basically, I wasn't even on the radar for search engines.
1/8/2012 - 11,468,807 Just 5 days later with the help of the "Lower your Alexa" Blog hop, I was working my way down.
1/15/2012- 11,482,703 A week later. I creeped back up the numbers, which is not good. The lower the rating, the better!
1/22/2012- 6,712,731 WHAT!? I was shocked to see that I had gone down by almost half!
1/28/2012- 5,008,677 <----That's what I'm talkin' 'bout!
Now, granted, I know I'll never be up in the 100 Alexa range but I'm glad to see my rating dropping and I hope it continues to go down and I gain a few more followers and friends along the way.
Do you have any tips you'd like to share on how to lower your Alexa rating? Ways to get more traffic? I'm game! Hit me up!
Here is a rundown of where I started:
1/3/2012 - 11,457,771 This is where I started. Basically, I wasn't even on the radar for search engines.
1/8/2012 - 11,468,807 Just 5 days later with the help of the "Lower your Alexa" Blog hop, I was working my way down.
1/15/2012- 11,482,703 A week later. I creeped back up the numbers, which is not good. The lower the rating, the better!
1/22/2012- 6,712,731 WHAT!? I was shocked to see that I had gone down by almost half!
1/28/2012- 5,008,677 <----That's what I'm talkin' 'bout!
Now, granted, I know I'll never be up in the 100 Alexa range but I'm glad to see my rating dropping and I hope it continues to go down and I gain a few more followers and friends along the way.
Do you have any tips you'd like to share on how to lower your Alexa rating? Ways to get more traffic? I'm game! Hit me up!
Sick Fuss
The last week has been crazy. Last Saturday I took Fuss to the doctor because she had a very red throat and a very scratchy voice. They said to check back on Tuesday if she wasn't better. So we went back. This time we were told to call on Friday. Friday, he called in a decongestant. Now, we have a lovely snotty child in our home and it looks like we'll be headed to the doc again on Monday. *sigh* So, sorry for the lack of posts. My Fuss is clinging and hates to see the laptop where she should be! LOL.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
FuzziBunz Elite Pocket Diaper Review
Thanks to Jill's Baby Rabies Twitter party about a month (or two? I'm really horrible at keeping track of time) ago, I was able to win a FuzziBunz Elite Pocket Diaper. I have wanted to try FB's for a long time but I was afraid to make the purchase in case they didn't work well for Fuss. The buy 6 get 2 free promotion FuzziBunz did *almost* convinced me to jump in. However, I am glad I didn't because shortly after that promo, FuzziBunz announced the changes to their diaper line. Since I won one of the new diapers from Jill, I went on the hunt for an original on the diaper swap pages. After finding one, I started my observations and comparisons. The following list is what I have come up with so far.
There are only a few key differences in the Original OS pocket diaper and the OS Elite diaper:
1) The fit. The Elite seems to be a little smaller overall even though the rise is a little higher than the Original, this makes it super trim. The downside? It may not fit a chunkier baby. Fuss has chubby thighs, but the Elite and the Original both fit her really well. **I will mention that since I bought the old-style FB second-hand, the sizing discrepancy may be due to wear. I am working on correcting that with new elastics soon and will update when I can.**
2) The inserts. The Original has a regular microfiber insert that is quite absorbent, but like most MF isn't very soft. The insert in the Elite is "minky". Minky is designed to be more absorbent with less bulk. It is SOOOOO soft! I really LOVE the feel of the smooth minky fabric of the new inserts compared to the old. Size-wise, they are the same.
3) Snaps. There is an extra snap (4 instead of 3) in the hip-snap area on the Original. This snap is intended to make the leg holes nice and tight for smaller babies. I'd say it would work really well for even a baby as small as 5-6 pounds. However, the Elite doesn't have that extra snap. In my opinion, the reason for this is the leg holes themselves. They already seem to be more snug and have a smaller diameter than the original style which may have negated the need for the 4th snap. That's just my opinion, though. I could be completely wrong!
4) Buttons. The button locations on the Original to adjust the elastics have been said to cause irritation because they sometimes come out of their "pocket" as does the elastic. The Elite, on the other hand, has no exposed buttons or elastic. They have been moved to inside the pocket of the diaper instead.
I really like the elastic adjustments as well. They make the diaper less bulky when cinched to the smallest setting whereas, with snap-based adjustments, there is sometimes added bulk in the front of the diaper. The buttons are also less likely to dislodge while buried in the bottom of your diaper bag or while having a nosy toddler playing with the diaper in Wal-Mart. I also love that the FB comes with an extra set of elastics for replacing worn-out elastic after a few years! To the best of my knowledge, no other diaper company does this.
All-in-all, the Fuzzibunz Elite has become a favorite of mine, especially for tossing in the diaper bag to have for being out and about. It is one of the easiest diapers to travel with thus far. Though, I still love my Original, the Elite is much softer and really does seem to absorb more than its counterpart.
I apologize for the lack of photos on this post. I have about 14 comparison shots but have been having difficulty uploading from my computer. I have been trying for 2 weeks! Hopefully, once I get the new elastics and get ready for my re-review, I will be capable of uploading more than 1 picture at a time and taking half an hour to do just that.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Toddler Bed Turmoil
We did great until Wednesday night. Fuss would go to bed, cuddle a little with Mommy, and go to sleep with me right there (in the bed) with her. Wednesday, she woke up at 4 a.m. and WOULD NOT go back to sleep!! I finally climbed in bed (hers) with her and she fell asleep a little after 5. She was awake again at 6 and Daddy brought her to bed with us.
Thursday, she wouldn't go to bed until after midnight. She then proceeded to wake up every 3-4 hours crying. Luckily, I was able to give her the pacifier and she would stop.
Friday, she went to bed on time but was very restless.
Saturday, we had friends visiting so she missed her "normal" bedtime. (Let me add here that she had also nose-dived from my couch to the coffee table around 1 p.m. and had to be taken to urgent care. We were told to check her for signs of concussion every 2 hours. I am NOT waking up a sleeping kid to shine a flashlight in their eyes, for crying out loud!) Fuss finally went to bed around 10 p.m. An hour past her usual bedtime, but not bad. However, I didn't have to worry at all about waking her every 2 hours to check on her...she woke up every 45 minutes until almost 2 a.m.! I passed out at that point from sheer exhaustion after being up cleaning with a Fuss running around since 8 a.m., 2 doctor's visits, and then checking on her for hours straight. Daddy stayed up late to get ready for work, though, so he kept an eye/ear out for her for a few more hours.
That all brings us to tonight. Sunday. Daddy went back to work. Fuss decided she wasn't going to go to sleep tonight. She cried for me to cuddle in her bed. She cried to "go potty." She cried for water and for food. She threw the binky JUST so she could go get it. 9:30 this started. I decided she was going to lay down and I held my hand on her gently but firmly so she couldn't wander anymore. She cried for "Mommy" even though I was sitting beside her. At 9:45, I walked out. I couldn't handle the crying any longer. I shut the door and I left. Fuss chased me and started banging on the door, screaming at the top of her lungs. She lost her voice due to the screaming and the sore throat she's had for the last 4 days. I listened to some music on headphones to calm myself before attempting anything else. She cried for 15 minutes straight, alternately banging on the door and trying to scream. I feel like complete sh*t.
Finally, I give up. I go in and get her. She tries talking to me asking for "Binky" but her voice is so frail and raspy she can barely get it out. Yup. Mom of the year material. I end up rocking her. I got her calm and sat down with her in my lap on her bed. Next, I put her butt on the bed but keep her head close to my chest. Then I put her down on her pillow with my arm still under her head. I slide off the bed to sit on my knees on the floor. I think to myself, "Great. I hope I don't get stuck like this all night." As I slide my arm out, my sleeve gets stuck under her head and pulls her slightly as I move. Her eyes pop open and she grabs me. So, I put my hand on her hip and start patting her butt. She calms down slowly. I can finally move my hand away from her face. Pat, pat, pat, pat. I pull the blanket up over her and finally stop patting but leave my hand in place for a few more minutes. When I am sure she's out, I slowly start to move away from the bed. I have to crawl because my legs are too numb to walk. Across the room to the door I go. Turn the knob. Step out quickly (on my still-wobbly legs) and close the door quietly. SUCCESS!! It took 20 minutes but I got her to sleep!
I'm not really sure if I'm going to survive this whole sleep transition thing if it keeps up like this. I thought the Dora sheets would help her see it's awesome having a "big girl" bed and she'd want to stay there. I was wrong, apparently. She loves being in it in the day time, but won't nap there, and the second we mention bed time, she freaks out. And I wonder why I'm getting gray hair at 29.
Thursday, she wouldn't go to bed until after midnight. She then proceeded to wake up every 3-4 hours crying. Luckily, I was able to give her the pacifier and she would stop.
Friday, she went to bed on time but was very restless.
Saturday, we had friends visiting so she missed her "normal" bedtime. (Let me add here that she had also nose-dived from my couch to the coffee table around 1 p.m. and had to be taken to urgent care. We were told to check her for signs of concussion every 2 hours. I am NOT waking up a sleeping kid to shine a flashlight in their eyes, for crying out loud!) Fuss finally went to bed around 10 p.m. An hour past her usual bedtime, but not bad. However, I didn't have to worry at all about waking her every 2 hours to check on her...she woke up every 45 minutes until almost 2 a.m.! I passed out at that point from sheer exhaustion after being up cleaning with a Fuss running around since 8 a.m., 2 doctor's visits, and then checking on her for hours straight. Daddy stayed up late to get ready for work, though, so he kept an eye/ear out for her for a few more hours.
That all brings us to tonight. Sunday. Daddy went back to work. Fuss decided she wasn't going to go to sleep tonight. She cried for me to cuddle in her bed. She cried to "go potty." She cried for water and for food. She threw the binky JUST so she could go get it. 9:30 this started. I decided she was going to lay down and I held my hand on her gently but firmly so she couldn't wander anymore. She cried for "Mommy" even though I was sitting beside her. At 9:45, I walked out. I couldn't handle the crying any longer. I shut the door and I left. Fuss chased me and started banging on the door, screaming at the top of her lungs. She lost her voice due to the screaming and the sore throat she's had for the last 4 days. I listened to some music on headphones to calm myself before attempting anything else. She cried for 15 minutes straight, alternately banging on the door and trying to scream. I feel like complete sh*t.
Finally, I give up. I go in and get her. She tries talking to me asking for "Binky" but her voice is so frail and raspy she can barely get it out. Yup. Mom of the year material. I end up rocking her. I got her calm and sat down with her in my lap on her bed. Next, I put her butt on the bed but keep her head close to my chest. Then I put her down on her pillow with my arm still under her head. I slide off the bed to sit on my knees on the floor. I think to myself, "Great. I hope I don't get stuck like this all night." As I slide my arm out, my sleeve gets stuck under her head and pulls her slightly as I move. Her eyes pop open and she grabs me. So, I put my hand on her hip and start patting her butt. She calms down slowly. I can finally move my hand away from her face. Pat, pat, pat, pat. I pull the blanket up over her and finally stop patting but leave my hand in place for a few more minutes. When I am sure she's out, I slowly start to move away from the bed. I have to crawl because my legs are too numb to walk. Across the room to the door I go. Turn the knob. Step out quickly (on my still-wobbly legs) and close the door quietly. SUCCESS!! It took 20 minutes but I got her to sleep!
I'm not really sure if I'm going to survive this whole sleep transition thing if it keeps up like this. I thought the Dora sheets would help her see it's awesome having a "big girl" bed and she'd want to stay there. I was wrong, apparently. She loves being in it in the day time, but won't nap there, and the second we mention bed time, she freaks out. And I wonder why I'm getting gray hair at 29.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
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