It’s Been Fun – Bloguary Day 15

Man these 4am wake up calls are good for the blog!
Next year it looks like all I need to do is set my alarm for 4am then I’ll totally nail Bloguary!

I didn’t do great with my Bloguary goal this year but I did okay and due to the little change in plans for our family I think it’s okay that I slacked towards the end.

Seeing how it’s the last day of the month I thought we could end Bloguary with a little round up of some of my faves from the month; favorite photos, favorite post, things of that nature!

I’ll include a full Bloguary link listing at the bottom of this post just in case you missed a few post and want to check them out.

This is hands down my favorite photo that was shared during Bloguary! I can’t help but look at it and big fat cheesy smile. It’s from the post “Documenting Family”

 

I enjoyed putting together our Christmas Post! It’s full precious photos from Christmas morning and time with family. My favorites are the photos of my dad playing with Weston but this Santa photo heheheh totally needs a mention too! I can’t believe next year we’ll have 2 little boys sitting on Santa’s lap! 

 

Carson’s Nursery Plans post was not too exciting but I really enjoyed typing all the plans out and I’ve LOVED having this style board to reference while I’ve been shopping and gathering things for his nursery. I’ve pulled it up on my phone several times and held fabric or rugs up to it. It’s really helped make a few decisions I’ve been stuck on.

It’s time for a mini nursery design update because we now have the crib, his crib bumper, crib sheets, the glider (same as below) has been ordered. I went to order the AWESOME tree stump end table and it’s SOLD OUT. Sold out big time as in I spent hours trying to find another distributor and everyone that carries it is sold out. Made me so mad! I think it totally pulls the look of the room together and I’ve yet to find another one I like as much as this one. Besides the print you see below I’ve purchased a couple of additional prints for his wall, thrifted a few frames, and an awesome wooden mini log cabin kit that I have plans for! We’ve painted his chalkboard wall eeek!  Still looking for just the right rug. The rug hunt is going to take some time.

All very exciting! Oh how I love to decorate nurseries. I love to decorate in general but there’s something about pulling a nursery together that really puts a smile in my heart.

For now everything is all kind of messily piled in his room but once things start to come together I’ll do an update post and share a few photos of the progress!

My favorite post from Bloguary has to be the Day in the Life post. I really need to do these more often. There’s just something so special about capturing life. Nothing fancy just us hanging at home doing what we typically do. I tried to not get hung up on exposure, lighting, and messes around the house. I wanted to just shoot what was real in the moment.

Oh and boy did I capture Weston and his “Mama hold me phase” It was a massive melt down day and honestly that’s typical for us in this season with our 16.5 month old. He would be happy if he could be attached to my hip most hours of the day. I know I’ll enjoy having this one to look back on.

I have a few photographer friends that have challenged themselves to do a Day in the Life series once a month. I may join in. That sounds totally doable.

My favorite vlogs that were shared were………..

 

Mainly because I got a lot of interaction on this one and it was fun to chat with you about your thoughts and hear some of your stories. I always love interaction with you!  I was worried to share this one. I totally thought I was going to get ripped a new one but y’all were kind to me!

 

One the many thrift store hauls. I have 2 more I have yet to share buuuuut this one was a good one! I found a new thrift store and totally hit the jackpot!

 

And the post that took the most time to create was………

My cloth diaper post! Between shooting and editing the photos, filming and editing the Q&A part as well as creating the post itself. This one was a doozy but I’m glad I finally got it all together! If you missed this one and are curious about Cloth Diapering be sure to check it out!

 

You have 2 more days to enter the wet bag giveway! I pick an winner on Monday. Only a small handful have entered so far so your odds are looking good. All info on how to enter is listed on the corresponding cloth Diaper post!

 

Thank you so much to those who have followed along during Bloguary this year! Whether you interacted, commented, or just blog stalked I’m glad that you stopped by! I hope to do it again next year but we shall see how things paly out!

Bloguary Links:
Day 1- Documenting Family
Day 2- Planner Organization
Day 3- The Christmas Post 
Day 4- Consignment Haul
Day 5- I’m Tired Love THE Rambler 
Day 6- Carson’s Nursery Plans 
Day 7- 3rd Annual Valentine’s Box Swap
Day 8- Valentine’s Box Swap and Organizing Vlogs
Day 9- Day in the Life
Day 10- I Was Attacked By A Mary Kay Lady 
Day 11- Thrifting Haul
Day 12- Family Update & Where I’ve Been
Day 13- Cloth Diaper Storage and Q&A
Day 14- 4am Ramble

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4am Ramble – Bloguary Day 14

Hello 4am!
A kicking baby and a snoring hubby brought me here. I fought it for a good 30mins then decided to give in. It started off a little something like this………

“I’ll get up and clean, fold some laundry, maybe wash some dishes.”
“Well if I do all that my coffee will get cold.”
“I really need to buy some maternity clothes. Some online shopping?” NO you just spent a small fortune at the chiropractor and getting your hair done. You’ll need to squeeze into what you have for a while longer.” Sorry leggings inner Kendra is a cheapo!
How about a blog post? YEP! That sounds like just the right coffee drinking procrastinating task I’m looking for.

And here we are!

I have nothing prepared to chat about so you know the drill……..

Kendra is my name and random is my game. Here’s something that’s been on my mind lately. Enter at your own risk.

My in-laws leave today. Did you watch our Family update vlog? I explain everything there. 
We had dinner with them last night and it took everything in me not to throw myself at my mother-in-law and sob. They’re not ones to outwardly show emotion. I’m pretty sure it would have freaked them out so I played it cool and kept it together.

I kept thinking about how much Weston is going to grow and change over the next 2 months while they’re gone. How big my belly is going to get. How when they come back we’ll have 1 month ONE MONTH until we meet Carson. Whoops and here come the tears. It just seems like we’re entering such a panicle point in our family life……Kent, Weston, and I.

I told Kent yesterday that I really want to focus on enjoying these next few months. He replied with a chuckle. To which I asked why that was funny.

He said “Yeah well I don’t think these next few months are going to be fun. More like stressful.” Yes I can see that but they can also be fun/precious, if that’s what we focus on.

Yes Weston is a wild man. He’s fussy and clingy, often. He wants mama and only mama most of the time. He’s SUPER active and loves to destroy everything he touches. He’s a handful but he’s also precious.

I know there will be a time when I’ll look back on these days and miss my mama’s boy. I’ll miss hearing him call out for me. Seeing him light up the second he sees me. Knowing just how much he loves me by looking at his sweet chubby face. He’s my Velcro and while it’s not always easy this time is so very very precious. 

Soon things are going to change.

I’ll be nursing a newborn. Attention and focus will be shifted. Life will change for all of us. Weston will soon be a big brother! Don’t get me started I’ll sobbing aging. He’ll have to share his mama. I’ll have to share my Weston and while I’m so excited for this new chapter we’re quickly approaching I’m also a little anxious about the shift.

So I really want to enjoy these next few months. Yes we have tons of projects in the house we need to complete. Yes I’m behind on laundry and many things actually but if the opportunity arises for us to do something fun as a family. A family if 3. We should do it! Forgot about the “To Do List”. Okay not totally because that would just freak me out but make sure we’re taking advantage of those little moments we have………just the 3 of us.

Enjoy Weston as an only child. Take time to pause and mediate on Carson’s sweet kicks (I know just how much I’ll miss those after he’s born). Enjoy the journey of preparing the nursery and getting the house in order. It’s special, all of it. Even the things we think are going to be hard.

I’m so grateful for this time with him. These last few months of “just us”. Not having to worry about work or deadlines. Being able to worry about not getting house work done. Worrying about a son who flips the second I leave the room. Yes he totally does. I’ll have to tell y’all how the gym nursery has been going. Different post on another day. It’s a gift to be able to focus/worry about those things fully without throwing in the stresses of a job. I see the gift in it all and I’m so very grateful.

So to the hubs I said……….

“Yes it may be a little hard at times and yes I’m going to be tired. My back may be acting up and you’ll have to help out around the house a little more than you would like to but let’s enjoy it. It’s a precious time that we’ll look back on and miss one day.”

He smiled at me and said. “Yeah okay.”

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Cloth Diaper Storage and Q&A – Bloguary Day 13

THE CLOTH DIAPER POST

You asked for it and it only took me a year to deliver! Today’s post is all about……….

Our cloth diaper storage
Things we use along with our cloth diapers
A round of Q&A where I answer your questions about cloth diapering
And a GIVEAWAY!

Let’s jump right in shall we?

Weston’s dresser doubles as his changing table and works out great for us!

The old wire baskets were a flea market score. I knew they would be perfect for his diapers!

The top basket holds our all in one Happy Flute diapers which I like to use in the mornings and when we’re hanging at home. The bottom bin holds some of our pocket Sun Baby diapers. I’ve tried many a brand of cloth diaper. Even took a little break from cloth diapering so that we could test a few out before I made my mind up. Most that I tried were more expensive than Sun Baby cloth but for us these were the winners! It’s different for everyone though so you really need to test a few out before you deiced what you want build your stash with.

The wooden box on top of the dress is used to store coconut oil, diaper liners, cloth diaper safe diaper rash cream and a few other odds and ends.

I mean really y’all how cute, right? Yes I cloth diaper for cost and environmental reasons buuuuuut I’m not going to lie the cute factor is a major perk as well.

Now that Weston’s older he likes to pick out which diaper he wears. He enjoys the fun prints just as much as I do! The thing that’s not so great is when he runs up to a little buddy points to his diaper area and says “Giraffe!” then starts to pull his waist band down to show off his giraffe print diaper. Ha!

A few things we use with our cloth diapers……
*Diaper Liners: I’ll talk more about the liners in my video below. We use them with each diaper change.
*Coconut Oil: We all know about the many, many, maaaaaany uses of coconut oil. It’s also safe for cloth diapers. I’ll use it to moisturize his bum from time to time. It’s also great for diaper rashes and to butter between those sweet baby rolls when they’re little.
*CJs BUTTer: Cloth diaper safe diaper rash cream. Thankfully he’s never had a full blown diaper rash but if I ever see his little tush start to look the slightest pink I use this.

Random Tip: Not related to diapers but Weston’s face gets super dry in the winter. Every night we rub some CJs BUTTer around his nose and on his cheeks. It’s very thick so it stays on his skin throughout the night and has done wonders for his chapped cheeks. Yep it’s all natural and safe to use on other areas besides the bum!

I hung an over the door shoe organizer to store the diapers that don’t fit in the wire baskets. Once the baskets start to get low I pull a few from the closet organizer and fill the baskets back up, easy peasy!

I have a designated drawer in his dresser that holds inserts for our pocket diapers. Usually I’m able to wash, stuff (if need be), then put away diapers in either the baskets or his closet organizer but I have some extra inserts I can add to his diaper if I want them to have a little more absorbency than normal. We’re also in the middle of switching from microfiber blend inserts over to a cotton blend insert so I have quite a few microfiber inserts that I keep stored in the designated drawer. I’ll be saving the microfiber inserts for Carson’s diapers (baby #2). They’re great for babies that aren’t wetting as much as a toddler but we need something with a little more absorbency these days. The inserts we use are also from Sun Baby! 

Next to the dresser is our Ubbi diaper pail. LOVE that thing! We usually have a 2nd smaller diaper pail next to the Ubbi for disposable diapers. It started to hold smell so I’m currently disinfecting and airing it out. One of the many reasons why I love the Ubbi pail. It’s made of coated steel which keeps it from absorbing and holding onto stink. They are not cheap but I’m glad we bought it and I’ll be buying a 2nd one for Carson’s room. 

When I’m ready to do diaper laundry I open the pail and grab the Ubbi cloth bag which is like a large wet bag and take it down to the washer and dump everything including the bag inside.

The top drawer right under the changing pad holds our disposable night time diapers and wipes. Yep we use disposables as well! I’ll talk more about it in the video below.

Time for the Q&A part! Be sure to make it to the end so you can see me make a fool out of myself. That’s always fun (I’ve included a few bloopers)

Links I mentioned in the clip:
Saving $ With Cloth
How Much Do You Save

Thanks to everyone who left a cloth diaper question on Instagram! I always get SUPER nervous to ask for questions so I appreciate you taking the tome to play along!

Want to win this cute wet bag? They’re not just for diapers. TONS of uses for wet bags. I even have one in my gym bag for sweaty gym clothes! We take one to the pool for wet swimsuits. The list goes on.

Details on how to win below! 

HOW TO WIN:
1 Entry: Leave a comment on this post letting me know what you would use your wet bag for. Do keep in mind that I have my comments set up to need approval before they post.
Please make sure that you have an email linked to your account so I can reach out to you if you win!
2 Entries: Like our Instagram page (Kendra.Pryor) and leave a comment under the corresponding Cloth Diaper post photo letting me know that you’re a new or current IG friend and that you would like to win the giveaway.
3 Entries: Tag 3 friends under the corresponding IG Cloth Diaper post that you think would enjoy our IG feed or would be interested in this giveway.

>>>>The giveaway opens 1/26 and closes 2/2

>>>>A winner will be picked at random and announced on 2/3!
If I’m unable to get in touch with you by 2/4 I will be selecting a different winner.

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