Saturday, March 12, 2011
Spring Fling Blog Hop Event, 8 blogs with some wonderful prizes!
I had to share, I entered the Spring Fling Blog Hop Event. I am really dying for a Ergobaby carrier and there is one offered in her package! There are 8 other blogs on the hop and the prizes total for all blogs together is $2300. Hurry, the giveaways end on 3/19 and good luck!
http://www.childrenteachingmama.com/2011/03/spring-fling-giveaway-hop-event.html
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
A short little intro to all the loves of my life
   The term "unconditional love"...Wow! I never understood the concept until I had children. I know there is nothing they could ever do that would make me love them less. Children have taught me about a God-like love. I am eternally grateful for the gift of being a mother.

80's day for homecoming week. He was sporting the jammers and shades!
   My first child was born when I really was just a child myself, I thought I had it all figured out...funny how the older we get the more we realize we don't know. I was married my senior year of high school to a wonderful man that I lost a 2 1/2 yrs later, He lived for us, he worked so hard to provide for us. He passed away the day before our son's 2nd birthday. Our son is truly the greatest gift that I could ever ask for. He reminds me of my late husband, such a great young man...he is honest, caring, loving and has a good head on his shoulders. I can't believe that my child is coming to a cross road in his life very soon. He will be 18 in June, he will be  a senior in high school having to make so many decisions that will help him on his road to the rest of his life. I hope that I have prepared him, I think I have. For now he is so happy to just being a kid, he lives for football and plays on his high school team. He is so dedicated that the day he had a medical procedure he made me bring him to practice (he slept through it, lol). Oh the day our youngest was born he held the baby *swoon* and then said "I can still make it to practice"! He loves all the littles so much and plays daily with him, I call him my baby hog. Most pics of him he is holding a baby! He will make a wonderful hubby and daddy one day in the distant future!

Little mama, always holding the baby!
   My second child conceived at a not so great time in my life, I was still crazy over the loss of my husband and not living right. I am not proud to say but I found out about her a year after my husband died. She made me stop and think about my life choices and really was a blessing in so many ways. I found my way again. She is now 14 and has come into the challenging years (something I never experienced with my oldest). She is obsessed with animals! She loves them! She loves playing soccer and cheering on her cheer squad (I wish she were not behind in school and that her grades would permit her to join school squad next yr) My daughter has high functioning autism which has made most milestones and everyday experience challenging. I mourn the loss of simple life for her. At times just getting dressed is a struggle, the simple things in life may cause her so much anxiety and pain. It is so heartbreaking to see this struggle for her. I am not sad for me, or angry....I am just so sad for her that life is not just easier. I try to see things through her eyes and it is so hard to do at times. I can't understand how she must feel when she puts on a shirt that hurts her...It hurts her? If the seam lays in the wrong place, if the material is not the right texture, if it fits a little snug in the wrong spot...it is so overwhelming for her. She has difficulties with simple things but the most frustrating is that since she seems typical at first glance then people assume she is just a brat or schools assume she is lazy. OH she is a story on her own. I love her so much and pray that one day things will just be....that she will just be....I don't know that simple things are just enjoyable, that is my greatest wish for her.

She is enjoying crabs with Daddy after a long day of crabbin
   My third child is 11, she is mine through Ryan. We meet when she was only 10 mths, that was almost 11 yrs ago. She is not mine by birth but she is mine non-the-less, I just got her in a different way than the others. We get her every other weekend and she comes for a few weeks in the summer. She is a such a tom-boy, there is nothing girly about this one. She thinks make up and dresses are silly. Give the girl a basketball, softball bat or skate board. I love that she knows who she is and does not care who doesn't like it. She is talented at sports, and finally enjoys playing on teams. She is loud and is full force in all she does. I love her country twang...although we all have that southern twang hers is so different and it is a source of entertainment at times (mine definitely not hers, lol) The girl loves horses, really any animal. When I say love I mean LOVE!!!  Every present for about 8 yrs of her life HAD to be a horse. She would take the saddles of because she did not think they need that. I was so excited to find a book with all kinds of horses and info on each breed and the best thing was that none of the horses had saddles, how perfect! What can I say about her....she is just herself! I think it is so funny that when she was here this last weekend she told me that she hopes we are done having kids and that she thinks we are nuts for having so many, lol I get that response alot. I don't think we have that many kids. She does not like babies much, she likes them around 1 1/2 or 2. Her best little buddy is our 5 yr old.

Love the ball field days!
   Now on to my fourth! Oh my, he was my breaking point. I felt so overwhelmed with him. This boy hit the ground running. Just a week or so after turning 3 he decided to ride a two wheel bike and did, he just did. At the end of the day he was trying to pop wheelies, which he did achieve in a couple of days. At the end of a couple of weeks he was jumping big brother's ramps! He will be the death of me! He was in competition gymnastics but it dictated our lives so no more. He love baseball, football and basketball. He is my child that things come so easy to but he is the first to throw in the towel at the first sign of difficulty. I worry about him, I pray for work ethic for this one. He is a sweet boy, super loving but quick to anger. I pray for patience for this one too. He is not very understanding of his oldest sister and her struggles. I pray for empathy for this one. He is a wonderful kid and I love him completely but will require more molding to become the man he needs to be.

cheesy grin!
   My fifth, so my sweet little boy. He is always smiling, cute little dimples shinning! His first day of school he cried (and I cried), he had never been to school before kindergarten with the exception of a short stint at a mothers day out while I went to school. His teacher said he was sobbing and when she went to him and said hi that he just smiled so big, she said she loves that smiling boy.  I love that heart felt joy that he has for life and love for others. He loves going outside and playing, and on the flip side he loves to cuddle on the couch with mommy or daddy (when daddy stops long enough). This little guy is 5, did you know that a 5 yr old can regress with a new baby? I did not, I thought he was too old! We are working on having fun being a big boy, I point out to him all the things he can do that the baby can't. He just wants to be my lovey, he is such a sweet boy. He loves to play baseball and soccer as well as doing gymnastics. He is not the one things come easy to but he is athletic and works at things that don't just come to him. He has such work ethic at such a young age. I know he strive when he puts his mind to it. I can't wait to see the man he grows into! I am enjoying the boy he is, but it passes so fast.

He was dancing while sis was singing!
HEMy sixth child, you have seen him...and his bum! hehehe! I did not think that I would have children after I turned 30 but here he is! I found out about him a few weeks after I graduated from nursing school. I was so sad, I thought I would have to leave a six week old and go to work. I am so glad that things worked out so that I could stay home with him thus far. I will have to leave him soon and it breaks my heart. This past year has flown by and crawled along all at the same time. At 8 wks he stopped breathing! I mean stopped! I picked him up around midnight when I was about to head to bed, he woke up and nursed a little bit. I sat him up to burp him and he STOPPED BREATHING! All CPR training was gone! I was a mess! I jumped in my car and headed about 1/4 mile down the road to police station hoping someone could help because I had no idea what to do. We waited on EMT for a few minutes but seemed like forever. He would not open his eyes, I would pop his leg and he would move a very little air, just a wimper and he would not open his eyes. Long story short it was acid reflux, he had aspirated stomach content and airways shut when acid hits them. He is finally off of both acid reflux meds and sleeping flat. He is such a joy, his personality is really blossuming now. He dances to everything with a rythm, even the dryer running. He is not quick to smile. He loves to give slobbery kisses and super long hugs, nothing better than little arms around your neck. Especially little arms of a little one that you once thought was not going to be here. I am so thankful that I was awake enough that I noticed what was happening when he stopped breathing, I am so thankful he is still with us! I will not complain when he wakes me every 2 hrs to eat even to this day. I love to be woke up with his demands.
Monday, March 7, 2011
I have not had a chance to blog yet but things are going to change! Every time I get online I start stalking Etsy or Hyena cart. I see all of wonderful giveaways on facebook or here in blogger land! It is so overwhelming, so much to see and do, so little time!
Now I am making myself blog once a week. I must blog once a week. I have so many things I want to say, so much I want to share. Along with giveaways I would love to share a glimpse into our crazy life with 6 kids! I am thinking that my first post will be to share how my kids came into my life. Everyone has different experiences, triumphs and tragedies. I am wanting to share my story, so expect more post starting very soon! I hope you join me!
Friday, March 4, 2011



So, I am ready for this giveaway!!! I have posted reviews for prizes and their sponsors. Have you checked them out yet?
I am going to do all entries and extra entries on this post so that they are all in one spot. You can do as many or as few of the extra entries as you wish.
Prizes Worth $140!
1. BeeBooBabies ring sling
2. Hosie's Naturals wipe concentrate & spray bottle
3. Joli Mini Pocket diaper
4. Green Bumkin cloth wipe &wet bag solution
5. Gina Turella Garia-Go, Baby, Go Independent Consultant, Indian cotton prefolds
6. Thristies diaper cover, size 2 winner choice of color...sponsored by me!


   
Mandatory Entry!   you must do them all for your entry to count, ONE ENTRY! Leave email address so I can contact you!!!
You must be a GFC follower of my blog, and you must like all sponsors on facebook
Bottom of the Sixth
BeeBooBabies
Gina Turella Garcia-Go, Baby, Go independent consultant
Joli Mini, it is in french just to warn you
Hosie's Natural
Green Bumkin

Extra Entries Remember, each extra entry is separate and please leave any name/handle so I can confirm extra entries.
1. go to BeeBooBabies review and tell me a fact about this WAHM.
2. go to BeeBooBabies on etsy and let me know what item you like best
3. go to Gina Turella Garcia's Go, Baby, Go store and send me a link of your favorite item!
4. Follow Gina Turella Garcia on twitter, leave handle so I can confirm
5. go to Gina Turella Garcia review and tell me what service has been added to the prefolds
6. go to Joli Mini store and leave me a link to your favorite item.
7. go to Joli Mini review and tell me what you must do if you win this package
8. go to Green Bumkin on etsy and tell me what material you would like for wipes.
9. go to Green Bumkin Review and tell me what you like best about this combo
10. Go to Hosie's Natural and tell me what item you would like besides the wipe solution, leave a link!
11. Udate your staus on facebook about my giveaway, leave a link
12. go to Hosie's Natural review and let me know what I mix the solution with
13. Follow me on twitter, leave your handle so I can confirm
14. Tweet daily (one entry per day) and leave a link
15. What item are you most excited about in this package?
16. If you purchase from any sponsor during the giveaway there will be one extra entry per (per-tax and shipping) dollar spent, Email me with invoice or order number so I can verify! thebottomofthesixth (at) yahoo (dot) com




Thursday, March 3, 2011
Hosie Natural's Wipe Solution Review

A little about Hosie's

Hosie Naturals is the result of many years of research into raw ingredients and their benefits to the body – both internally and externally. Our founder, Kari Feucht created Hosie Naturals after learning about and looking through the "natural" personal care products in stores and noticing that there wasn’t a lot that was really pure and natural, let alone effective, although the items were presented as such. It was especially disappointing when she found out that her only sister was expecting a baby. She wanted to help throw her a great shower and decided to incorporate natural products for the new pure little miracle. A butt balm was born. 
In 2008 Hosie Naturals was officially founded, and when Kari discovered she was expecting her first baby she spent the latter months of her pregnancy perfecting the products she intended to use during the birth of her daughter and after the little bundle arrived. In 2010 Hosie Naturals was officially launched with Hosie Mama and Hosie Baby. Hosie Naturals is now branching out and is looking forward to bringing you an array of products for your skin, hair, home, and pets.
 

Winner will get 8 oz of concentrate and refillable spray bottle

My experience with the product:
We have used Hosie's wipe solution and love the smell and the fact that it is all natural ingredients. I soak wipes in the solution and put them in their wet bag so while on the go so that I have the convenience of disposables without the guilt of excess waste. While at home I use the spray bottle and just spray it directly on his bottom. Hosie's wipe solution can be mixed with witch hazel which has antibacterial properties and will help the solution stay fresh longer in the 4 oz bottle. My little guy has such super sensitive skin that I mix it with distilled water. When mixed with distilled water the solution will stay good for about 2 weeks, when the solution starts to smell musty. Hosie's says that you should dispose of musty smelling mixture and make a fresh batch.
I like that the 4 oz refillable spray bottle is of good quality and does not leak around the seal of the screw lid when stored in bag or when in use. I have experienced that with other brands, but even after a few refills and many uses I have had no issues with this bottle.
I am happy when I find any skin care product that does not irritate my little's bottom so thanks Hosie's!
Hosie's also makes birthing oil, peri care, nipple cream and butt balm as well as this wonderful wipe solution.
Hosie's uses natural ingredients, organic when possible and I love that about this company!
For more information go check out their facebook page too!

To Buy:
Go visit their store and purchase the 8oz bottle of concentrate for $24.99
To win:

 


Green Bumkin Combo Review!

Green Bumkin is an Etsy store run by Ramy Lanctot. She is a Canadian mama who makes eco-friendly products. She has many fun, cute fabric options so you can personalize your combo. As of right now she stocks this handy combo,  wetbags, reusable snack/sandwich bags, and toy straps. She says there will be more to come, which excites me because she is a very friendly and easy to work with WAHM that I will be purchasing from in the future.
Amy was generous enough to send me a x-small wetbag to hold two generously sized cloth wipes. I love this little jewel! I mix my wipe solution, wet the wipes, throw them in the wetbag and we are off. I love that this combo gives me the convenience to disposable wipes without the guilt of excess waste.

I am a very detail oriented person so I love the finishing stitching on the wipes, what a nice touch!















The Bag!
Green Bumkin's 9X5 wetbag has a PUL inner pouch that is stitched separately for the outside cotton print so it does prevent wicking. Green Bumkin's little wetbag works like a charm! I use the bag inside my diaper bag and have not had any wicking issues even when I store saturated wipes in it. The bag seals with a zipper and has a strap to carry or hang. I love the strap, when I am changing in public restrooms I can hang the bag from my wrist so I don't drop it and can easily access wipes.

The Wipes!
The Green Bumkin wipes are made of organic bamboo terry and designer flannel wipes and measure 8X8. I love the size of the wipes, they are big enough so that you don't get mess on your hands. They are big and soft enough so you can easily fold them over for extra wipes so you don't have to use a ton of wipes for a big mess!
To buy:
Go visit her Etsy store and grab a combo for $11, what a steal!

To win:

Joli mini Side-snap Embroidered Pocket Diaper

Oh for the love of all that is cute and fluffy! I was so excited when the I found out that I would be able to test this adorable diaper and now that I have used it I am even more excited about it! Joli Mini has agreed to give a diaper of winner's choice to be added to the giveaway package, winner must pay shipping.
I picked a cute blue diaper with a zebra on it. It was so hard to decide on just one diaper so I will be back for more in the near future. There are few diapers that I want several of and this is one of them!


The Fit:
I love this diaper, it is just the right amount of fluffiness. I love a diaper that is fluffy but not too bulky. I am a sucker for a fluffy bum! Joli Mini diaper are side snap, a feature that I have been reluctant to try but now I am in love. Side snap means no wing droop! The Joli Mini diaper fit was amazing. There is elastic in the front as well as the back of the pocket diaper so it moves with him and stays snug around his waist to prevent leaks. It was so easy to find the perfect fit with the Joli Mini diaper. Even on my skinny guy with his thin thighs, there was no gaps around legs or waist.

love the little zebra!
snug at the waist, thanks to front elastic it moves with him
great fit on his little legs
Performance?
This diaper is second to none. We had no leaks at all, not even at nap time. He had the diaper on for 3 hours easy with no leaks or wicking. The insert is two parts, there is a large part that folds in half and then another smaller layer that snaps on. When he was wearing jeans I left the smaller insert out to make the diaper trimmer and still the Joli Mini pocket diaper was so absorbent.
 The pocket is large enough to stuff with no issues but not so large that you have gapping of inner material so insert and PUL never touch baby's skin. 
hidden but generous pocket
nice insert
The lovely surprise:
Joli Mini sent a lovely rubby to my little guy for review too! What a great surprise! When I opened the box he grabbed it out and started to love on it right away. The blanket is minky so it is super soft and he has not let go of it since. So now our little co-sleeper brings friend along at bedtime.
To Buy:
Go visit her etsy shop, the diapers range from $21-$29
http://www.etsy.com/shop/jolimini or
http://www.jolimini.com/ they carry so much more than just diapers!
To win:
winner will be responsible for shipping fee on this prize!
 
I meet Gina Turella-Garcia through cloth diapering and I must say that I am glad that I did. She is an independent consultant for Go, Baby, Go. She is very informative, helpful and loves what she does.

Gina Turella-Garcia is an Independent Consultant for Go, Baby, Go Shop! Her first encounter with GBG was as a client, when the previous owner, Diane Turner, helped her start her cloth diapering journey before the birth of her first child. She was so impressed with the personal one- on- one attention and support she got from Diane that she decided to become an Independent Consultant so she could help other expectant parents. Gina says: There are so many cloth diaper choices on the market, it can be it extremely overwhelming for expectant parents to decide which ones will work for them and their budget. My goals are to encourage potential clients to commit to cloth diapering, help existing clients choose diapers that meet their needs and financial constraints, and continue to support clients through the cloth diaper experience.


Gina has generously offered 6 Osocozy Indian prefolds to add to my package for the Blogorama Bonanza Event! These prefolds are made of unbleached Indian cotton. These Premium size diaper service quality prefolds are 4X4X8 layered and...get ready for this....they are already prepped!!! I love that!
I personally have the infant size Osocozy prefolds and I absolutely love them. We use our Osocozy prefolds in our overnight diapers or just in a cover for daytime. I did not have the luxury of having them prepped for me so I had many washes to perform before they reach max absorbancy. I really like that Go, Baby, Go offers that service.


To buy:
6 premium size prefolds are $17, add $2 for prepping.
http://www.gobabygoshop.com/index.html
choose Gina Turella-Garcia as rep on the billing info page please
To win:
go check out the Blogorama Bonanza post


BeeBooBabies Ring Sling Review

The WAHM behind BeeBooBabies is my sister. She has three children and has started the shop as a way to help the family while remaining a stay at home mom.  I remember when we very young (she was 7) she started cutting out her own patterns for our baby dolls' clothes. My mother gave her a hand me down sewing machine at the age of 9 and her love for sewing grew from there. She made our Halloween costumes, our dresses, and even formals. Now her talents include crocheting, knitting, smocking, tatting, as well as baking like no body's business.
Her ring sling has gone through a few changes over the years. The BeeBooBabies ring sling has a self-spreading shoulder and is super comfortable to wear. She uses a single layer of cotton material so that the sling is light and breathable. We live in Louisiana so it is very important that we can wear it out and about on sweltering summer days. I was worried about how strong one layer of cotton would be but she has worn her 40+ lbs four year old with no strain on the material, rings or her back. The ring sling she is using has been used for about 2 1/2 yrs and shows no signs of wear at all! The sling has 1 1/2 in hem along the rails for reinforcement to insure extra strength and nice finish.
This Mei Tai has interchangable panels, go check out fabric choices!
 
Cuteness! Absolute cuteness!

 
This is a picture of my personal sling, I will upload pics of giveaway sling soon.
This is one of my BeeBooBabies slings, I have not been out with it once without a compliment or questions about where to purchase one!

The BeeBooBabies slings are by far the most comfortable sling I have tried. One of my favorite features is that she uses a wide cut do you can nurse your little one discretely and the back of the sling spreads nicely to cover that dreaded muffin top that my beautiful babies have blessed me with.

To buy:
Go visit BeeBooBabies on Etsy, the sling is $45.00. You can also message her for material request, she will try to accommodate.

To Win:

Marshmallow Legs

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