Lunette Cup Giveaway (CLOSED 5/3)

Apr 19,2012 / By Maria / 17 Comments

If you clicked this post not knowing what a Lunette cup was, it is a reusable menstrual product, so men (or the extra-squeamish) can back away slowly!

I have not used a Lunette Cup, since I do not have a cycle in early breastfeeding (lucky me!) but I know a lot of you are interested in reusable menstrual products. I do not have a “review,” since I haven’t used it, but I will share some info & give you the chance to win one!

So what is a Lunette Cup? It is a reusable menstrual cup that is made in Finland, with medical grade, latex free silicone. It can be used during the day or overnight, during sports and by women of all ages and sizes. The cup has a lot of advantages including being economical (it will last for years), eco-friendly, safe, discreet and non-drying. Lunette gives great instructions on how to use the cup.

You will need to empty it 2-4 times per day. The cup comes in several colors (just for fun!), and you can use Lunette’s Feelbetter wash or CupWipes to clean your cup.

The Lunette is different than other menstrual cups and has different sizing. The stem is flat, and the inside is smooth, with no areas for bacteria to collect. It is designed to be easy to insert and comfortable to use. There is a wealth of information about the cup and your body on the Lunette website and Lunette blog.

“Like” Lunette on Facebook, follow Lunette on Twitter, Lunette on Pinterest, “like” Kelly Wels on Facebook, follow Kelly Wels on Twitter and Kelly Wels on Pinterest.

Where to buy: Buy Lunette Cup directly for $39.99, or find a retailer.

Are you a retailer? Want to add the Lunette Menstrual Cup to your store? Click here for info!

Giveaway sponsored by Lunette USA via Green Team Distribution/Kelly Wels: One winner will receive 1 cup in her choice of size/color, ARV $39.99. (Winner must give at least 2 color options in case one color is not available.) US Residents only. 18 yrs old and older. Entries go in the Rafflecopter form.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

FTC compliance: I was not compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.

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Motherhood Personal Posts

How Do You Work This Thing…Err, Kid?

Apr 18,2012 / By Maria / 10 Comments

Have you ever had a moment where you wished your child came with an owner’s manual? Let’s see…index: 7 year old with an attitude…page 67. Ah yes, here’s how to troubleshoot!

I have three children, and my third is far “easier” than the first two, so I’m feeling pretty good about the baby stuff right now. However, every day seems to bring a new challenge with my 7 year old. I can only hope that I will have it all figured out by the time the other two are that age!

I remember bringing my first baby home and thinking how crazy it was that they were actually sending me home to care for this tiny person!! We had to attend a “class” in order to be discharged, but that was essentialy talk of umbilical cord stumps and baby poop. I am so grateful to be raising children in the internet age. Is anyone else willing to ‘fess up to Googling things like “is … normal” or “what causes green baby poop?”

Now I find myself looking up first grade math online. I actually love math; it kills me when I hear kids say “pssht, when will I ever use this?” I use math all the time! In the grocery store to figure out unit prices, sales and tax. I use geometry when we’re working on home improvement projects, and I use algebra pretty much daily; or multiples times per day back when we were dealing with mortgage scenarios.

I did fine with Calculus in High School, but some of my first grader’s homework has me stumped. The K-2 math curriculum is really different than what I remember (granted, that was a long time ago!) and I’ve had to brush up to help her. She recently brought home a worksheet of “balancing equations.” The equations looked like this:

18-___=7+___
13=___

My husband and I were both shocked. What the heck? Are they doing algebra with two variables in first grade?? After a few minutes, we finally figured out that they were just trying to show kids that 18-5 is the same as 7+6 like this:

18-5=7+6
13=13

I’m glad that my daughter’s teacher this year emails a newsletter each week telling us what they are working on, but I sure wish they would tell us exactly what (and how!) they are teaching them, and teach us too. It’s hard to help when you have no idea what they are doing! Thank goodness for Google. We’ve found some great games for her to play online, and even flash cards to print.

I thought helping my daughter with her homework would be a breeze. After all, I was a great student, was excellent in math & English, and she’s even going to the same school I attended. I’m starting to get worried about second grade.

How about you? Has there been anything difficult about parenting that you didn’t anticipate having trouble with? Or does everything come naturally? (hmph)

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BPA Free Review

Lifefactory Glass Baby Bottles

Apr 17,2012 / By Maria / 2 Comments

I posted my Lifefactory Glass Beverage Bottle review in February, and I still love them and use them every day. So, I decided to pick up a Lifefactory Glass Baby Bottle. The 4 ounce bottle I chose with a sky blue sleeve, retails for $14.99 (I snagged it for $13.72.) This is definitely not cheap, but I really only need the one (and I’m not sure if he will even take it!) They are also available as a 9 ounce bottle with a $16.99 MSRP (from $14.43 on Amazon.)

The bottles are made of borosilicate glass that is thermal shock resistant and can go from freezer to boiling water without breaking (obviously, it’s still glass, so it could break with extreme temperature change or force.) The silicone sleeve and nipple (comes with a 0-3 month slow-flow) are medicaled grade, latex and plastic-free silicone.

Like the beverage bottles, the baby bottles are dishwasher safe, and you don’t need to remove the sleeve to wash or boil.

When you’re through with bottles, the 4 oz or 9 oz bottles can turn into a water bottle buy purchasing white or colored solid caps. You can also turn them into sippy cups by adding sippy caps.

The bottle feels nice and sturdy, but it wasn’t as heavy as I was expecting. I love that they are glass, and that their “life” will continue even after we’re out of the baby stage, so my $ won’t be wasted if my son refuses a bottle like my other two did!

FTC compliance: Although I paid normal retail prices for the pictured item, this post contains affiliate links. I was not compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.

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Uncategorized

Cloth Diaper Advice – Mailbox Mondays 4/16/12 – Cloth at Daycare

Apr 16,2012 / By Maria / 7 Comments

Do you need cloth diaper help? Each week, I answer a question asked by a reader, and ask my other readers to help too.

Questions don’t have to be cloth diaper related, just email maria at change-diapers.com with “Mailbox Mondays” in the subject, or fill out my contact form for readers, which you will always be able to find on my Contact Page.

Melissa says::

Hi Maria,

My little one isn’t quite ready for solid foods yet but nothing like getting prepared early 🙂 I have a daycare provider sent from heaven who has no problem using cloth diapers. But I do try to make things as easy on her as possible. Right now it is all breastfed poo so she just sends diapers home in a bag and I add them to my wetbag until laundry day. Once my little one starts eating solids and the poo needs to be rinsed, what do you think is reasonable to ask her to do? I have considered flushable liners but we have a septic tank at our house so they would be for daycare only. Will it hurt (or be too terribly disgusting) to have her just bag it up and deal with it once we get home?

Thanks for any suggestions!
Melissa

I really don’t think it would be bad to just deal with the poopy diaper when you get home. I’ve done this quite a bit when changing diapers while we’re out and about. If she’s willing, she could just shake off what she can, then put the rest in the wet bag.

Flushable liners are a good compromise, though you want to be cautious with plumbing systems. Some liners are sturdy enough to withstand a few washings (if they are only wet) but that definitely makes me question whether I’d want them in my plumbing! At 5-9 cents each, it would be an extra expense if you were using them in every diaper at daycare also.

I realize that technically, all solid waste is supposed to be flushed, but really, what does she do with the dirty diapers of children in disposables? Throws the whole thing in the trash, right? This may not be a popular opinion, but if you are having issues just bringing the dirty diapers home, and she doesn’t want to flush liners, why not have her leave wet liners with the diaper & throw poopy ones in the trash?

Does your daycare allow cloth diapers? How do they handle the poop?

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Contests Giveaways

May 2012 Great Cloth Diaper Hunt Registration is Open

Apr 15,2012 / By Maria / 5 Comments

Registration for the May 2012 Great Cloth Diaper Hunt is open! It only takes a minute to register, and then you’ll be ready to win great prizes!

The last hunt was in November 2010, so I’m sure many of you don’t know what it is. It’s an internet scavenger hunt, where you visit sponsor websites, follow clues, and find icons. You will be entered to will random daily prizes, as well as a big grand prize (value to be determined.) If you need a hint, sponsors will be answering questions in a hint forum daily.

Take a look at the rules, read the FAQ and then register to hunt!

Many of the sponsors are also offering a special discount to hunters! Join the Diaper Decisions newsletter, like Diaper Decisions on Facebook and follow Diaper Decisions on Twitter so you don’t miss any news, discounts or prize opportunities!

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