My Favorite Diapers for Newborns – Now In Larger Sizes

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walmart. All opinions are 100% mine.

Baby #4 is due any day now.

I've made sure to stock up on diapers, and they're all set up in a basket under the bassinet.

But I don't just buy any diapers.

I am pretty particular about the diapers I buy when my babies are little bitty.

Pampers Swaddlers just work better.  After 3 kids, I know that for a fact.

I bought a big ol' box of newborns, and a big ol' box of size 1.  Every time we have a new baby, and I buy the newborn diapers, I am always amazed at how teeny tiny they are!

When this new little one gets here, I will have 2 in diapers.  My 2 year old is in size 4 diapers, and I was very surprised when I heard that Pampers® Swaddlers are now available in size 4 and 5!

I've actually kind of always wondered why they only had them in the smaller sizes, because honestly, I think they're nicer than the other varieties of Pampers®.

One thing I always thought was cool with the Pampers® Swaddlers was that they have that little color-changing line that lets you know when the diaper is wet.

And possibly my favorite thing about Pampers® is that they have the rewards program.  Each pack of diapers and wipes has a code that you can enter on their website to receive points.  You can redeem points for different prizes. Over the course of 3 kids I have received a number of free things from the program, and I'm sure I'll be adding even more points to that stash with baby #4.  Can't beat getting something free from diapers you had to buy anyway!

Give your baby the #1 choice of hospitals (based on sales data).

Do you have kids in diapers?  Have you ever had 2 in diapers at once?

One Big Reason Your Kids Are Sick

There are a number of factors that will contribute to the health of your children – including what they eat and how well they practice hygiene.

But here's a big, big thing that contributes to your child's health — or lack of it.

Chemicals.  Lots of them.

Everywhere you go there are untested chemicals (or chemicals that are known in other countries to be unsafe) lurking in food, household products, beauty products, and in the very air you breathe.

Did you know…?

• There are more than 80,000 chemicals registered for use in the U.S.
• Comprehensive pre-market safety testing of these chemicals is not required under any federal law.
• The primary U.S. law that regulates chemicals in every day products hasn’t been updated in more than 35 years.
• In the European Union (EU), 1,328 chemicals have been banned for use in personal care products. In the U.S., only 11 chemicals have been banned or restricted by the FDA.
• Scientific evidence continues to point to the chemicals we are exposed to in our daily lives as causing or contributing to the rise in childhood behavioral disorders and diseases.

Every person's health is affected by these chemicals, and children are especially affected — even those still in the womb.

Hormone disruption, allergies, and cell damage are just a few of the consequences of repeated exposure to chemicals.

I recently attended a webinar with Healthy Child Healthy World where there were suggestions given of  simple, affordable actions families can take to decrease chemical exposure.

1. Take off your shoes at the door: 85 percent of the dirt in our homes is
tracked inside on the bottom of our shoes. It’s not just dirt, but toxins like
lead, pesticides, gasoline residue and more. Keep your home safer by taking
off your shoes. It’s the public health equivalent of washing your hands.

2. Buy safer body care: Children are exposed to an average of 27 care product
ingredients on a daily basis that have not been found safe for developing
bodies. Protect your family’s health by avoiding products that ingredients
like parabens, synthetic fragrances, triclosan and more. For a list of the most
toxic offenders, download the free eBook, “Easy Steps to a Healthy & Safe
Nursery” at Healthychild.org/resource-center.

3. Open a window: People spend about 90 percent of their time inside,
but indoor air is typically far more polluted than outside. So, open those
windows! Even a few minutes a day can improve indoor air quality.

4. Eat more whole foods: Processed foods may be convenient, but they’re
also loaded with sweeteners, artificial flavors and colorings, and synthetic
preservatives. These lack nutrients and many are also linked to health issues
like ADHD and even cancer. Reduce by eating more whole foods.

5. Ban the can: Bisphenol-A (BPA), a hormone disruptor that has been linked
to everything from obesity to cancer, is in the plastic resin that lines most
canned goods—from soups to sodas. Avoiding canned food for significantly
lowers exposure. Look for foods packaged in glass or eat fresh, dried, and
frozen options.

Maybe you try to do these things in your home, but what can you do to help protect the children of your friends and family members?

1. Share this information by Hosting a Healthy Baby Home Party!

2.  Alert them to the new NATIONAL availability of Seventh Generation
diapers, wipes and cleaning products at all Target stores. Now it’s
easier than ever to makeover the nursery and cleaning cabinet!

3. Urge Senators to strengthen and pass the Chemical Safety Improvement Act
(CSIA).

Additionally, you can join Seventh Generation for a Twitter party to talk about all-natural baby product options and learn more about the Healthy Baby Home Party.

Did you realize that your children's exposure to chemicals was so great?

What is the first step you think you will take to minimize chemical exposure in your home?

The. Most. Frugal. Gift. Ever.

Ya'll.

This is the last you're going to see of the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle.  Your time is almost up, and these items will never be available at this price again.

Okay, so here is the awesomest idea ever. I saw it on somebody else's blog and thought it was genius.

Use the books as gifts.

There are 86 of them.  They're 35 cents each.  Some of them are worth 15 bucks a piece.

I'm the kind of person that likes to give gifts to all my friends at church, all my sisters-in-law, and everything like that, but it can get a little expensive.

But now I can give something pretty and nice and worth more than a buck at the dollar tree.  At first I was thinking “Well, that's kind of cheesy to just email somebody a book file with the subject line “Happy Birthday!”

But, I don't have to do it that way!  I can have it wrapped up all purdy-like.

Here's what I'm gonna do:

I can burn the book I want to gift to a CD, print out a pretty insert for the case, and bingo! Really nice gift for dirt cheap! (Don't tell my friends!)

If you want to copy me, here are a couple images you can print to use for the cases.  (Just click the pictures to enlarge them and save  to your computer.)

 Use this one for Christmas presents (duh!) and use your photo editing program or Picmonkey to type in the title of the book.

Use this one for birthdays or general occasions and do the same thing with using photo software or Picmonkey to type in the title of the book before you print.

Or…go to the website where the ebook is sold, save a picture of the cover and crop it to 4.75 in. by 4.75.  It will fit perfectly in the cover of a CD case.

Excited to cross off ALL your gifts for pretty much the entire year?

Are You an Imperfect Homemaker?

Do you ever feel like you just don't have it together?

Are you disorganized and undisciplined?

Are you ever ashamed when your husband comes home because you haven't used your time wisely that day?

Do you snap at your kids and speak unkind words to your husband?

Do you think back over the day with feelings of guilt because you know you should have acted differently in the area of __________(you fill in the blank)?

Although  you'll never be perfect, these things really shouldn't be normal.

But you know what? I struggle with them all sometimes. I'm not telling you that because I'm proud of it.  I'm telling you that because I'm sure some of you struggle with these things too.

The question is: What are you going to do about it?

Let me be honest here: tomorrow is the last day of the healthy living bundle, and I was originally planning this post to highlight some of the great books on self-discipline.

But as I began to write, God spoke to my heart and said, “What's more important?  What's going to help women more?  Books? Or THE Book?”

So here I am to say,

If you're an imperfect homemaker, struggling with certain areas in your life that you know need to change, turn to the ONLY book that can change your life. The author is perfect.  The book itself will act as a mirror, revealing what's in your heart. It will act as a sword, cutting out those hidden parts of your life that need to be removed. It will act as a light, to guide you when you know you need to change, but aren't quite sure how.

If I lose some sales because I'm telling you that self-help books won't change your life, so be it.  If I've encouraged someone…anyone…to seek God's face and rely on Him to be the woman He wants you to be, I rejoice.

Do I think your health will benefit from the books and resources in the healthy living bundle? Absolutely.

But I know what's far more important, and if you only choose one book to read, study, and follow, choose God's.

Joshua 1:8   This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

What Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Feels Like

An excerpt from my new book, Farewell, Fatigue: How I Overcame Chronic Fatigue the Natural Way

After the birth of my third child, I thought I was perfectly healthy. My recovery was easy, the baby learned to sleep through the night very quickly, and our expanded family soon fell into a smooth rhythm. I had been dabbling into research and experimentation with healthier eating, and I was sure that as time went on our entire family would begin to feel better and better.

But that was not the case. I soon became very tired all the time. I ignored it at first, thinking that was just life as a busy mom. Then my brain began to feel foggy and I could not seem to think clearly. My kids were all good sleepers, and I began taking the opportunity to sleep ten to twelve hours at night, but I still felt tired when I got up in the morning. I continued with healthy eating habits and experimented with removing gluten and sugar from my diet.

Still I got worse. Life became like a bad dream. Many days I would park the kids in front of a video because I could barely hold my eyes open. If they wanted me to read to them I often had to say no because the simple act of talking made me lose my breath. My heart would often race for no apparent reason. My husband would come home to find me in bed with no housework done or supper made. I became depressed, partially from whatever was going on in my body, and partially as a result of feeling like a failure as a homemaker.

Whenever I went anywhere, my brain felt like it was on overload. I felt like I could not process the things I was seeing and hearing quickly enough, and I would get so dizzy and overwhelmed that I just had to close my eyes and put my head down. The slightest exertion, even something as simple as brushing my hair, would leave me exhausted and out of breath. Many days I felt like my body was not receiving any oxygen. My limbs would feel numb and I felt like I would black out. I became easily agitated at things that should not have been bothersome. Noise bothered me terribly and made me feel either panicked or angry. I often had to go close myself up in a quiet room for a while because I could not handle the noise of my kids talking and playing.

I had a very hard time concentrating and did not enjoy being in social situations because it was too hard to process everything I was seeing and hearing. It was a monumental effort to carry on an intelligent conversation.

On the very worst days I was so weak that I could not move or speak. When my kids would climb up onto the bed and try to hug me or talk to me, it took every ounce of willpower to simply raise my arm a small amount to acknowledge their presence. As tired as I was, I often found it difficult to sleep at night. My legs were restless and itchy, and heart palpitations made me feel anxious…

Praise the Lord, today I can say that I feel like a completely different person!

He clearly directed me to the information I needed to restore my health, and I've shared it in my new book.

Get the book here.

10 Ways Kids Can Help in the Kitchen

My children are always begging to help me in the kitchen, but sometimes I have a hard time thinking of things they could do.  I did a little brainstorming and compiled a list of 10 ways kids can help in the kitchen. These are things that children as young as age 2 can do.

1.Dump ingredients into a bowl.  You measure it and then allow them to dump it into the bowl.

2. Stir.  Since they will probably not stir it as well as it needs to be done, you can tell them that you will start and they can finish.

3. Put toppings on pizza.  Lay out the toppings and let them have fun spreading them on the pizza.

4. Put forks, napkins, and condiments on the table.  Of course you're not going to let a very small child put the breakable dishes on the table, but they can set the forks and napkins around and help you put small items on the table like ketchup or salad dressing.

5. Sweep the floor.  A child is not going to be able to get the floor completely swept, but they will feel like such a big boy or girl using the broom.  It will probably keep them occupied for a while.  You can also teach them how to hold the dustpan for you while you sweep the dirt into it.

6. Tear up salad greens.  If salad is on the menu, you can keep children occupied tearing the lettuce.  They may even do a better job at it than you!

7. Wash dishes.  Give them a chair, a sink full of soapy water, and some unbreakable dishes, and let them have at it!  They may end up a little bit wet, and you will most likely have to re-do the dishes, but they will have fun!  They will also be developing the skills they need to wash them them right way when they get a little older.

8. Dry dishes.  If you're not in the mood for a wet kitchen, you could wash and let them dry.

9. Chop Vegetables with an enclosed chopper.  If you have a hand chopper that is enclosed, they could take a turn at chopping.

10. Help you unload the dishwasher.  Kids as young as age 1 love to help unload the silverware from the dishwasher.  They can hand you one piece of silverware at a time while you put them away.

Children will probably not do everything perfectly in the kitchen, and you may get frustrated when they use the spoon more often as a bat than as a stirring utensil. But when you allow them to help, they will develop skills that will allow them to really be a help in the future.  You are also spending valuable time with them, and they will know by the time you spend how much you love them.

What did I miss?  I'm sure there are more things that kids can do in the kitchen that I didn't think to put on this list.  I'd love for you to leave a comment and give some more ideas!

For even more ideas and practical advice for getting kids involved in the kitchen, check out Adventures With Kids! In the Kitchen.  It's normally $14.95, but when you buy it as part of the Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle, you'll get it plus another $1000 worth (yes, that's one thousand dollars) of resources for $29.97!