Diapers and Babies and.. Brides? Oh My!

So much for promising to update more. My life is a constant whirlwind... I'm not going to pretend I didn't have time for blogging, I just haven't been doing it!

Our cloth diaper journey is up and down, that's for sure. My son is now 13 months old and we STILL cannot say that we are 100% cloth parents. My fiance (Oh yeah, you read that right... I'll get to that later!!) still refuses to use cloth diapers unless we run out of sposies... and he refuses to stop buying those things! But, I am still CDing and hand-washing, but I haven't been trying any new diapers so I guess I've had nothing to blog about.

Oh, whatever. I'm just a slacker.

In other news: My lovely Stuart proposed to me February 4th. We are planning a (tentative) August 7th wedding. That's 6 months!

You know what that means??

New blog, oh yeah! So, if anyone is reading this, and you are at all interested in following my newest, Bride on a Budget (suburbancheapo.blogspot.com) , I certainly wouldn't mind ;)

Thanks for reading, I miss you all!

Nearly 3 months since my last post.

Does anyone still stop in here? Let me know if you'd like to see me actively post again. My life has become extremely busy but I am really missing blogging. So, if I've still got readers, I'd love to pick it back up! So if you see this post, please comment with what you'd like to see on my blog!

(oh and my cloth diaper update: we are in love with fitteds... and I've discovered the PIN love. no more snappis... well, we use snappis on PFs ;p but I LOVE MY PINS!

weight loss update: 177 lbs!!)

Fitness Challenge!

(Sorry if this post looks a little wonky. I'm writing it on my laptop with the broken screen AND screwy keyboards!)

So, as I posted previously, yesterday, September 10th, was my "official" weigh-in day. The goal I had set was 185 lbs. But I was so busy that I couldn't make it to the computer to blog my results!

So, my weight yesterday morning was.....

185.4 LBS!

So, I'm not *quite* there, but I'm okay with being less then 1/2 a pound away from my goal!

I will re-check my weight in one week (next Thurs) and hopefully I will have shed that .4 :)

As for today, it was Day 3 of Couch To 5K!

So I finished Week 1. I was going to give myself an extra week to work on my endurance, but after today's run I feel like I need to push on to Week 2. If it's not a challenge, what's the point?

Today was great. I didn't get tired until the 6th set and I think that has something to do with the fact that I forgot to stretch beforehand >_>

Everytime my podcast-guy said "Okay, it's time to slow back down to your brisk walk", I was thinking, "Already!? But I JUST started running!" So I think this is an indication that I am ready for Week 2! I can't wait for Monday! I was thinking of running Week 1's workout again tomorrow just as an extra boost since I'll have Sunday to recover, but I have a classmate coming over for a HUGE anatomy&physiology study session. I can't afford to mess up my first test in this class!

I feel great about myself :D

Anyone else doing this program? Let me know! I want to hear from you! Especially if you have successfully completed it... tell me all about your journey!

(I promise, there will be some cloth-diaper related stuff coming soon! I have a few reviews I need to type up!)

Couch to 5K, Week 1: Day 2

So, today was my 2nd day with the Couch to 5K program and I am just so psyched!

It was a 5 minute warm up walk, then 8 sets of 60 seconds of running and 90 seconds of walking followed by another 5 min cool down walk.

I got through all 8!!! It was difficult but I just kept reminding myself what a disaster Monday was and if I felt myself speeding up too much, I just slowed down and concentrated on my breathing to make sure I wasn't overexerting myself. Sure I got out of breath, and very tired (and am now pretty sore!!!) but it was SO fulfilling. Stuart and Liam hung back and played by the river because Li-bug was fussing too much for a walk in the stroller. When I got to the 5th set, I turned around and started heading back the other direction. They had just begun walking towards me when I was already in the 5 minute cool down walk. Stuart asked, "Did you give up?" and I was smiling SO huge when I told him, no, I'm in the 5minute cool down!

I'm so excited! I cannot wait until Friday to do it again!!! :D Wow... there is really nothing more motivating than actually DOING something you doubted yourself on.

Before starting, I told myself that if it got way too tough I could just walk through one of the running sets, but it was totally unecessary. I didn't stop once, nor did I have to skip a set!

It truly is amazing how just accomplishing something so simple as getting through a workout can make your whole day brighter.

Tomorrow is my BIG weigh in. Remember my fitness challenge? My goal for September 10th was 185 lbs... I've got my fingers crossed. I will not be entirely disappointed if I'm not quite there yet, though. I know I'm on the way.

Fitness: Couch to 5K

If any of you remember this post, you'll remember that I made a public vow to get back into shape. I have decided to do the Couch to 5K program from CoolRunning. It's a progressive program that starts you off running just 60 second intervals, and by the end of 9 weeks (though I suspect it will take much longer for me, hehe.) you are supposed to be able to run 30 minutes - or 5k.

Well, today was my first day with Couch to 5K. Um.. let's just say it didn't go so well, haha!

I had my MP3 player with the podcast that I downloaded that has music plus the audio cues telling when to walk and when to run. Today's routine was supposed to be a 5-min brisk warmup walk, then 8 sets of 60 secs of running/jogging and 90 secs of "recovery" walking.

5-min warmup walk: Started feeling good, a little out of breath... shocked at how out of shape I am these days!

First 60-sec run: Felt good to push myself. Was definitely a shock to my body. WAY out of breath... started feeling it, but it wasn't too bad :)

90-sec brisk walk: Stayed out of breath most of the time, it didn't really feel like much of a "recovery", haha. I actually started to feel quite heated.

Second 60-sec run: Ick. I kept my pace up but was SO out of breath, and started to feel ridiculously hot. I made it all the way through the 60 seconds..

then started the 90-sec walk and felt like I was going to pass out. I had to stop for a second and when I stopped it hit me that I was *not* okay to continue standing, haha. Luckily there was a picnic bench nearby and I sat down. DBF and DS caught up to me with the stroller and he lectured me to keep going but I had never felt that terrible in my life. And on top of the physical stress, there was an extreme disappointment in myself for stopping. I didn't realize I was *so* out of shape. I have never been so unhealthy in my life. Bleh!

After I felt better, I picked it back up with the 90 sec walk... then I did another 60 secs, but took it slower. It felt good, but I started to get light headed and didn't want to feel like death again. Then I walked about 10 min to the car. The second I got to the car I felt like I was going to throw up. My face was like bright bright red and I had a killer headache. It was almost like being at the picnic bench again. SOoo weird, considering I had just *walked* and not even fast!

I think my problem was, during the runs/jogs, I went pretty fast. The music was fast and I by instinct was keeping up with it. I might try to run again in a couple hours, actually. It might take me an extra week just to get through Week 1! That's disappointing but I'm determined to stick with it and push myself. I WILL finish this program!

Besides that, in my last fitness-related post, I mentioned that my goal weight was 185 by September 10th. I'm not going to jump the gun, but it's Sept. 7th and I weighed in this morning at 185.8 :D .. Almost there! Then I can set a new goal... I'm so excited! I feel terrific, even after this morning's disappointment. But I WILL get there!

I'll keep you guys posted on Wednesday.

Review: You've Got Fluffy Mail - gDiaper Cloth Inserts

While posting on a popular parenting website, I met Janell. I was impressed by her in every way - and still am. Her 3rd baby is the same age as my son and we have so much in common. Best of all - she's a cloth mama! Janell makes and sells diapers, inserts, wipes, wraps, and more... and not only does she sell them in her shop, You've Got Fluffy Mail , but she posts tutorials on how to make them on her blog! She also has a Cafe Press store.

Janell is a wonderful, creative mama and GREAT to work with. I encourage all of you to check out her sites. Her blog is so helpful, and everything she makes is made with love :)

Plus, her cafepress merchandise? Super cute:

gDiaper Cloth Inserts:

Janell designed and made these terrific cloth inserts for gDiapers, and was kind enough to send me two of them to test on my Li-bug.

She has styles available for boys, girls, and gender neutral. I received one of an adorable penguin print and one in a cute cute cute froggie print. I use them in a size Medium gPants.
Like I said earlier, this entry has been a long time coming because of my little hiatus from the cyber-world, so I've had nearly a month to test out this product before reporting here to you. I have nothing but positive things to say.

Cuteness Factor : 10/10... Need I say more?!
Absorbancy: 8/10 ... Absorbs MUCH better than a prefold would in a gPants and a gDiapers flushable doesn't even hold a candle to these inserts. They last roughly 2 hours on my son (heavy wetter, haha)
Leakage: 0. *handclaps!*
Customer Service: 10/10.... Maybe I'm biased, but Janell is terrific to work with!
Washing/drying: 9/10 I hand-wash so washing usually isn't an issue with us. However, I think I scrubbed a little too hard because the fabric on my froggy print faded a little. My penguin print is pristine. Drying time is average... I MUCH prefer waiting for an insert to dry (hang drying) than a fitted... it's so much more convenient.

These inserts in gDiapers are a convenient way to cloth diaper. Since you don't have to deal with washing the gPants (like I said, zero leakage!) each time and you only have to change out the insert, there's less to fuss with!
Plus... price-wise, these are great. Janell's shop, You've Got Fluffy Mail, offers 3 gDiapers cloth inserts for $10, or 10 for $30! Considering if you order the gCloth inserts manufactured by gDiapers (I am not knocking them - I have not yet tried them!) , you only receive 6 inserts for $29.99... sounds like a deal to me!

Thank you Janell! We love our cloth inserts!

It feels good to be back!

Well hi! Fancy seeing you here :) Did you miss me?

I apologize for my long absence from the internet. I now have my personal affairs settled and am ready to get back into the online world!

In just a few minutes, I have a VERY important review going up! Hang tight :)