I have to admit: I was a little skeptical as I ordered my first set of Smartipants diapers.  In my experience in the cloth diapering world, you get what to pay for.  Inexpensive, one-size pocket diapers seemed way too good to be true (kind of like weight loss pills that work! LOL).  I waited anxiously for them to arrive, washed them and tried them out.  I instantly fell in love!!

I honestly don’t have a single bad thing to say about these diapers!!  They’re so easy to stuff because there are slits on both the top and bottom of the diaper.  They fit snuggly, but don’t leave red marks on either of my kids (29 pounds and 23.5 pounds).  I’ve used them a lot and haven’t had them leak yet.  And I’ve had bad luck with snap diapers, but even though they have snaps instead of velcro, they stay in place perfectly!

My former favorite pocket diaper was BumGenius, but Smartipants are so much better…mainly because of the way they fit, but also because of the price!!  They’re about $7 cheaper and are so worth every cent you spend on them!  I can’t recommend them highly enough!

Want to try them out for free?  The “Cent”sible Sawyer is giving away a 3-pack to one lucky winner!!  It’s so easy to enter, so go now!!  The giveaway ends Friday, August 7.

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I love it when babies get to the age where they can begin feeding themselves.  Kelvin got to that point a few months ago and it takes a lot of pressure off me right before meal time.  Instead of him screaming at me from his high chair while I scramble to heat up his baby food, he can be happily eating finger foods while I get the rest of his food ready.  It also helps to entertain him longer when we’re eating out (meaning I don’t break into hives when we receive wedding invitations…Kelvin’s mealtime behavior is much more low-key, even if it is messier!)

Here are some great first finger foods:

• Dry cereal, like cheerios
• Breadsticks or small pieces of toast
• Dry pancakes, cut into bite sized pieces
• Sliced bananas
• Sliced apples
• Small cheese cubes
• Pieces of cooked, whole-grain pasta
• Small pieces of cooked vegetables

The possibilities are endless!!  What are your favorite finger foods for your baby?

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Last week we attempted our first camping trip as a family.  It was definitely an experience we will remember for a long time!!  The first day was beautiful and we were really enjoying it, but after that it got rainy and cold.  We actually ended up leaving a day early because of it.

Before we left, I was scouring the Internet for tips and ideas for making camping with small children more enjoyable.  I was pretty under-whelmed by what I found.  So I thought I’d share some of what I learned with anyone crazy enough to try doing what we did!  LOL

1. Bring more clothes than you think you’ll need…a lot more!!  Also make sure you bring clothes for all kinds of weather.  I was pretty sure I had -but we ended up being on our last warm outfit when we left a day early.
2. If your child is potty trained, bring a child-size potty instead of taking them to the outhouse.  Both of my sister-in-law’s that had potty-trained kids did this and I thought it was a great idea.  I definitely would have been doing the same thing if Ava was at all interested in using the potty!
3. Be sure to plan kid-friendly meals and remember a knife for cutting everything into bite-size pieces.  We ate things like hot dogs, pasta salad, corn on the cob and sandwiches.  Also bring plenty of snacks since everyone will be more active and work up a bigger appetite…no need for camping to act like a natural weight loss supplement!

What are your favorite tips to making camping with children more enjoyable and comfortable?

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Looking for fresh ideas to keep your kids busy outside this summer?  No need to turn to anything like golf training aids…I found a really interesting project at Parenting.com!

I’m sure you have plenty of packing peanuts that come with all your packages.  I usually can’t reuse most of them, so I end up just chucking them.  But now you can put them to good use!  Give your kids a pile of packing peanuts and a damp sponge.  All they need to do is roll each peanut on the sponge to moisten them and then stick them together.  The possibilities for peanut sculptures are unlimited!!

Have any fun ideas for outdoor projects for kids?  Leave me a comment!

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