Random Ramblings

In my middle of the night ponderings (probably more than a bit abstract) there were a few things on my mind I wanted to blog about, but none are really "worthy" of their own posts, so I thought I'd throw together a conglomeration of them here.

• First, my favorite soft soled shoe company is going out of business, and having a huge clearance sale. I'm seriously considering on stocking up before they're gone forever. I LOVE these shoes - great quality and the price is so much better than the "high end" (read: more expensive!) shoes, in which I find no difference. The smaller sizes are a soft suede sole, and the upper sizes have a thin rubber sole for traction and outdoor protection, but they are still super soft and flexible. Anyone who knows me in "real" life has seen Nathan's frog and turtle shoes - this is where they are from! So, check out Wiggees and use the code SAVE15 when checking out to save an additional 15% off their closeout price. This will only be until March 31! (and no, I don't get anything for sharing this, lol! I just wanted to pass along a great deal)

• Second, let me ramble about cloth diapering for a minute. I started using cloth diapers when Joel was a few months old, and have tried what seems like everything out there - I was really into getting the "latest and greatest" for a while. But now that its been 4 years, I've learned that simple really is "greatest", at least for me. While I love the convenience of All-in-Ones, they are a bit too pricey for me to have enough of them to use exclusively. Fitteds are fun because they can come in cute colors and prints, but over time I've decided they're a bit too bulky for my taste, especially when under a cover, which is necessary for outings. Pockets are also a bit pricey, even though the adjustable absorbency can be a plus, especially at nighttime. So where does that leave me? With good, old-fashioned, tried and true prefolds! And some fun, trim covers. I don't even pin or fasten the prefolds, I just fold them into thirds, lay them in the cover, and TaDa! instant, easy diaper. And so inexpensive, comparatively! The funny thing is, the mama who introduced me to cloth diapering used this method, and I was lured away from its ease and reliability by all the other tempting systems... only to find myself back after spending too much time and money trying everything else under the sun. For some good info on cloth diapering, check out The DiaperPin. And, if you're curious about cloth but don't want to invest alot of money just to decide it isn't right for you, check out Jillian's Drawer's 21-day cloth diaper trial for just $10! Its a pretty neat way to try the different "systems" and see what suits you best! A few other cloth diaper websites I enjoy are Abby's Lane (free shipping on all orders!) and a local-to-me one, Emi Beans!

• Next, I'm considering actually decorating the nursery! I've never decorated a nursery for any of the other boys, its always been something I considered a little bit frivolous, especially when we went through our season of really bad budgeting ;-) Little niceties such as decorating just weren't priority. But now we've become more frugal, and I've grown in confidence in my "decorating on a budget" skills, and I think I can pull it off with paint we already have, plus some chair rail, which Michael assures me we can find room in the budget for! There are two different color themes I'm trying to decide between, inspired by this bedding set and this bedding set...bedding set itself I'm not sure will be included, that is something still considered a bit "frivolous" and definitely not a necessity, no matter how cute. But I love the colors, so I think its a good starting point! Please feel free to share your opinion with me - blue and green, or green, cream and brown?
  

That's about it for my random thoughts. And just to make this post worth your while, here's some cute pictures :-)