Wordless Wednesday- Noah's First Football Game!

University of Georgia Football! 

BabyKicks Washies and Duz-It-All Review! {Plus a Giveaway!}

Disclaimer: I was sent these products in exchange for my honest review. I was not compensated in any other way. The opinions expressed in this review are my own. The Not-So-Secret Confessions of a Second Time Mom is not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill their giveaways.

When you have a baby accessories are a huge part of every day life. Yes, you need the big stuff like a changing table and a crib, but accessories are what get used every, day multiple times a day and most of the time you wouldn't be able to do what you need to do without some of these accessories. Today I'm going to share with your two awesome baby accessories that I was able to try from BabyKicks! 

Babykicks is a family owned and operated business that designs and makes cloth diapers and cloth diaper accessories. They are located right here in the US and now are available in 15 different countries! 

I was sent a set of Washies and a Duz-it-All for review from BabyKicks! The Washies are basically cloth wipes but can be used for a number of different things! They are 7.5" by 9.5" ovals that are made with soft fleece just like the Babykicks prefolds. They are great for the the high chair, the diaper bag, and the cloth diaper stash! The Duz-It-All is kind of like a prefold/receiving blanket that is great for anything! Babies are messy and the Duz-It-All is great for baby messes! It's made with two layers of soft hemp/cotton jersey knit. It can be used as a burp rag, a doubler in a diaper, or even a backup diaper! 

I've been using the Washies for numerous things! I've used about half of the set for cloth wipes and the other half for cleaning my little guy's face off after eating, or wiping runny noses, or even cleaning off the high chair! The Washies are super durable and can clean up just about any mess even though they are fairly small! I love how durable yet soft they are so they are gentle enough to use no my baby's skin! 

After I wipe my little guy clean with a Washies I use the Duz-it-All to dry him off! It's really absorbent and great for drying things off! It's super soft so it's gentle enough to use on even a newborn! If Isaac were an infant and still needed to be burped after he ate the Duz-it-All is all I would use for a burp rag! It's ideal for that sort of thing! I haven't tried it out as a diaper yet, but I'm sure it would work great since it's so absorbent and soft! 

The Washies and Duz-It-All from BabyKicks are the ultimate accessories to have! If you cloth diaper or not, these accessories are great for any messes or cleanup you have when it comes to a baby! We all know babies are messy so having these great accessories makes life just a little easier! 

Buy It!

You can purchase Babykicks Washies, Duz-it-All, and other great cloth diapering products and accessories at http://www.babykicks.com/store/index.cfm!

Win It!

One lucky reader will win one set(10pk) of BabyKicks Washies! 

Must be 18 years or older to enter. Only one entrant per household allowed. Giveaway is open to US residents only. The winner will be chosen at random and emailed. The winner will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen. 

"Beautiful" Skincare Review and Giveaway!

Disclaimer: I was sent this product in exchange for my written review. I was not compensated in any other way. The opinions expressed in this review are my own. The Not-So-Secret Confessions of a Second Time Mom is not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill their giveaways. 

As a women a major concern for me is keeping my skin healthy and looking great for as long as possible! But another concern is what I'm actually putting on my skin to keep it looking that way. What kind of chemicals am I actually putting on my face when I use the creams and lotions made to keep my skin looking young? Is it really healthy for skin? The answer to most of the commercial skin care products out there is probably no. Which is why I am really excited to tell you about a skin care product I was able to try that uses no chemicals and only natural products to give your skin the nourishment it needs to be healthy and beautiful! 

Beautiful skincare  is an A.M. moisturizer and a P.M. revitalizer made for women to bring life and beauty back to your skin. It is made with live botanical oils, plant and fruit extracts, and NO chemicals or additives! These two products can replace your cleanser, moisturizer, toner, firming gel and all the other products we put on our face! 

Beautiful skin care has so many benefits! It actually feeds your skin the nutrients it craves! It cleanses your skin of dirts and excess oils and replaces it with healthy oils that our skin needs! It gives your skin all the moisture it needs and firms your skin as well! I've been using Beautiful for about a month now and I'm already seeing a great difference in my skin! 

First, I have to tell you about the awesome bottles Beautiful comes in! It is personalized just for you! So mine say "Beautiful Michelle" and yours would have your name on it! Pretty nifty and fun! I was pleasantly surprised to see my own name on the bottle when I opened the package! 

Now let's get to the nitty gritty! Does this stuff really work? Well I'm answering with a big YES! Like I said, I've been using it for about a month now because I really wanted to make sure I was getting results before I wrote about it. When I first started using it I was already loving it! It smells amazing! And it makes my skin feel so soft and refreshed when I put it on. It is an oil and it may seem strange to put oil on your skin, but it's really exactly what your skin wants! The instructions do say that about a week or two into using the products you may experience some breakouts or blemishs and not to worry because that's the product getting rid of all the toxins and gross stuff in your skin! I did experience some very small blemishs about the second week in that only lasted a few days. After that my skin has looked and felt great! My skin feels so soft even when I have nothing on it! I usually suffer from super dry skin this time of year and my face has not felt dry at all since I've been using Beautiful! The only somewhat negative thing I can say about this product is don't try to put it on right before you want to put your makeup on because it needs some time to soak in to your skin. Other than that this product is amazing! 

My skin is now glowing and healthy looking without the use of chemicals and makeup to cover up blemishes and dark spots. I literally love getting up and putting this on my face in the morning because it leaves me skin feeling so great! You can find out even more about Beautiful skin care by going HERE and there's also a men's skin care called "You're the Man" that's just like Beautiful but made specifically for men! 

Check out this recent picture of me and how great my skin is looking now! 

Buy It!

https://www.trustedhealthproducts.com/shop/index.php/products/beautiful.html

Win It!

Three lucky readers will win a bottle of Beautiful A.M. Moisturizer for themselves! 

Must be 18 years or older to enter. Only one entrant allowed per household. Giveaway is open to US residents only. The winners will be chosen at random and emailed. The winners will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen. 

Special Deal! 

“The manufacturer is willing to offer my readers one FREE bottle. They said they would love to have our readers try out Beautiful A.M. Moisturizer (for women) or You’re the Man A.M. Moisturizer (for men) and agreed to send one bottle FREE if our readers would pay a minimal shipping and handling charge. This is a one-time only offer!  They also agreed to include 2 eye-opening reports – The Poisons You Put On Your Face Everyday and Why Your Skin Care Products Have Never Worked: The Truth Revealed .”  That’s a total value of over $40.00. Click here to get your FREE Bottle and FREE reports now!”

Enter to win the giveaway by filling out the Rafflecopter form below! 

Wordless Wednesday- Some of My Latest Crochet Creations

You can check me out on Facebook or on Etsy to see more of my creations and place an order! Handmade makes great gifts for the holidays! 

Diaper Rite OS All-in-One Cloth Diaper Review! {Plus a Giveaway! }

Disclaimer: I was sent this product in exchange for my honest review. I was not compensated in any other way. The opinions expressed in this review are all my own. Affiliate links are present within this review. 

Cloth diapering on a budget is not always as easy as it  would seem. There are plenty of cloth diapers out there for really low prices, but how do you know if you are getting a quality diaper that will work well and last? I am going to tell you about a cloth diaper that is both a great price and a great quality diaper! 

I was given the opportunity to review the Diaper Rite All-in-One Cloth Diaper from Diaper Junction. Diaper Rite provides quality cloth diapers and cloth diaper accessories at an affordable price. The Diaper Rite All-in-One is a one size diaper that fits babies approximately 8 to 35 pounds. It has a soaker than is sewn into the diaper on one side and open on the other side for easier folding and quicker drying time. The soaker is made with two layers of microfiber and a soft, stay-dry suede cloth that goes against babies skin. The outter layer of the diaper is waterproof to keep wet and messes in. 

I'm not usually a fan of all-in-one cloth diapers. I think mostly because they take so long to dry. I'm a busy mom and waiting an extra 20 minutes for a few of my diapers to dry is kind of annoying to me. So that's why I usually steer clear of all-in-ones. But I'm always open to trying new kinds of diapers and I sure am glad I was open to trying the Diaper Rite All-in-One! This diaper is becoming one of my favorite diapers in my stash! 

The Diaper Rite All-in-One is made with such quality that you would never guess it's any less than $20. It's durable and the soaker is absorbent yet keeps my little guy feeling dry. It's one size which is great for little babies and big babies alike! Isaac is about 24 pounds right now and it fits him great on the largest setting. He still has plenty of room to grow in it too and I see this diaper being one of the ones that still fits him after he's potty trained. 

The tongue style soaker is so great. There's a little pocket opening at the front of the diaper so I can fold the soaker and stick it in the pocket for a little extra absorbency up front. The tongue style soaker makes for much quicker drying time too. No more waiting an extra 20 minutes for my all-in-ones to dry! This diaper is already dry when all my other diapers are done trying! That is a big perk for me! 

The Diaper Rite All-in-One has proven to be one durable little diaper. Isaac has worn this diapers during his sometimes 3 hours naps, out to play at the playground, and all over the place! We have never had one leak with this diaper and he's been in it for fairly long periods of time! It's definitely a dependable diaper! The best part? This diaper is under $12 each! For an all-in-one! That's almost unheard of! The Diaper Rite All-in-One cloth diaper is the diaper to have if you are looking for ease of use, quality, and an awesome price! 

Buy It!

You can purchase the Diaper Rite All-in-One cloth diaper and other great Diaper Rite products at Diaper Junction!
Win It!
One lucky reader will win a Diaper Rite All-in-One cloth diaper from Diaper Junction! 
Must be 18 years or older to enter. Only one entrant allowed per household. Giveaway is open to US and Canada only. The winner will be chosen at random and emailed. The winner will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen. 

Super Easy and Quick Snail Craft {great for children who love bugs!}

My boys (ages 4 and 1)  absolutely love bugs. When I came across this pin one evening while searching for something to keep my little ones occupied, I knew it would be a hit! 

This craft is seriously so easy to make and you probably have all of the materials on hand. Or they can be easily purchased at Dollar Tree (love that store!). 

1) Ok, first gather up your materials:

Construction paper

Googly eyes

Coffee filters

Glue

Scissors

Double sided tape

Markers 

Water (cup to put the water in)

2) I went ahead and cut out the snail shapes. I used the coffee filters as the idea of how big they needed to be.

3) I let my children go crazy with coloring masterpieces on the coffee filters with markers. 

4) After you finish decorating, add a little bit of water to your coffee filter to make the colors spread out.

5) let the coffee filters dry. We played outside during this and just let them dry in the sun.

6) assemble the coffee filter to the snail base by using double sided tape.

7) add googly eyes to your snails

8) hang on your window (I used tape to hang them) and admire them as the light shines on them. 

See, told you it was a simple fun craft :) There's no right or wrong way to do this, so just let the kids have fun! 

Happy crafting! :)

--Malanda is a contributor to TNSSCSTM blog and  not so good at updating her own blog at Outnumbered by Little Boys. She is a wife and mother of two. She enjoys making crafts, working on her etsy shop, baking and spending time with family. 

Strong Mom Series-Katelyn

Hello!  I’m Katelyn from What’s up Fagans? and I am so excited to write for this series.  I know that being a strong mom is not always easy, but it is totally possible to be a strong mom in our own way to our own children.

My induction into motherhood came with a bang.  I was blessed with fraternal girl/girl twins as my first (and second). I managed to carry these two babies inside me for 37 weeks 6 days, all while attending school full-time, even playing the French horn in the marching band, during the first trimester (going through three pairs of pants in the process), and walking uphill and upstairs each day, lugging around art supplies.  It wasn’t easy doing so, and it wasn’t comfortable sitting on stools and art horse easels.  But, I did it for nine long months.

I ended up gaining about 50lbs with my twin pregnancy, forever ruining my once awesome rock-hard abs, leaving me with a saggy, loose, stretch-marked, hernia clad stomach.  But, my twins, born via planned Cesarean section, were totally worth it.  Only one spent any time in the NICU, and only for two days.  As a twin mom I was super lucky in that regard. One was born at a whopping 6lbs 15oz and 18.5” long and the other at a whopping 6lbs 14oz and 19” long.  I had almost 14lbs of baby inside of me.  I like to joke that giving birth to twins is a great weight loss program, as I instantly lost about 20lbs on the operating table.  Carrying twins and recovering from C-section delivery were rough, but I did it, and mostly with a smile.

Six weeks after their births I moved across the country, lived with the in-laws for two months, and then moved to Indianapolis, where my husband landing his first post-graduation job as a high school math teacher.  We, however, didn’t know anyone in Indianapolis, and I was no longer a full-time student, for the first time in 17 years, but now a full-time, stay-at-home mom.  It was a rough transition.  I was lonely and overwhelmed, but also bored at times too.  I lacked transportation during the day (we were a one-car family), as well as lacked funds to do much of anything anyways (we weren’t making much and were in debt).  But, we made it through that first year of twindom, almost exclusively breastfeeding for 13 months, and did so without too much pain, and in fact, a lot of joy. 

When we decided to add on to our family, we were met with disappointment and heartache as we miscarried a baby at 7 weeks.  And it just so happened to be right after my husband got into a rather lousy car accident that totaled our (one and only) vehicle and broke his sternum.  He ended up missing a full month of work, limiting our already limited income and resources.  We thought this pregnancy, which we had just confirmed the weekend before the accident, was the one shining hope through this difficult part in our lives, but the pregnancy didn’t last either.  Needless to say, it was a pretty dark time in our marriage.  But, we got through it, and it would all eventually work out the way it was supposed to (we are now debt free, minus student loans).

Several months after the accident and my husband’s recovery, we tried again and got pregnant with a single (hooray!) baby boy.  And I was determined to avoid having another C-section, especially as I now had two children, who would be a month shy of three years old, when he was born, to take care of, mostly by myself as my husband would still be teaching and taking classes (he’s currently working on a Master’s degree).

But, in order to have a Vaginal Birth After Cesarean or VBAC, I had to play the waiting game.  I could not be induced with Pitocin, as that would increase my risk of uterine rupture, the major risk associated with a VBAC. 

So, my due date came, and then it went.  My midwife couldn’t get in there enough to strip my membranes.  So I just had to wait some more, trying to get things to move along on their own with sex, spicy foods, and walking.  But, nothing worked.  I still wasn’t dilating. And that baby boy was still not coming, even though my husband had spring break and it would’ve been the perfect week for him to make his big arrival.

So, soon we hit the 41 week mark, my husband returned to school and work, and still no baby. At 41 weeks 4 days, my midwife was finally able to strip my membranes, and it worked! Labor pains finally started and I was never happier to be finally nearing the end of this pregnancy. 

However, this baby boy decided to make a slow entrance into the world; I was in labor for 40 long hours.  Fortunately, there were no complications, and I was able to push all 9lbs 8oz, 22” of baby out vaginally, sunny-side up, and did not have to have a repeat Cesarean section.  I just had to be pregnant for 41 weeks and 6 days and have some tearing.  It was totally worth the wait, and the recovery was so much better. 

My body and my life have forever been changed by my pregnancies, miscarriage, births, and difficulties of newly-wed life.  But, I’ve handled them like a champ.  I’ve stayed strong and preserved through the hard times, and been so richly blessed and rewarded for it.  I now have three, beautiful, healthy children who are the love of my life.  I am a strong mom.  And I bet you are too.

Katelyn is a stay-at-home mom to fraternal 3.5 year old g/g twins, and a 6 month old baby boy.  She loves her simple, frugal life, and doesn’t let things get her down.  She loves her husband of almost 5 years, and greatly enjoys blogging about their life and adventures on her blog “What’s up Fagans.”  You can follow her @whatsupfagans on twitter or at facebook.com/whatsupfagans.

If you are a mom and would love to share your strong mom story send me an email at mommyferg02(at)gmail(dot)com!