Green Your Summer Giveaway Hop! #GreenYourSummer

Welcome to the Green Your Summer Event! I am so excited to be participating in this great event!  The Blogging Mamas Network has come together with like-minded bloggers to make sure your grass isn't all that is green this Summer! Summer is a great time to try to do things a little greener and help out the environment in any way we can!

Each blogger in the Event is bringing readers a great green prize to win.  You have until June 13th to enter, so be sure to hop around to them all and find great eco-friendly products to help you go green! 

While you're hopping, be sure to enter the TWO Grand Prizes for to Green Your Summer for Mom and Baby!  You'll find prizes including a Lunette Menstrual Cup, Amber Necklace and Bracelet Set, a Merino Wool Sleepsack, re-usable Snack Pouches, and earth-friendly Vinyl Wall Decals from Walls Need Love! 

Here at The Not-So-Secret Confessions one lucky reader has the chance to win two awesome eco-friendly prizes; OraMD natural toothpaste and mouthwash and the Lunette Menstrual Cup!

Giveaway is open to US residents only. You must be 18 years of age or older to enter. The winner will be chosen at random and emailed. The winner will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen. To enter just fill out the Rafflecopter form below! 

That goes WHERE?! Lunette Menstrual Cup Review! #GreenYourSummer

The Green Your Summer Giveaway Hop starts this Thursday, May 30th and I have two awesome sponsors for this event!

I'm always looking for ways to cut back on waste and for ways to save money. I had no idea, until just recently, that I could even do that with my monthly menstrual cycle! There are a few ways to "green" your period. Some women use "Mama Cloth", which are reusable cloth pads that you wash and reuse. I've never ever liked using pads so I haven't brought myself to use Mama Cloth yet, but when I discovered the Lunette Menstrual Cup I knew I had to give it a try! 

A menstrual cup takes the place of pads and tampons. You insert it like a tampon and it collects instead of absorbs and you empty it, wash it, and reuse it instead of throwing it away and replacing it with another. Yes, sounds a little gross, but it's really not that bad! 

The Lunette Menstrual Cup is made of medical grade silicone in Finland. It is latex-free and safe to use. It is designed for women of all ages and sizes, including women who have not yet had sexual intercourse. It comes in two different sizes for you to choose from depending on your size, amount of flow, age, and other things such as if you've had a baby or not. It's easy to clean, by boiling water or rubbing alcohol, saves money, and is environmentally friendly. 

Now I'm sure you are wondering how this thing works. Before I used it I was worried about it being gross and messy, keeping it clean, and even if it got stuck up there! I've used the Lunette menstrual cup for two cycles now, and it has taken some getting used to, but I'm beginning to really like it! 

You insert the Lunette cup like you would a tampon by folding and inserting. Just like a tampon if you get it positioned correctly you won't even feel it. You can wear the Lunette cup for up to 12 hours if possible without leaks, but they suggest you do not wear it more than 12 hours before taking it out and properly cleaning it. I've only worn mine a few hours at a time. Removing it has proven to be a bit of a struggle for me. I think because I am so nervous about it getting stuck that I tense up. The key to removing it is to relax. It's really not all that messy to remove it either. Everything is all contained inside the cup! In all honestly I find a tampon more gross than my Lunette Menstrual Cup! 

I am really starting to like my Lunette cup! It has taken a little getting used to but once I got the hang of inserting it and removing it, there was nothing to it! It works great, it's safe, and I'm so glad I don't have to create a bunch of waste with tampons and pads! It's so nice not to have to worry about having enough tampons on hand when that time of the month rolls around or having to go pick some up at the store! I just wash my Lunette cup and I'm ready to go! I think I'm a Lunette Menstrual Cup convert and I don't think I'll ever use tampons again! 

Have you ever used a Menstrual Cup or Mama Cloth? If so, what do you love about it? If not, is it something you're interested in trying? You'll have the chance to win one in the Green Your Summer giveaway hop, starting this Thursday, May 30th!

Going Green In My Mouth! OraMD Natural Toothpaste and Mouthwash Review #GreenYourSummer

The Green Your Summer Giveaway Hop hosted by the Blogging Mamas Network starts this Thursday, May 30th and I have two great sponsors to share with you! The first one is OraMD!

OraMD is a natural toothpaste and mouthwash all in one! It is made with three pure botanical oils, peppermint, almond, and spearmint to kill bacteria and prevent gum disease and tooth decay. All three of these oils fight bacteria and leave a minty fresh taste in your mouth. Because they are oils they don't rinse out of your mouth like regular toothpaste or mouthwash, but instead seep into your gums and attack bacteria even while you sleep! It fights off and heals a huge number of dental problems such as gingivitis, swollen or bleeding gums, dry mouth, and bad breath! 

All you have to do is brush twice a day with just 2-5 drops of OraMD. You don't have to use regular toothpaste or mouthwash! OraMD's website also suggests you use it as a mouthwash twice a day mixed with some water, and to put a drop or two on your tongue up to two times a day to fight bad breath and kill bacteria. 

I received a bottle of OraMD to try out for myself. It's been a bit of an adjustment for me to use this instead of regular toothpaste. I've been using regular toothpaste my entire life so this has been a change for me. The three oils in OraMD taste REALLY strong. I was blown away the first time I used it by how strong the taste was. I'm still getting used to the strength of the taste, but my teeth do feel really clean after brushing with OraMD.  You wouldn't think just a few drops of liquid could clean your teeth, fight bacteria, and give you fresh breath but it really does! I love that it's made from natural oils, which makes it "green" and also saves money! This little bottle can last four weeks or so because you only need a few tiny drops each time you use it! I'm happy I've found something that can keep my mouth clean and I can avoid the harsh chemicals that are sometimes found in typical toothpaste and mouthwash! I'm excited to continue using it to see how much it improves the condition of my mouth and teeth! 

You can win your own bottle of OraMD in the Green Your Summer Giveaway Hop, starting this Thursday, May 30th! 

Earth's Best Organic Diapers and Wipes Review!

Disclosure: I was sent these products free of charge. I was not compensated in any other way. The opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own. 

If you read my blog, you know that we are a cloth diapering family and have been for a while. But I'll admit, I do like to keep disposables on hand for certain situations. I put Isaac in disposables for church nursery, or if he gets a really bad rash and needs some rash cream that isn't safe for cloth diapers, I like to have them. When I do put a disposable diaper on Isaac I want to make sure I'm putting on one that is as safe as possible for him, which is why I love using Earth's Best Organic Disposable Diapers and Wipes!

Both the Earth's Best Diapers and the Earth's Best Wipes are chlorine free. The diapers are latex-free, dye-free, and perfume free also. The diapers are made with fewer petro-chemicals and instead made with more naturally absorbent materials. The wipes are unscented, hypoallergenic, and alcohol-free. They are gentle enough to use on baby's bum and their face and hands! 

I was sent both Earth's Best diapers and wipes to review. I received the diapers in a size 4, which is the size Isaac is in. They fit him really well and are very absorbent! A few weeks ago he had a little bit of a rash so I put him in an Earth's Best diaper overnight with some diaper cream and the diaper held up all night without any leaks! I really like that when I do have to put a disposable diaper on him I can put one that is not full of tons of chemicals and is made as naturally as possible! The baby wipes are really thick and cloth-like. They are a bit more soapy feeling than I like so I usually use them to wipe messy hands and faces! They are really gentle on Isaac's sensitive skin, which is great!

I don't always use disposable diapers but when I do I love that I can use a disposable that is made to be as safe as possible for my baby. I love that they are free of chemicals such as chlorine, dyes, and perfumes! Earth's Best is the disposable diaper I will continue to use when I need to use a disposable diaper on my baby! 

#FlatsChallenge-My Final Thoughts On Flats and Handwashing!

I just put Isaac to bed in a pocket stuffed with two flats to end off the Flats and Handwashing Challenge hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry! I've learned so much from doing this challenge and I'm so glad I did it! 

First, I plan on continuing to use my flats. I'm not sure about just flats and covers all the time, but I do want to replace my microfiber inserts for my pockets with flats. I really like the flats stuffed inside a pocket. They don't stink like microfiber does and they are super absorbent! 

Taking this challenge has made me want to become even more of an advocate for cloth diapers! I loved them before and loved to convert a friend when they asked me about them, but now I want to spread even more awareness, even to strangers! Cloth diapering is possible for anyone that is willing to give it a go! Even those in the most dire of financial situations can do it! Flats and covers and handwashing are 100 times better than leaving a baby in a disposable diaper for much longer than they should be or reusing a disposable diaper!

I am so glad I made the decision to take this challenge! I learned new things, and deepened my love for cloth diapers and all the great benefits they have to offer! 

If you are a mom or mom to be and you are considering cloth diapers or are just interested in them please feel free to contact me! I would love to answer any questions you have and help you in any way I can!

#FlatsChallenge Day 6- My Favorite Fold and Some Things I've Learned About Flats!

It's Day 6 of the Flats and Handwashing Challenge hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry! Today  is an open topic day so I thought I'd share with you my favorite fold for flats (say that 3x fast!) and also share some things I have learned about flats!

The Origami Fold is my favorite fold for flats! Mostly because it's the only one I'm really good at other than just tri-folding them, which doesn't really count I don't think. It's easy and covers baby's bum very well! It does take a little bit of folding but it's not hard at all once you get it down once! 

1.  Lay your flat out flat
2. Fold flat upward in half
3. Fold flat across in half again. 
4. Grab the first layer at the top corner and pull across making a triangle. (Just the first layer!!)
5. Turn the whole thing over. 
6. Grab the part that is still a rectangular shape and tri-fold it. 
7. Put your baby on the diaper and put the tri-folded part over baby and wrap the triangular part (the wings) around your baby and secure with a snappi or pins! 

See simple! I learned it by watching videos on you tube so you might want to check that out too! I love this fold and use it a lot throughout the day!

What I've Learned About Flats

Before this challenge I had never used flats. I have been cloth diapering for nearly four years and had never used flats. So this has been a complete learning experience for me. Here are some thing I've learned about using flats!

1. Flats are cheap! I sort of knew this already but I didn't know how cheap! My favorite flats so far are the flour sack towels I got from Walmart for $5! They are nice and big and work great! It would cost about $25 to get a little over 2 dozen flats if you just used those! That's really cheap and really awesome! 
2. They aren't as easy as a pocket or AIOs, but they are still pretty easy! Even if you didn't learn any of the different folds except for how to tri-fold it into a cover you'd be completely fine using just flats. A lot of the time that's all I do because it's so quick and simple! 
3. They can be messy. Since I'm not used to just a flat piece of fabric as my diaper I sometimes forget how easily they can unfold and that can make a big mess with a poopy diaper! Not my favorite part, but isn't being a parent of little ones messy in general? It's not the worst I've dealt with for sure. 
4. They can work at night!! I was worried about using flats at night, and granted I still cheat a little and stuff them inside a pocket, we haven't had one leak all week long! They are pretty dang absorbent! 
5. I like them a lot more than I thought I would! I'll admit, when I decided to sign up for the flats challenge I thought I would give it a go but would probably end up reselling my flats and going back to my pockets and AIOs. Now that we are approaching the end of the week I am seriously considering switching to flats full time! They are just so easy! Easy to use, easy to wash, super quick to dry, and so cheap! I really like them! Now hand washing is something I am NOT considering doing full time! I miss my washing machine! 

If you are doing the flats challenge or use flats, what's your favorite fold? What are some things you've learned since using flats?

#FlatsChallenge Day 5- What Works and What Doesn't!

I can't believe it's already day 5 of the Flats and Handwashing Challenge hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry! This week has flown by! It's been a fun challenge and I've learned a lot! 

Today we are prompted to talk about what is working for us and what isn't! Thankfully, it hasn't been a very difficult challenge and not a lot hasn't worked for us. I've had to tweak my way of doing things a bit but it's going really well!

What Works

• Staying on top of the laundry! Since it's a bit of a process I have to stay on top of it or else I end up with a bunch of wet diapers and no clean ones to put on him! 
• Origami fold! Love this fold! It's about the only fold I can do other than the pad fold that just lays in the cover! But it's a great fold and fits around him just like any other diaper would!
• Lots of distractions! With a wiggly 18 month old that wants to GO GO GO it can be really hard to get a flat diaper on! So I have to have lots of little toys or something to distract him while I'm changing him. 

What Doesn't Work

• Poop? Does that count? I can't really avoid it but man I do not like it in a flat! Just yucky! 
• Waiting until you only have 2-3 flats left before washing DOES NOT WORK! You have to stay on top of the laundry when hand washing because you  have to take into consideration the time it takes to hand wash the diapers and line dry them!
• Things don't go to well with only 2 covers! That's all I've got and it has been a challenge. I suggest at least 4 covers if not more! 

Like I said, things are going pretty well! There's been a few challenges but I really like how simple flats are! I can just lay them in a cover or inside a pocket diaper and I'm done! Super easy! It's definitely been a great learning experience so far!

And just because he's so cute, here's a picture of my little guy making silly faces in his flat this morning!