All of that to say that I am totally sold on cloth and will definitely be using cloth from the beginning the next time around. We love our Fuzzi Bunz, but I’ve seen a new diaper around lately called Gro Baby and I am very intrigued by this diaper. They are a one-size which would be great starting from birth, and they have a reusable shell with a snap-in liner which would reduce laundry.

Anyway, my wonderful SIL introduced me recently to a new blog (well, new to me at least) called Green Kiddos, and there I found a link to a Gro Baby giveaway. So, this is my post entering said giveaway. I would love to try these diapers!

For more info on the diapers check out The Natural Baby Company; for more info on the giveaway, check out the Gro Baby Facebook page.

It’s the first day of Spring, my thirtieth birthday, and the beginning of UBP ’09. Definitely time to party!

Hi, I’m Jana. Welcome to my little corner of the world. Come in, help yourself to a piece of strawberry cake, and stick around to chat for a while.

For those of you who are new to these parts, let me tell you a bit about myself…

I am wife to the love of my life, Matt. God has entrusted us with two precious lives in the form of our 2.5 year old, Little, and our 11 month old, Boo; and I have had the privilege of being at home with them since Little’s birth. I lead a life filled with blessings – a great family, great friends, and, most of all, a great God.

I started blogging a little over two years ago and chose to name my place Sidetrack’d because, well, because I’m very easily distracted. You will find me writing on a wide variety of topics – funny anecdotes from everyday life, my faith, books, baseball, cooking, and anything else that strikes my fancy. I write because I enjoy it and because it is a much better way to record my children’s milestones than trying to remember to write in their baby books.

Feel free to hang out for a while, look around, and if you like what you see, subscribe to my RSS feed.

Thanks for stopping by today; I hope to “see” you again soon!

Oh yeah, if you’re interested, here’s the recipe for the yummy strawberry cake we’re enjoying for my birthday I’ll post the recipe the first of next week.

Thanks for 5 Minutes for Mom for hosting another great party! Be sure you check out all of the prizes they are giving away, too. If I were to be so fortunate as to win a prize, my three top picks would be:

Prize 7 – Ergo Baby Carrier offered by A Giveaway Addicted Mommy

Prize 3 – $25 Gift Certificate for Happy Panda

Prize 106 – Melissa & Doug Dress Up Set offered by Good for the Kids

And if those are already taken, I would love any of the following:
1, 4, 8, 16, 18, 19, 21, 26, 28, 37, 38, 43, 44, 45, 50, 52, 62, 70, 77, 78, 79, 83, 88, 91, 93, 95, 99, 105, 118, 122, 123, 125, or any of the other prizes related to babies and toddlers/preschoolers.

If you’re in the market for a double stroller check out the review and giveaway (or don’t and increase my chances to win ).

When I found out I was expecting Boo, I knew I wanted to be a babywearing Momma, and I knew that I wanted a different type of carrier.  I did some research, found some answers to questions at Adventures In Babywearing (Thanks, Steph!), and became a little more educated about what types of carriers are available.  In December my nephew was born, and my SIL was singing the praises of her Sleepy Wrap.  Based on her recommendation, I purchased a wrap and started wearing Boo when he was a couple of weeks old.

Boo and I have both loved our Sleepy Wrap.  In fact, it has saved my sanity on more than one occasion when he has been super fussy.  I tie it on, pop him in, and he is generally off to sleep in a matter of minutes.  

Now that it is HOT in my part of the world, we need something that is a little cooler on both of us.  I decided a few weeks ago to get a pouch or sling and began searching for just the right one.  It took me several hours of surfing to settle on this pouch.  I received it a couple of weeks ago, but have had a bit of trouble getting the right size/fit.  After shrinking it yesterday, I think I’ve finally got it to the correct size.  Boo rode in it yesterday afternoon for the first time and seemed to like it; again, he was asleep in minutes.

Then, I was talking to Lu on Monday about different carrier options and the issues I was having with my pouch.  We started looking around a bit at various websites and on eBay and I stumbled upon a ring sling that I fell in love with.  It is an adorable lime green with blue polka dots cotton fabric.  So, I bid on it and won the auction!  I’m awaiting it’s arrival in the mail any day now.

I still want a mei tai, and I’m sure I could come up with a few more if pressed.  And then last night at Lu’s place I saw a link to a great giveaway that I just had to sign up for:  Along for the Ride is holding a contest to Win the Essential Babywearing Stash from Along for the Ride (one Beco Butterfly, one Hotsling baby pouch, one BabyHawk Mei Tai, one Zolowear Ring Sling, and one Gypsy Mama Wrap).  I mean, what babywearing Momma could resist a chance to win five (count ‘em…one, two, three, four, five) new carriers including the mei tai that’s on my list?

I’m telling ya, it truly is an addiction; I mean, this is more fun than shopping for shoes! 

I’ve often thought about getting an apron or asking for one for birthday or Christmas, but I always seem to find a reason not to – find something else I want, decide I don’t really have the money to spend, forget.  However, each time I have a grease stain that won’t come out or a new bleach spot on my shirt I find myself wishing I had been wearing an apron.

It would be really great to have a nice, pretty apron that made housekeeping a bit more fun (or at least tolerable).  And now, I (and you, too) have a chance to win a great apron from Flirty Aprons; just visit Simple reviews (this post) to get the details.  I think I would have to choose the Blue Chocolate apron if I won.  

And even if I don’t win the giveaway, I should probably look into getting an apron.  My clothing budget would thank me.

The ladies at 5 Minutes for Mom are hosting a big Mother’s Day Giveaway the next couple of weeks.  They always offer great prizes, so click on the banner above or the one in the sidebar to check out what goodies they are offering.  

An Ordinary Life has teamed up with Sleepy Wrap to offer a great babywearing giveaway – one lucky winner will receive a new wrap (in either black or red) plus $100 cash from Sleepy Wrap!

I’ve had my eye on these wraps since my SIL got hers; she has raved so much about it that I decided I definitely need one when Baby Boo arrives. The Sleepy Wrap website has a bunch of great testimonials as well, such as, “Your Sleepy Wrap is awesome. My son JuÅ¡ likes it very much. I can’t imagine my life without it.” by Nika K.

And now I should say that if you’re interested check out the contest here, but I really don’t want to because I want to win this one myself!

The ladies at MamaSpeaks have put together a nice gift guide for your Christmas giving needs this season.  The guide is divided into several categories: Rockin’ Tot, Girly Girl, Daddy Dearest, Knocked Up (for the mom-to-be in your life), Baby Makes Three, and Toy Joy; so there are ideas for people of all ages and areas of life.  They are also giving away great prize packages in each of these categories!  Check it out by clicking the MamaSpeaks button in the right sidebar.

Steph is giving away a gorgeous Strawberry Fields Forever sling from Rockin’ Baby. Winning this sling would be a wonderful start to my collection of babywearing accessories for Little #2 that will be gracing our household in a few months. Rockin’ Baby has some really fantastic fabric combinations on their pouches and slings; better start saving my dollars in the event I don’t win.

Hop over to Adventures in Babywearing for more info on the contest and to see the pretty prize.

If you’re interested, the contest ends tonight, so hurry over to Adventures in Babywearing and sign up!

Lauren is so kind; she named me a “Thoughful Blogger”. This was designed to recognize “those who answer blog comments, emails and make their visitors feel at home on their blog; for the people who take others people’s feelings into consideration before speaking out, and who are kind and courteous. This award is for those generous bloggers who think of others.”

I am honored that Lauren thinks of me in this way. Thank you!

And now, a little of that…

Susan and Janice of 5 Minutes for Mom are having another great giveaway. They’ve teamed up with Best Buy to give their readers a chance to win an Insignia 37″ flat-panel LCD HDTV!! Click here for all the details.

I hope you are all having a wonderful Monday!

I’m so excited; yesterday I was able to get a Monk & Neagle CD via BooMama’s great CD Extravaganza! It should arrive in 10 days or so, and I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it after I’ve listened once or thirty times.

Click on the button above or the one in the sidebar to hear some of their music.

First, 5 Minutes for Mom is hosting a giveaway for $300 worth of gift certificates to purchase Horizon Organic dairy products. That is a lot of milk (and cheese, and yogurt, and…well, you get the idea)!

Next up is a CD Giveaway Extravaganza Gala Spectacular hosted by BooMama. 100 bloggers will get Monk & Neagle’s new CD for FREE! She has been raving about these guys for weeks, and I’ve really enjoyed the clips I’ve heard of their music. The link will be posted at BooMama’s site tomorrow (July 19th) at noon central time.

Then, I would like to direct your attention to the lovely little dog button in the right sidebar. Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer will be hosting the “Dog Days of Summer Bloggy Giveaway” carnival beginning Monday, July 23rd. Lots of bloggers will be linking up to give away lots of good prizes. Definitely check this one out! (guidelines are here)

And finally (for now) click on the other button in the right sidebar – the one that says “Summer Cupcake Caper” – to check out GiBee’s fun cupcake baking contest. I’m getting my entry ready (more on that in another post); submissions are due July 25th.

That covers us for now. Hopefully I will win something in one of these!

Kangaroodle’s online store is filled with cute clothes and great products for the kiddos and moms, too. Take, for example, this dress that would be just too adorable adorning Little’s body.

For anyone out there (ahem, grandmothers, ahem) who are still looking for a great gift for Little’s upcoming birthday, you should check out the good stuff at Kangaroodle.

Oh, I hope I win!

There is also a great new review site up and running called Mama Speaks. It hosts product reviews done by mamas for mamas, and they are always holding giveaways as well. Check it out sometime.

First, Steph at Adventures in Babywearing continues her summer of awesome giveaways! This time she’s giving away a Podonbutai designed by Jenn at All Natural Mommies. The Podonbutai is an ingenius babywearing device that can be used as a podeagi, an onbuhimo, or a mei tai (the carrier, not the cocktail) depending on your mood, preference, and how you tie the straps. I think Little would be just adorable riding in it!

Then, the ladies at Pinks & Blues blog are giving away a cute Vera Bradley bag and a tub of coconut butter from Sheena’s The Body Shop site.

And last, but not least, Susan and Janice at 5 Minutes for Mom are giving 10 lucky winners The Neat Receipts Scanalizer portable scanner and software. This looks like such a neat product for scanning receipts, recipes, or magazine articles I would like to save for later.

If you would like to join in the fun, click any of the links above to visit the contests.

Yes, I did walk this morning; thanks for asking!

Oh my, the ladies at 5 Minutes for Mom are having a dozen, yep, that’s what I said, a DOZEN giveaways in celebration of our country’s independence!

The prizes look great: a Krups ice cream maker, a custom Land’s End swimsuit, Momager calling cards, a weekend for you me and a friend at Motherhood Redefined, a MetroWrap, and a “Living the Dream” t-shirt of your my choice. Plus, several more to come over the next few days!

Click here or on the banner above (or in the sidebar) to join in the festivities. Thanks to Janice and Susan for hosting such a great series of giveaways!

In other giveaway news, Adventures in Babywearing is giving away another great sling! Steph has deemed the Solarveil ring sling from KimzKreations the must-have sling of the summer. Click here to check it out.