baby carrier giveaway

here is a link to a drawing for five baby carriers - what a great prize!

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)

Win an Ergo!

quick post to link to this contest drawing for a free Ergo. I tried one on once and it was really very comfortable. We are taking Zoe on her first camping trip this weekend (as long as the weather cooperates) and an Ergo would be great for hiking. She is getting a bit wiggly and curious for the stretchy wrap - need to start being able to wear her on my back (can be done with the stretchy, but not as well, especially as she is still so little and doesnt have 100% head control) and so am looking into a mai tai or woven wrap. or Ergo. If I win one that will solve the problem!

Stonyfield yogurt election

I have big big love for stonyfield yogurt. You should go to their website and vote for the next flavor, and maybe win a years supply, which would only be the best prize ever. ever.

But also, the "flavor election" deal is pretty funny.

SIGG giveaway!

Just posting a link to a great giveaway contest from SIGG, the company that makes those great aluminum bottles. I keep using my nalgene, because I have it already, but I love their designs. The next time I lose the nalgene (happens on occasion you know) Ill definetly be replacing it with one of these. And the company is awesome. Check out the stuff they are doing on their website to celebrate being around 100 years, and the giveaway contest on greenstylemom's blog

slings wraps tais oh my!

There are a lot of things to learn about when you are having a baby. Just one of these is how to transport the little buggaboo around, and the world of baby carrying is a zillion times bigger than i had thought. At first I was very excited to buy a German wrap I had heard of, dydimos, and did not realize there were many other options. well i was wrong. there are hundreds of kinds of brands and styles etc of wraps, slings, ring contraptions, backpackish ones with clips, things called mei tais, its wild. for situations like this it is very lucky/helpful to have friends who have already become versed in the lingo, like becca who could have a baby-wearer phd. but, even with the help of a pro there are lots of choices. i like ones with no added structure beyond the material and no clips - just fabric to tie and maybe a ring. Some of the fabrics are really fabulous. Once I have settled on one or two and have a baby to cart around to try it out Ill post a picture. But meanwhile I want to post a link to a 250$ baby carrier give away contest!

the next major learning curve in regards to what to get to be ready for the baby, and actually a bit more complicated and urgent than baby wearing, is cloth diapering. oh my there are options. oh my there are things to know. oh my there are things to buy. once i become an expert i will be so glad to guide future moms and dads trying to figure it all out for their first babies too.

sitting in bluehouse, too much on the brain

I have been busy lately with, well, several things. and there are several things on my mind. things that vary widely in importance, but all of which seem to sit at the forefront of my brain. some of them are:
1. our roomate is seriously totally missing. tried to file a missing persons report with the police, but i didnt know his birthdate and apparently that is crucial. they said to call back later if hes still missing. ! yep. still missing. 3 wks and counting. ive begun investigating with his past employer, but sadly dont know anyone else to contact. feel terrible for not knowing more about this quiet artist.
2. baby room is is disaster mode and someone has to scrape lead paint out from behind paneling and wallpaper and "air scrub" it and i have to be somewhere else while this happens, and they wont say precisely when they will show up to do the work.
3. want to buy eco-paint to put on the new walls when they are done, but havent researched what kind and how pricey it will be.
4. dont have any of the things that should go in the room when its done. or a real idea of what i want it to look like.
5. need to order the rug. want to order from flor.com, fantastic company. great product and ideal for spill-magnet baby rooms, and they have a 15% off anything sale until friday. but struggling to make final color/texture decisions. coupon code: FF873W
6. the collapsible bags i ordered are pretty great. though i expected them to collapse into an even smaller size for the purse, though its nothing big. and the yellow is, well, not the most beautiful, but it was cheaper (now i see why - probably not selling as fast) and the company reusablebags.com won an award for green business of the year from co-op america (im a member, are you??) and are offering a free bag, one of their best sellers, with orders over 25$ if you put "free acme bag" into comments box of order until 11/16. so im thinking about other christmas gifts (they sell more than bags).
7. oh yeah, and the dissertation prospectus...a month and counting. damn.
8. and lastly, my students quiz grades are abysmal. seriously, i try to make it easy! what the heck!

Bags Bags Bags!

I love bags, and we all know that everyone should use reusable bags all the time. Certainly. Of course! The key is having one on hand at all time. Part of that is planning when you are shopping, but that certainly doesn't always happen for me, and I get so frustrated when I find myself at the store empty handed. That is why I am so stoked for these collapsible bags that clip to something! I just ordered several for christmas presents! (and also one for myself). I don't actually own one yet, I am just assuming they are great, because they look and sound great, and someone told me they are great...and there is a 10% discount until the end of October (coupon code eccd87) (thanks greenstylemom.blogspot.com !) Also, it seems the yellow bags are 2 dollars cheaper than the other colors, go yellow!

Another favorite tip for using less plastic when shopping: I saved a half a dozen of the small plastic bags used at the grocery store for produce and keep them in my canvas grocery shopping bags and now use the same ones over and over. you can, of course, also buy nice net bags for produce, but if you don't have any like me, this plan also cuts down on lots of waste.)