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Monday, September 30, 2013

The Little Bee Co. Review & Giveaway



I was given an amazing opportunity from the little bee co. to review one of their incredible cloth diapers. I was jumping for joy over this opportunity. Not only do I love cloth diapers, but I love companies like this who take making the world a better place to a whole new level. This company and their mission is beyond inspirational. 

"Bee changed and change the world" is The Little Bee Co.'s mission statement. They have a deep passion to help children in need and to spread awareness of the worlds orphan crisis. My eyes have been opened by the information that The Little Bee Co. has shared about the need for diapers in orphanages especially in 3rd world countries where proper diapering is not available. Many orphanages simply use rags or no diapers at all. These unsanitary conditions are very harmful for these sweet babies. 

I am blown away by how much The Little Bee Co. gives. Not only do they give by donating 1 diaper per diaper from their sales, but they also give of themselves. They personally travel the world setting up diapering systems in orphanages. The Little Bee Co. just last month filled 11army duffels filled with 1,223 of their incredible diapers, 26 extra covers and 50 insert sets for a diaper drop in Uganda, Africa. These diapers were spread throughout many orphanages in Africa. I encourage you to LIKE The Little Bee Co.'s FB page and view the heartwarming images here: The Little Bee Co. FACEBOOK. If you are as moved as much as I am by this company please consider making a diaper donation. If you cloth diaper and would like to purchase a diaper or two or three, with each diaper purchased, a diaper is donated. If you do not need to purchase cloth diapers but would love to support the The Little Bee Co. and their mission, please click this link where with as little as $10 you can donate a diaper to an orphan who is desperately in need of a diaper: DONATE.


Just look at the faces of these beautiful Children.
Photo Credit: The Little Bee Co.

I could go on and on about this company but I must move on to tell you about their diapers. They are AMAZING! One thing I have learned in our 20 months of cloth diapering is that all cloth diaper brands are definitely not created equal. If you are a lover of fluff, just looking at the photos of their diapers alone will have you craving a whole new stash of diapers. The colors are the very best out there with names as beautiful as they are. Each diaper color represents a group of children in need. The diaper that my daughter Delilah was so generously gifted for this review is called Samoa'kin Posey and it is a beauty inside and out. 




When the package arrived, the diaper was even better than I expected and I had high expectations for this brand. By far, this is the softest diaper I have ever had. The Little Bee Co. has a few different diaper styles and the one that I am reviewing is the Bee Changed Ultra Cool. The Little Bee Co. calls this diaper "the coolest diaper around" and it is in more ways than one. This diaper is a one-size pocket diaper that is 100% all natural bamboo/organic cotton/coolplus blend. Two microfiber inserts are included with the diaper. A full size adjustable insert and a contoured newborn insert. You can use both inserts snapped together or on their own. We tried the diaper both ways and the diaper held up perfect each way. The two inserts together gives your baby the best fluffy tush you will ever see. I will definitely be purchasing many diapers from The Little Bee Co. and doing everything that I can to support their mission. 

Picking flowers from her garden to match her diaper

Thank you The Little Bee co. for all that you do to make the world a better place and bring joy to so many beautiful faces. 

GIVEAWAY: The Little Bee Co. is so generous that they would like to giveaway a diaper to one of my fabulous readers. If you are not in need of a diaper you can still enter the giveaway and have your diaper donated to an orphan in need. 

To enter: You can receive up to 3 entries. Leave 1 comment telling me the color choice of the diaper that you would pick if you win. If you are donating leave one comment with the word donate. LIKE The Little Be Co. on FB and leave me 1 comment that you did for an additional entry. LIKE this blog She Dreams & Wishes on Things for an additional entry. Leave me a comment on this post that you did or already do. Good Luck! Winner will be drawn and announced on Sunday October  6th. 

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Tuesday, September 24, 2013

September happenings: Baby update


Hi, remember me? September, one of my very favorite months has come and almost gone in a flash. Delilah, my mom and I just returned from a trip to Los Angeles. It's amazing how a quick 4 day trip has you playing so much catch up when you return back to your normal routine. More on that trip to come in a following post. 

In baby news, I met with my Dr just before leaving for California. Next week I am having an exploratory procedure to look for a cause of our infertility. I am having mixed emotions about this procedure. On one hand I am terrified for what they may find and what that will mean for us. What if they find something that means I will not be able to carry another baby. On the other hand I hope that they do find something. Something that is an easy fix. Something that once removed will bring us a baby. Then there is the possibility that they will not find anything which will leave me frustrated but grateful for my health. 

I believe that I will get my results immediately following the procedure and my Dr told me that we will discuss our next step once we have the results. Whatever the outcome may be, it looks like I am in store for at least one procedure, maybe more and the dreaded fertility meds. 

Today is our anniversary. Since it is a work day, we will be having a special date night on a later date. We did however have a lovely early evening. Patrick came home from work with three beautiful bouquets of flowers for the three years that we have been married. I will never be the girl who says I do not need flowers because they just die. I love flowers and I need flowers in my life. I also received a beautiful card that Patrick wrote inside "I'm so happy that I asked you to dance!" Such a sweet personal touch that brought a tear to my eye. 

We decided to take our greatest accomplishment, Delilah out for our anniversary for a special day. We went to the Morton Arboretum on this beautiful evening. After two hours walking the arboretum and taking in some natural beauty, we picked up a veggie pizza and a dove bar and came home for dinner. Yep, veggie pizza and a dove bar is the way to my heart and a special/unhealthy treat that does not happen often. It was a relaxing and lovely night. 

When we picked up our pizza, we pulled up next to a car of a family with four young beautiful children. They all looked to be about 9 months apart and their parents couldn't have been any older than us. It was always my wish to have four children. I had hoped that at this point in my life, I would have four children already. With another birthday quickly approaching, it does not look like four children will be a possibility for me unless by some miracle I become pregnant with triplets. 

I feel extremely blessed to have such an amazing daughter who inspires me every day of my life. She fills my heart with more joy than I will ever need. If she is the only one for me, I will be forever grateful for her and her alone. 


Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Adventures in potty training - a potty training funny

After breakfast today I removed Delilah's booster seat from its dining room chair and set it on the floor. Delilah had fun making a big mess and I needed to remove the chair to clean under it. While I was cleaning the table and dining room chair, Delilah came running over. She spotted her booster seat on the floor and before I could stop her, she removed her diaper, sat in her booster seat and pooped in her booster seat. In her defense, her booster seat and potty look very similar. I am proud of her for running to what I assume she thought was her potty, removing her own diaper and sitting down to poop but it is important for her to know that it is never a good idea to poop where you eat. 

Monday, September 2, 2013

I forgot to breathe


The moment that I got into bed last Monday night I was hit with excruciating pain. I rolled onto my right side and it was as if someone injected me with a needle full of pain. I was up all night and I couldn't do anything to escape the pain. Thankfully I have the worlds greatest chiropractor who so generously rescued me.

My body has consistently had a slap in the face way of getting my attention when I am neglecting it. I am fully aware of the warning signs that are sent out before I get completely knocked out but sometimes life gets in the way and we put ourselves and our health on the back burner. 

During my office visit I said to Tim my chiropractor "I really wish my body would stop failing me!" As soon as the words came out of my mouth, my next sentence hit me and I quickly added, "Or, maybe I'm failing my body". 

I also mentioned to Tim that I felt like I had been handling my "stress" aka infertility better this time around. He then asked "are you breathing?" I placed my hands on my belly to take a deep belly breath and was surprised to find that no, I have not been breathing. By not breathing, I mean not properly breathing. Breathing from the belly (diaphragm). I realized that my last proper breath was my most important breath, the breath that brought Delilah into the world. 

My Dr. who has been delivering babies for 20+ years was so impressed with my breathing technique, he still talks about it when I see him. Delilah was in distress and the room flooded with nurses and Dr's who set up for an emergency c-section. Her heart rate was rapidly dropping, the cord was double wrapped around her neck and she was sunny side up. While the room was frantically preparing for a c-section which I desperately did not want to have, my Dr. successfully turned Delilah and her heart rate came back up a little. He asked me if I wanted to try just one push and I said yes. Knowing that I had one shot at this, one shot to deliver my baby with my breath, I gave it my all. With that first breath she flourished and in three breaths, she was on my chest and in my arms. I was silent, and those where the best three breaths that I have ever taken. 

That day, I became a mother to a daughter of my very own. We spent 5 days in the hospital with her due to jaundice. Then we came home and her life was in our hands. Having a child is the greatest gift in the world. There are so many sacrifices worth taking. You do not have nearly as much time or energy to invest in yourself as you had the day before your child was born. 

One of the best things that we can do for our children is take care of ourselves. If we are not well, we can not give our all. Sometimes we think that we are doing our best but then something happens and we realize that we can do better.

I thought that I was doing pretty well handling stress and taking care of myself and I have been but, I can do better. The fact that I have stopped focusing on my breath is really ridiculous. I have spent the last 13 years of my like in the wellness field. I am a trained yoga and pilates instructor and a massage therapist. I have taken many educational courses on breathing and instructed people on how to breath. Somewhere, I stopped listening to myself. 

I am still a working massage therapist. I take clients twice a week after Patrick arrives home from work. A few years back, I stopped teaching yoga and pilates and strictly worked as a massage therapist. I have realized that I need the balance of yoga, pilates and massage to keep my body, mind and spirit in balance. I plan to get back to my personal yoga and pilates routine and to further my education in yoga and pilates and start instructing again. My body can not fail me if I do not fail my body.