Little Acorns Market Christmas Extravaganza

Well I've just been to Perth and back and my boo bahs are tired and cranky so for our game we are just going to do a quick quiz!

I have 6 quick traditional Christmas questions and first prize goes to the first person who answers all 6 correctly (here on the blog of course)...we also have a consolation prize for the second and third people to answer correctly.  Please make sure you also leave your name.  Entries without a name (first and surnames please) will not be valid!

First prize - 20c gamers pass
Second and third prize - 10c gamers pass

Are you ready?

1 - What are the names of Santa's 9 reindeer?

2 - What do you get in your stocking if you are on the naughty list?

3 - What did my true love give to me on the 5th day of Christmas? (think about it we want you to list everything)

4 - What were baby Jesus' father and mother's names?

5 - Why were they travelling to Bethlehem on a donkey when the mother was about to have a baby?

6 - What 3 gifts did the wise men bring to the baby?

And that's it!  SO if you know all the answers then get those fingers typing and see if you can get them down first. 

1500 Liker giveaway!!!

Yay we made it to 1500 likers before we officially close our doors!

So we are going to celebrate with a giveaway :) and I guess it makes sense to be giving away what we have most of...D'lish Snap in Ones...and we are going to give away 2 of them...the winners choice of instock size and colour.

We still have some limited editions....

And some regular range colours...

So what do you have to do???
Go to our website and take a look at which SIOs we have available and then come back here and tell us which one you would MOST like to win AND your email address so we can let you know if you are the winner.  Entries without an email address will be INVALID so don't forget.  Only one entry per person and we will draw tomorrow night once the kids are in bed (thats Tues Nov 6, sometime after 7.30pm WST)

You will note that I have moved all the Limited Editions back out of the clearance section to make it easier for you but the prices are still the same!

An Important Announcement!

If you've been floating around our website the last week or so you might have noticed some changes.  Prices have been going down and specials have been sticking around longer than expected and the clearance aisle is constantly being topped up.

Well there's a reason for that!

We're closing our doors!

We have been fighting a losing battle with our local shire about being able to run our business from home and with business being incredibly slow this year we are unable to justify paying rent on a separate office any more.

We have also had an extremely busy fostering year, although we have only had 5 children placed with us this year, 4 of them have stayed with us for over 6 months and along with our own 5 children, and our permanent foster child the year has been FULL ON!  Added to which we are transitioning our Autistic boy into High School and it's taking it's toll on everyone.

Those are the big things, but there are lots of other little bits and pieces that added together have contributed to our decision.

BUT

if we HAVE to go out....we plan to do it with a BANG!!!

Everything is marked down!  And it's staying that way until it's all GONE!

And it's not all bad...

I am sure that the Lord has something bigger and better in store for us (secretly hoping it involves a teeny tiny foster bubba...in fact I might even squirrel away a couple of little gumdrops just in case) and I have to confess that I am looking forward to being just a Mum for a while....and being able to keep up with my house work...and maybe even having time to give my poor garden some of the attention it deserves.  AND just think of how much fun it will be packing up ALL that fluff and sending it on its way!

 So we invite you to take a stroll through our website, and share our sale with your friends...and maybe forgive me if I spam you just a little bit on facebook over the next couple of weeks ;) 

Pockets for the Pee Machine!

In one of my recent posts I wrote about our foster rascal and how he is such a heavy wetter that fitteds were just about the only way to go...

Well I LOVE my fitteds BIGTIME and I am very glad they are getting heaps of use but of late the foster rascal has decided that nappies...or really clothes in general...are highly overrated (as you do when you are 17 months old and a BOY)

He is also EXTREMELY stubborn about it!!!

Now you have to remember that we have had a lot on our plate this year, it's been a busy fostering year for us and we are transitioning our autistic rascal into high school, which was never going to be easy, and then of course there are our own kids and a business to run.  Some days getting that extra layer of cover onto a kicking screaming toddler can just seem like too much...I am only human after all!

But then I discovered that we own/stock some VERY awesome pocket nappies. Not quite as soaky as a fitted of course, but soaky enough to cope with the pee machine on an average day :D  *cue the Hallelujah Chorus*

AND they're pretty cute too!

First of all is our gorgeous stripety ecoBumba pocket nappy.  We use both inserts to give us 5 layers of "soak" and because it is a trim fitting hip snap it fits well on our slender pee machine.

And then there are the gorgeous gorgeous Rarpz Characters!  I couldn't help myself, once I discovered how well these work for us I had to get 3! (on top of the one lonely Rarpz that I already had)

These have a rectangular trifold which is made from a layer of bamboo AND a layer of microfibre so once it is folded you end up with 6 layers of awesome soakiness and they hold a LOT of wee!...they even cope with nap time!

They are a more generous fit than the ecoBumba one and a little bit susceptible to wing droop, but that is easily sorted by skipping a snap or two when putting it on.

With some of my other nappies I have found that I get some wicking through the cotton panel...especially if it's on the front (relegating some of my absolute favourites to the bottom of the pile *sad face*) but I haven't found that to be a problem with these at all.

And did I mention that they are CUTE???

Another pocket nappy that I find quite good are our Fluff E. Stuff PUL pocket nappies.  These are a side snap, if that is your preference, and are stuffed from the front, so if you are having issues with poop getting into your pockets they may be the way to go.  They do only have one bamboo trifold so not quite so much "soakiness and you might need to add a bit of extra boosting (which there is plenty of space for) if you have a pee machine too :D

So there you have it...a handful of nappies that have made my life a little easier AND made the pee machine's butt just a wee bit cuter in time for summer too :)

You can find us on facebook here or visit our webstore here :)

Happy Birthday Me (giveaway 3)

And last, but not least, one of these gorgeous Bum Cheeks Whale Appliqué nappies!

Just tell us what your favourite reason to use cloth is :D

Entries close tomorrow (July 19) midday WST

Happy Birthday Me! (Giveaway 2)

Next up we have a Snuggle Tots Pocket Nappy (bamboo inner) in Blood Orange.

To enter we'd like to know your favourite workhorse nappy :D

Entries close tomorrow (July 19) midday WST

Happy Birthday Me! (giveaway 1)

Well anyone who follows us on facebook will have realised that today is my birthday.

And to celebrate we have been marking down some fluff and giving some away too.

We do like to stay within facebook guidelines so we are running these final few giveaways from right here on the blog.

Giveaway 1

We are giving away a Zeebra wetbag from itti bitti.  To win just tell us the most creative use you can think of for a wetbag.

Entries close tomorrow (July 19) at midday WST

My Mama Cloth Journey

I am a member of several MCN groups on facebook, and while I don't spend a LOT of time in any of them, I do like to poke my head in from time to time and see how everyone is going.  And one thing I notice while poking my head in, is that there are often threads about Mama Cloth...so I thought I'd share my personal journey to becoming a Mama Cloth Enthusiast :)  Suffice it to say, if you are not up for TMI, this is not a post for you :D

When I got my first big parcel of itti bitti Snap in Ones they included a product guide.  On the back it had a list of products that were still in the design and testing phase and on this list was "Cloth Menstrual Pads."  That was the first time I ever heard of Mama Cloth.  I have to be honest here and say that my immediate thought was YUK!!! I seriously thought I would never even consider using them.

Now my youngest bub is, and always has been, a bit of a boob-a-holic and in the early days he didn't really like to be put down.  I used my papoose a LOT but I also spent a fair bit of time sitting with him on my lap and spending way too much time on facebook. And during this time I stumbled across several pages that sold Mama Cloth and talked to people who used Mama Cloth and I wondered if they might not be worth giving a try.

So I bit the bullet and bought some to try.  The first set I bought were topped with bamboo velour and backed with PUL.  I found them a little floppy and the PUL was slippery so I had trouble keeping them in place but even so I found the feel of the fabric a lot nicer than scratchy paper pads. 

I had seen this picture of Mama Cloth from Fluff E. Stuff and the look of it appealed to me...

Actually I think what appealed to me is that they looked a lot like the brand of paper pad that I had been using.  These ones are backed with cotton, with the layer of PUL hidden inside and Leah was good enough to make me up a set of gorgeous pink ones like this. I was instantly in love.  They were comfy and they didn't slip around.

Perfect!!!

At that time I still wasn't really game enough to use them on my heavy days or overnight so I just used them towards the end of my period for a few cycles but I very soon realised that it was very easy and not really very yucky at all.

The next lot of Fluff E Stuff pads I got were topped with Killington Flannel instead of Bamboo Velour and all I can say is OMG!  I didn't think it was possible to improve on the Bamboo ones but I was proven wrong.  They are just as comfy but they also have a stay dry effect that draws the moisture away from your skin.

For some time now I have been rinsing my mama cloth off with my nappy sprayer before I soak them in cold water and EVERY SINGLE month I find myself astonished!  When I go to rinse them it looks like there is not a lot on them but when rinsing it takes longer than I think it will for the water to run clear.  These little babies hold a LOT of blood (now I did warn you about TMI didn't I???)

Fluff E. Stuff is now making Little Sky Handmade pads too, as well as her own design.  This is one of the sets that I bought...

The shape is different but the structure of the pad is still pretty much the same.  They are still lined with Killington Flannel and while I think I still prefer the LOOK of the other ones I LOVE these too.  For comfort they are the same and they work just as well, only I find these ones just a tad less bulky to wear so I do find myself grabbing one of these more often than not...if there are any left in the drawer that is :D

I have heard a lot of people say that their periods have become shorter and lighter since starting to use cloth pads.  I can't say I ever particularly paid a lot of attention to comments like this...I thought they were just exaggerating BUT while my periods haven't shortened particularly, the number of heavy days I have is certainly less...after that I pretty much only have spotting so it begs the question...just what is in paper pads that makes it so?

The next step in my journey is a menstrual cup.   I grabbed one from AmbeRocks last month and gave it a try.  So far so good...in fact I have ordered another one for a backup  (yet another thing I never would have dreamed of!)

So when it comes to Mama Cloth my advice to those who are not real sure...Give it a try, even if you just buy a couple of liners, start on the tail end of your period and see how you go...that's not a lot of outlay but I can almost guarantee you will be back for more :)

Feeling The Love...The Fitted Love!

On of the things that many people love about MCN's is that they are self contained, you don't need to faff around with pins and covers, so the fact that fitted nappies need a cover is a bit of a turn off for some people...but not here.

Since fairly early in my cloth nappy journey I have felt the fitted love!

Up until recently my "fitted love" has been mostly sentimental, up until my last (biological) baby I used the old style terry squares with covers, they have served me well and I loved them.  At one point I had close to 6 dozen of them, for 2 bubs in cloth, and I still have close to 30 of them in reasonable nic sitting in a box that I can't bear the thought of throwing out or turning into rags.
Nappies with covers have been a BIG part of my 19 years of parenting and fitted nappies are just a bit reminiscent of that.

But while I knew in my head that they were more absorbent, because the whole nappy is absorbent, the littlest Rascal has not really been a heavy wetter.  AI2's have always worked well and an over stuffed pocket nappy got us through the nights.

All that has changed now though...

As bub has gotten bigger he has started leaking out of his night nappies so we had to try something new.  I was looking into fitted night nappies, but I have some gorgeous Fattycake Fitteds from Fluff E. Stuff that I thought might do the job.  So I added an extra trifold and covered them with some fleece longies from Bubba-Boo by Charnee and voila...no more leaks, and since I already had all of those things, no expense either.

But my real appreciation of the virtues of fitted has come with the littlest foster Rascal.  I mentioned in my last post that we had been blessed with a little one who's future was very much up in the air.  Well the situation has changed and he is going to be with us for at least 6 months (a huge weight off my mind for the moment at least) but OH MY LORD can that child pee.  He has outpee'd almost every AI2 and Pocket nappy that I have, and all I can say is that I'm glad I didn't get rid of most of my medium sized fitteds...they are the only thing that works!  And oh the fun I am going to have increasing my stash!!!

I am still working on finding him a night nappy, he's a skinny little bugger so I don't want anything too bulky, but he often outpees his huggies by midnight so the sooner I can get on top of it the better, but I can guarantee that when I do find the right one, it will be a fitted!
So now I not only know it in my head but I can tell you from personal experience that fitteds ROCK for a heavy wetter!  hehehe

It's been a while since I had a lot of time to sew but I am off now to attempt to make some fleece longies for him, since ours are all too big...wish me luck :D

You can find us on facebook here or visit our webstore here :)

This Is Me!!!

I read somewhere recently that every business should have a blog, to keep their customers up to date with what's going on behind the scenes and since we ran our official opening giveaway from a blog I thought I'd give it a whirl.

So to start with, this is me :D

I've been a few things in my time...a teachers aide, therapy assistant, support worker...and going back a ways, a cleaner and a checkout chic at KFC.

Mostly I've been a foster carer and of course a Mum.
I'm also a Christian...not the kind to take my beliefs and ram them down your throat, but I do hope that those who know me can see them in my life :)

We have 5 birth children (aged 18, 8, 7, 5 and 17 months) and, at the moment, 5 foster children...An autistic 12 year old (Permanent), a sibling group aged 7, 5 and 4 (who arrived in January and will be here until at least the end of this school term) and a little boy who celebrated his first birthday last week. (he arrived at easter time and what his future holds is very much up in the air at the moment...I hope that we are a big part of his life for a very long time to come)

So what is it like at our place?

BEDLAM

Pretty much all the time!!!

And Why, you may ask, would somebody with so much going on in their lives want to try and start their own business as well?

Well the answer to that is actually in the question!

Our 12 year old foster son has been with us for over 10 years and he can be hard work.  When Lee was working I was left to cope with him and our young family by myself and for the most part I did okay, but there have been a handful of times over the years when everything went to hell in a handbasket and I had to call him to come home and give me a hand.  This of course never sat very well with his employers and didn't make for a very happy work environment for him. 

So starting our own business has given us the flexibility to manage our family and hopefully have a regular income without relying solely on centrelink.  Not only that it has given us the flexibility to be able to offer a stable home to other kids who need one.  And for us, that's what we feel that life is all about!

You can shop in our store at www.rascalrumps.com.au or follow us on facebook, twitter and google+