Take the time to make some memories!

Halloween is a great photo opportunity when the kids get all dressed up!

But don't forget to take pictures of the little things every other day or so - some turn out great and others will remind you of your little one's firsts.

With the advent of a baby, one of the first things we did was get a new reliable camera to capture all of the glorious memories as they happened. We got the Cannon Power Shot Digital Elph - a great little point and click with 12.1 mega pixel resolution. Several months later we are still clicking away and the pictures are turning out great.

The main thing we were looking for in a camera was the speed that you can go from powered off and in the case to picture taken. The little ones move so fast (and they only get faster) that if you want to capture them doing anything you have to be quick!

The Cannon that we have also has a movie mode that is very decent - it doesn't replace a video camera but it does make video virtually Facebook ready - small enough file sizes with high enough resolution that you can see what is going on. Most of the times you are "in the moment" you already have the camera with you - just switch to movie mode and go!

Sometimes you need professional help

Even with a great point and shoot we found that one of us was always missing from the picture so today we met with a professional photographer to get some snaps of the little guy and our family.

The experience was great! If you are ever in need of a photographer in Kelowna, B.C. Canada, contact Michelle via her Facebook page here.

Have a Great Halloween and keep making those great memories!

And The Winner Is...

Thank you to everyone for entering our first ever Blog Giveaway!

We had around 100 people enter the contest!

Baby Magnus had quite the fun time picking the winner!

And the winner of the 2 GroVia All-in-Ones, GroVia cloth wipes and GroBaby Bio Wipes was Jennifer!

Keep checking back in the future as we hope to have more give aways!

Congratulations Again to Jennifer!

The Martens Family

Cloth Diapering on the Go!

Don't forget we're having a great GroVia package giveaway. We'll be drawing the winner at random Saturday October 16th at noon PST. If you provided your email we will contact you. Good luck!

I'm going to visit one of my oldest and bestest friends tomorrow. Magnus and I will be making the trip (just a three and a half hour drive) down to the Lower Mainland of British Columbia and spending 4 days relaxing, shopping, and seeing the sights. I'm really looking forward to our getaway and I'm so thankful that my friend Sara who has 2 boys of her own is so hands on supportive. She'll gladly take my fussy little man when I'm needing a break and continually offers great advice and encouragement. We all need a friend like this and I hope once I've mellowed out a bit with motherhood I can offer the same support to my friends with new arrivals and little ones.

My only concern with this trip is that I currently CD. At home I wash every other day and have a diaper sprayer which I've come to depend on. We haven't had too many hiccups with CD'ing and have only gone away once for an overnight since we started and didn't have any issues. I'd love to continue CD'ing while away but I'm not sure if it's realistic to go 4 days without laundering. Will my GroVia cotton soakers get moldy (a few have said there is a possibility they might)? Will it be a regretful hassle (I've already got so many baby things I need to pack)? Will I be banished from visiting Sara as long as I'm CD'ing (I doubt I will but you never know ;-)? What is my motivation for CD'ing while away so long, am I doing it to prove something to myself and others?

I am contemplating using my GroVia Biosoakers which are like a disposable/compostable inset that goes in the shell. Many mamas use these Biosoakers for travel and when away from home. It's been suggested that I use the Biosoakers for the first few days then the cotton soakers for the last few just to ensure no mold. I'm on the fence really and will let you all know how it goes.

Obsessive mommy <3

Mama Stash!

This post is for the mamas but men if your curious go ahead and check it out.

I've never really been much of a tree hugger I love everything womanly about me kinda girl. Especially when it came to my period. Don't get me wrong though I can't say I loathe that time of the month either. But since it's return in the recent months and after having a baby I have to admit that I feel differently about my little friend and almost embrace it.

I was changing my "Always" a month and a bit ago and had an epiphany. If I'm using cloth for my son because I believe it's healthier for him and the environment why not cloth for me? As I bundled up my little package of waste I wondered what one cycles worth of disposable pad waste would look like. How about a year or even my reproductive lifetime?

I hopped on the web that night and began researching "mama cloth". I found testimonials of many women that had made the switch. Some even stating that cloth reduced uncomfortable period symptoms like cramping and heavy flow (things thankfully I haven't had to deal with). Really it didn't take much to convince me and if you read my first blog you'll know I'm a bit of an impulse decision maker (my GroBaby purchase that started our CD'ing journey). I made my purchase of "Pink Daisys" from "Swaddlebees" a company that also makes CD's and awaited my next period and my order (hoping the order came before Aunt Flow).

So my experience went well. The cloth I must say is a bit bulkier than disposable but I don't mind. I purchased the stay dry option and they were quite comfortable to wear. I just tossed the MC in the laundry and washed with no extra effort. On the heaver days I rinsed a bit prior to washing using our diaper sprayer. A couple of other ways to organize MC laundering are: wet pail method which involves tossing the MC in a pail of water changing the water daily or keeping a wetbag somewhere in the bathroom. Hanging on the shower curtain rod out of LO's reach. With both of these methods you can wash your MC as desired or all at once.

Overall I felt like this was a positive experience for me and I'm glad I made the switch. Like CD'ing and using cloth wipes it seemed more involved and complicated beforehand but is really no biggie. I think I'll add to my MC stash in the next while and would like to try some WAHM products. There are so many mamas out there that will custom make MC for you. Just another green idea that has come to positive fruition.

Embracing mamahood Mama