Wordless Wednesday-- Cool Kid

How all the cool kids sit in grocery carts

Top Ten Cloth Diapers I Covet

As anyone who knows me (err has read my blog) can attest, I have a bit of an addiction.  Yes I truly feel like saying My  name is Melissa and I have an addiction.  Cloth diapering has become such a way of life, I now use it as a fashion accessory.  In theory this should make Mr. Destructo quite happy.  I don't need diamond necklaces or ruby earrings.  Nope just buy me some cloth diapers.  (Although if you are reading this Mr. Destructo, I haven't stopped wanting a heart shaped necklace!)

Anyhow without further blathering on and on, here is my list of top ten cloth diapers I desperately need and want. 

Photo via Kelly's Closet

1)  Rumparooz G2 in preppy.  I am a sucker for plaid and this one is just so bright and cheery and bonus it is gender neutral as well in case I have a girl in the future.  Plus I love Rumparooz as they fit earlier than most one size diapers.

Photo via Kelly's Closet

2) Swaddlebees One Size Simplex in dinos 
The picture above (and two below) are actually Swaddlebees Simplex 2.0 which is similar to what I want but is an all in one and is sized.  But the print is the same.  I love Swaddlebees Simplex as there is no unstuffing involved and they are super slim for outfits that fluffy cloth diaper butt would be a problem.  I have never had a leak in these and if I could go back and do my whole stash over, these would comprise a huge portion of it.

Photo via Kelly's Closet

3)  Swaddlebees one size Simplex in elephants

Photo via Kelly's Closet

4)  Swaddlebees one size Simplex in Monsters

Photo via Kelly's Closet

5) Thirsties Duo Diaper in Blackbird  These diapers work well and come in two size options which means they worked well before other one size diapers and should fit him longer as well.  I have had very few leaks and the inner leg gussets help contain poop.

Photo via Kelly's Closet

6) Thirsties Duo Diaper in Scottish Storm

Photo via Kelly's Closet

7) Happy Heinys one for all diaper in Cow Print   These diapers work well and were great for fitting skinny chicken legs when Destructo was small.  I love cow print things and this diaper is too cute!

Photo via Kelly's Closet

8)  Grovia shell in bicycles . 
Everyone knows my fond love of Grovia diapers.  If you don't, read the review here.  Plus this diaper is yellow!

Photo via Kelly's Closet

9)  Grovia shell in woodland

Photo via Kelly's Closet

10)Grovia shell in surf

So tell me, what cloth diapers do you guys need/want? 

Linked up at:  Better Mom Monday



This post contains affiliate links which compensate Adventures with Captain Destructo with a % of the sale. Using these links doesn't cost you anything extra, but it helps support this blog and my family. Thanks!

First Bites Review and Sweepstakes

I had the privilege to read and review a pdf copy of First Bites: How to instill healthy eating habits during your baby’s first year by Hillary Kimes Berstein.  I also am lucky enough to get a pdf copy to give to one of my lucky readers. 

If you have been reading my blog long, you know I am a huge proponent on the healthiest options for my son.  I am still breastfeeding him at nearly 18 months and also did baby lead weaning skipping jarred purees all together.  This book fits into my philosophy very well.

It is a quick book to read which is great since I never have time to read books anymore and is full of good information about breastfeeding, feeding homemade baby foods and/or healthy table foods, and healthy toddler feeding.  A few things you will learn in this book are things such as why homemade baby foods are healthier, the health benefits of breastfeeding, and my favorite thing how artificial colorings can be behind a child's behavorial problems among many other things.

Another great part of the book was all the testimonials from real moms.  These touched one everything from baby lead weaning to breastfeeding to formula feeding.  They really make you feel like you aren't alone on the am I feeding my child the best ways I can path.  

The only two things that one might find a bit of a downfall to the book are that it is very pro breastfeeding and against formula feeding.  This can be a bit of a hot topic, but right in the intro chapter it warns about this and suggests a formula feeding mom might skip these chapters.  For me, this wasn't a problem at all since I am as pro-breastfeeding as they come, but I just wanted to mention it.  There is also a chapter on religion and feeding your child.  

So now here is your chance to win a pdf copy of this book.  I highly recommend reading it if you want to learn all about healthy eating for your child (and even yourself.)  If you don't win and are interested in buying it, you can get it here.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

  Disclosure:  I was given a copy of First Bites for free to review and keep and they are providing a copy to one reader.  I was not paid to review them and all opinions are honest and my own.    See my full disclosure policy tab for more information.

It was a good weekend

Friday I met with my local MOPS group for worship and fellowship with other moms.  It is so nice to get a few hours of uninterrupted time to talk, laugh, and eat breakfast without a little one climbing all over your legs or stealing your food.

We came home, Kai took a long nap, I cleaned, and then I jogged.  I have started C25K to attempt to get in better shape.  I am starting the 3rd week on Tuesday of this coming week.  It has been hard, but so far so good.  Each time I think I can't do it, I push myself a little more and hit the time limit.  I highly encourage this program to anyone that is thinking about starting to jog.  I was very sore the first day, but other than that I haven't been the least bit sore even on the first days of the longer jogs.  I bought myself some awesome new running shoes to celebrate making it two weeks.  They were outrageous so I figure even more motivation to keep running.  I also got Kai a pair of light up Skechers for 10 bucks on clearance when I bought my shoes.  He has not taken them off since he unknowingly to me found them.  They were supposed to be for Christmas haha and are a size too big.  

My awesome new running shoes

Saturday evening we went to a burger joint for my mom's birthday and Destructo actually behaved very well for once.  Then Grandma and Grandpa Destructo took him back to their house and me and Mr. Destructo went to a party that a college friend of mine was throwing for Halloween.  It was great to get to see everyone I haven't seen in years.  That is how you know it is a true friendship.  You can go years without seeing them and yet still feel all warm and cozy and friendly and not run out of things to talk about.  It was good to get the whole gang together again.

Kissing his horse

Destructo rode his rocking horse like a mad man and even tried on his puppy costume that was given to me by my aunt.  Then it was time to play outside.  My parents live in the country.  I mean it is so country out there that the local school is K-12th grade.  I graduated with a whopping 32 people and loved every minute of it. 

 As we were playing outside, the wind was kicking and the leaves were falling.  I picked Destructo up and we were spinning and jumping trying to catch the flying blizzard of leaves before they hit the ground.  Destructo has a serious case of the giggles and was cheering me on as I tried like a mad woman to grab leaves for him.  It hit me in that moment, that these are the moments he and I will never forget.  It isn't the toys I buy him or the clothes I dress him in that he will look back on with fond memories.  It is the time we spent catching leaves or running through the crunchy leaves or playing in a leaf pile that he thinks of and smiles when he is speaking of his childhood.  And I hope that one day he will do the same things with his little child and think back on me as I did my own mother.  

Crunching the leaves

It was a great weekend!

On a side note, I promise to visit all my new followers blogs at some point this weekend.  I was too busy catching leaves and visiting old friends to do much blogging this weekend.  Also stay tuned (probably tomorrow) for a review on a book and a sweepstakes for that book.

A few of the leaves we caught

Linked Up at: 
Loving our Children Tuesday
Tell Me Tuesday

Cohosting the Thursday Favorite Things blog hop

So what is one of my favorite things might you ask?  Well cloth diapering.  It has become an actual hobby of mine.  The designs are just so cute along with all the other benefits.  My very favorite diaper I have right now is his monkey butt diaper.  Not the greatest picture but hey he is a toddler.  He isn't going to cooperate.  I also have this diaper in the owl print and love both of them.   The dinos are next on my want/desire/lust over list.  Haha

My favorite cloth diaper store is .  They have amazing customer service and have always promptly helped me with any problem I have had including a near immediate facebook response the time I accidentally spilled an entire bottle of tea tree oil with my diapers.  They also nearly always have a free diaper coupon on their website and free is so much fun!  If you guys want any more info about cloth diapering, check out my cloth diapering page.

I was given the awesome honor of cohosting the Thursday Favorite Things blog hop over at Katherines Corner.  If you haven't had the pleasure of "speaking" to Katherine, well link up and you will.  Every single week I have linked up at her blog hop, she has not only visited my blog but also left a sweet and thoughtful comment.  So link up with the blog hop and make some awesome new blogging friends.

 About the Thursdays Favorite Things Hop, this hop is where you can link your favorite post or write a post about your favorite things and share with old and new followers!
 Here are the rules, yes there are rules. But just a few:
  You must be a follower of Katherines Corner preferably through Email, it's on her right sidebar ( or she has facebook, google plus and twitter too)

    If you’re a new follower, please let her know how you follow. She will follow you back.
    Please follow my blog too!
    No adult content blogs.
    Blogs only please.

    Visit and Follow as many other blogs in the list as you can. Please leave comments when you visit, let them know that we sent you. Nobody expects you to visit all of them ( although that would be awesome) Just click and go. Remember to leave a comment :-)

 Now hop on and share your favorites. If you’d like to post this blog hop on your page please just grab the linky code. Or if you would like to be a co-host please contact Katherine

*participants who link up will be sent weekly reminders of this wonderful hop*

Please grab the hop button to share with others, you can copy and paste the image with a link to KatherinesCorner.com OR grab the code from Katherines Corner it's on her right sidebar.
 It’s always nice to have the hop button on your post. But it IS NOT mandatory, although a link back to Katherines blog is always appreciated.

Wordless Wednesday-- Pumpkin Patch

Giant pumpkins

Riding the pumpkin train

Pumpkin patch 2011 and 2012

Linked up at:
Picture Perfect Party

Ten Humorous Ways to Stop a Temper Tantrum

You probably shouldn't take all of these seriously.  Just thought I would throw that out there.  But to go with yesterday's temper tantrum post, I thought I would share my temper tantrum stoppers.

1)  Throw a bucket of cold water on the child.  I mean you see this in movies with drunk people or people that are in a bar fight.  Surely it would work on an unruly toddler.

2)  When your child is hitting their head into the wall, ignore it until they eventually knock their self unconscious.  Ahhh peace and quiet.

3)  Bribe the child with gummy bears.  Okay I will admit I do occasionally actually use this one.  One gummy bear has many wonderful qualities.  Destructo will lay still for a diaper change or let me easily put his shoes on.  But I have been using those fruit leather strips cut into pieces so at least it is made from actual fruit?


 4)  Throw yourself down on the floor and scream and kick.  This will distract your child enough that they will end their tantrum all by themselves.

5)  Buy a baby sized straight jacket.

6)  Wear ear plugs and close your eyes.  If you can't hear or see it, the tantrum must not be happening.  Right?

7)  Put the child out back until they calm down.  I mean this works for the dog.   Shouldn't it work for Destructo?  (I kid, I kid.  I don't put my child out back when he is acting up.  I just fantasize about how easier life would be if kids were like pets and you could just put them outside in your fenced in back yard when they were not behaving.)

8)  Buy your child a punching bag and let him take his aggressions out on it.  Okay this could be the most serious piece of advice in this post.  I plan on doing just that.  Plus added bonus maybe Destructo will become the next MMA star?

9)  Dog crate.  Need I say more.  When you have a young puppy, you crate them if they are chewing up shoes or destroying furniture until they learn to act right.  I am sure this would work with a kid?  Can you see the animal science major in me coming out in these faux suggestions?


10)  Feed your child Thanksgiving turkey with every single meal.  Tryptophan is a natural sedative.  That is why you feel so sleepy after you eat your giant Thanksgiving dinner.  So a small dose of tryptophan three times a day might make your child more even keeled.

Okay so obviously none of these suggestions is really a valid way to stop a temper tantrum.  But hey at least you hopefully got a laugh out of them.  Because as I have said a million times, you can either laugh or cry and currently I am choosing to laugh.

Linked Up at:
Tuesday Baby
Top Ten Tuesday
Women Living Well Wednesdays

 This post contains affiliate links which compensate Adventures with Captain Destructo with a % of the sale. Using these links doesn't cost you anything extra, but it helps support this blog and my family. Thanks!

A Look into the Toddler Mind

Two nights ago, Destructo woke up at 4:30 AM.  As I have  said  whined before, Destructo is a terrible sleeper so this is no big surprise.  I figured he just would nurse and go back to sleep.  He always wakes early because he is so used to getting up with us when we go to work.  The boy has bat hearing I tell ya.  Anyhow, instead of snuggling with me in the rocking chair and nursing he ran screaming like a banshee out of the room.

This is Kai's hearing

I hear banging in the hall so I wearily get up to see what he is destroying now.  He is beating his head into the wall.  I let this go on for a minute thinking surely he will stop, but when I see his head turning red, I grab his arm and attempt to bring him back into his room.  This causes him to scream even harder, wrench his arm out of my grasp, and go running into the office.

I follow and see him laying on the floor grabbing tools out of Mr. Destructo's tool bag and slinging them around the room.  I quickly duck through flying screwdrivers and wrenches and pick him up.  He fights me until I finally set him down and hold his hand and start leading him to his room.  He can't resist getting a final few hits on the turtle tank for good measure.

Back in his room I offer to nurse him again, he climbs in my lap and I am thrilled.  Tantrum over.  Or is it?  Nope, he slaps me in the face and tries to rip my boob off.  Then violently throws himself off my lap.  He runs screaming into the kitchen and body slams the back door knocking himself to the floor in the process.  I mean he was hitting the door with his shoulder like you see on those cops shows when they are trying to break down a door to get some holed up convicts.  He then runs screaming to the pantry door and does the same thing eventually crumpling to the floor in a ball of screaming rage.

At this point I wake up Mr. Destructo and tell him I am pretty sure Destructo is either possessed by evil spirits or he has lost his ever loving mind.  While doing this, Destructo comes running from the kitchen into the living room screaming non stop and climbs his music table and starts pounding on the fish tank with both fists as hard as he can.

Mr. Destructo steps in and restrains Kai while I shoot some Advil down his throat (since I am pretty sure a bit of this tantrum is molars related since they are driving him nuts.)  He spits the majority of it back on my hand and all over his face.  I forget about this fact a few minutes later.  Mr. Destructo finally calms him down enough, we go back in his room, I nurse him, and he goes back in the crib. I then discover that he has gotten my arms and chest all Advil sticky.  Awesome.

He woke up at 9 AM (or maybe I woke up then and he was just reading books in his crib the jury is still out on that one.)  He was in a great mood, hugging us, giving us kisses.  But after his nap, this same cycle repeated itself.

This morning rolls around with him waking me at 4:45 AM screeching.  I go into his room, find his diaper has leaked.  Joy.  He is soaked and I have to change sleep sack and PJ's.  I go to nurse him after I get him cleaned up and he throws himself in the floor and runs out of the room screaming.  I sit there for a minute pleading to the Lord to give me patience.  Then I get up and follow him thinking we are in for a repeat of yesterday.  Nope, here comes Destructo carrying the Boppy pillow from the living room with the biggest grin on his face.  Apparently he can no longer nurse without it.  Too bad I didn't know that the day before.  Eye roll.

Yet another tantrum over my sister stepping outside

So with that said, what do you guys do when your toddler is tantruming?  Especially when it can't be ignored because they are harming themselves or the house.

Linked up at:
Better Mom Mondays
Mama Moments Monday
Monday Mom Musings

This and That

I did a guest post over at Pea of Sweetness about being a fishing family.  Be sure to check it out!

Hopefully next Friday Roshni over at Big A little a are going to be starting a blog hop.  It will be the Telling it Like it Is blog hop otherwise known as the Mommy Fails blog hop.  Be sure to stay tuned for more details about that.

And finally, someone please slow time down.

Fall of 2011 and 2012

Check out my Guest Post!

I swapped posts with Meredith over at The Mom of the Year while I was on vacation and my post is posted on her site today.  Be sure to go by and check it out.  It is me putting my animal science degree that I don't use to good use by teaching everyone useless animal trivia.  Be sure to check it out here.

 If you haven't already read Mer's post, you can read it here.  It is conversation starters for when the conversation runs dry.

Wordless Wednesday-- My name is Melissa and I have an addiction

Christmas hat

Ribbit hat

Fuzzy ball hat number one

Tough Guy hat

Me and my bestie wearing my fuzzy ball hats

Fuzzy ball hat number 2

Halloween costume hat

plaid hat

Another plaid "old man" hat

Smallest baseball hat ever

Bucket hat

Zoo hat

Bug Bug hat

Trapper Jack hat

A family of hats

Wearing our new Christmas gifts from my mom

Can anyone figure out my addiction?  Haha