A Merry Fluffy Christmas {#fluffyxmas #ClothDiaper #Giveaway}

Welcome to the 2nd Annual “A MERRY FLUFFY CHRISTMAS” Cloth Diaper Giveaway Event hosted by And Then There Were 4... We are all very excited about the prizes in this giveaway event and hope you are too! If you haven't already had a chance, take a look at my Merry Fluffy Christmas sponsor page for information on the companies behind the prizes in my giveaway package. These awesome sponsors are the reason why this giveaway is possible!

How “A Merry Fluffy Christmas” Blog Hop Giveaway works:
You will have until 11:59pm EST on December 5th to enter in our prize package below. There will only be ONE winner for each participating blog. Please remember to read ALL instructions on each blog, as each blog’s entry methods are different. And don’t forget to visit ALL OF THE PARTICIPATING BLOGS for more prize packages to win! You can find the linky at the bottom of this giveaway post that contains all of the blogs participating in this event. That’s it! And good luck!

Here's what you can win from the Simmworks Family Blog: 

A Cloth Diapering Starter Kit Prize Package 

(ARV $150)

Changing Diapers: A Hip Mom's Guide to Modern Cloth Diapering by Kelly Wels is sponsoring one (1) OS Fuzzibunz diaper to the winner. The diaper will also come with a super cute "I'm a hip mom and love cloth diapers" temporary tattoo. The tattoo is eco-friendly as well! Click here to read my featured spotlight of the book and how wonderful it is as a resource. 

Simmworks Family Blog is self-sponsoring one (1) OS itti bitti bitti tutto diaper in silver. I received this diaper at the #hautegreen social hour at BlogHer'11 this past August and fell in love with the itti bitti brand. For more information about the diaper and my review please check out this post here.

Simmworks Family Blog is also self-sponsoring one (1) set of itti bitti cloth wipes in bright rainbow. I also received these wipes at the #hautegreen event and wanted to spread the love to my readers! And while I haven't used these particular wipes I have used and fallen in love with itti bitti's change mat.

Aqua Blossom is sponsoring a set of Lavender & Tea Tree Oil wipe solution spray. This includes a large 8oz bottle and travel size 2oz bottle that is perfect for the diaper bag. Click here to read my featured spotlight on their Etsy store and find out more about them. Also, Simmworks Family Blog readers get a 25% off discount on all of Aqua Blossom's store items with the code fluffyxmas so hurry on over and check out what they have to offer! Code valid until the end of this giveaway. 

Artsy Fartsy Foo Foo is sponsoring six (6) hemp inserts to the winner. Click here to read my featured spotlight on Artsy Fartsy Foo Foo and learn more about their products and business.  

Eco Nuts is sponsoring a medium box of Eco Nuts soap nuts (that's 100 loads!). Click here to read my featured spotlight on Eco Nuts and their products.

The Willow Store is sponsoring three (3) wool dryer balls. Click here to read my featured spotlight on The Willow Store and learn more about their store and the products they offer. 

EcoNuts {#FluffyXmas Sponsor Spotlight}

Eco Nuts™ was conceived as a company that could transcend the cleaning industry in becoming a leader in environmentally responsible practices. They are environmentally friendly in their operations and socially responsible in dealing with our customers, partners and suppliers. All of their products are cruelty and paraben-free, vegan, tested only on humans, and utilize recycled or recyclable packaging!

I received a sample package of EcoNuts soap nuts at the #hautegreen Social Hour back at BlogHer'11 and fell in love with it's simplicity and ease. I just had to toss the bag of soap nuts into my wash and let them do their thing. I didn't have to worry about measuring out the liquid detergent, pouring it in and waiting for the machine to fill/agitate a bit before adding in the clothes.

The best part about EcoNuts was the fact that I could use their products not only on my cloth diapers but my other laundry as well. EcoNuts are very versatile when it comes to laundry and it's because it's so gentle on fabrics. EcoNuts is safe to use on the kids and our clothing (including my baby's clothes), the sheets and towels as well as our beloved cloth diaper stash.

I have to admit that I was a little hesitant about using them at first. I really didn't think that a bag of soap nuts would actually be able to get our clothes clean. But I tried them none-the-less. The first thing I washed were my darks. When the clothes came out of the wash they passed the sniff test! And when I got them out of the dryer I knew they were clean. Next we did whites. A few of my whites (read: my son's shirts) needed a little boost and I confirmed that OxyClean is ok to use alongside the EcoNuts.So with a boost of OxyClean the next load came out perfectly clean AND white.

I also wanted to try the nuts out on my cloth diapers. Since I heard about EcoNuts at a cloth diapering event I knew they were CD friendly but wanted to see for myself if they were a great solution to our detergent needs. I've had many mamas in search of the perfect CD friendly detergent ask me what I use. And now I have a product I feel 100% comfortable sharing with them. Not only did my diapers come out clean, we didn't have the leaking/absorbency issues that we did every once in a while when using another liquid detergent. Using the soap nuts meant no detergent build up and no need to strip our diapers! Although I still do so every 2-3 months just to ease my mind.

EcoNuts doesn't just sell soap nuts, they also sell liquid detergent and an array of cleaning and natural bath and body products. So if you're looking to do away with the harsh chemicals found in most brand name household cleaners and are in need of an alternative, eco-friendly method instead check out these awesome products!

A little more about EcoNuts packaging:
EcoNuts strives to have as little impact on the environment as possible with their packaging and products, and that means no plastic in every instance it can be avoided. Whenever possible, EcoNuts incorporates recycled, repurposed, sustainable and organic materials.

Every box of Eco Nuts™ purchased is one less plastic detergent bottle, and their goal is to remove 1 million plastic bottles from ever making it into a landfill or using precious resources in order to recycle that plastic.

Why Aluminum?
The choice of recycled carboard for the Eco Nuts™ is obvious, but we reviewed and settled on aluminum to contain our liquid. Aluminum can be recycled endless times – over and over again. It is more energy-efficient to recycle aluminum than ever before.

Aluminum can recycling saves 95% of the energy needed to make aluminum from bauxite ore. Energy savings in 1992 were enough to light a city the size of Pittsburgh for six years. (Can Manufacturers Institute 1993. The Great Aluminum Can Roundup.)

We want to promote and support the recycled aluminum industry in the United States. It conserves energy as well as supporting small towns that depend solely on the aluminum production plants. Without those plants, thousands of people would lose their jobs.

EcoNuts' Commitments:

• To lead by example with socially and environmentally responsible business practices.
• To use only sustainable, non-toxic ingredients with zero hazardous waste generation.
• To offer superior quality in all our products and packaging with environmental integrity.
• To provide excellent service to our customers, vendors, employees and the community.
• To support local and global charities, environmental and community groups to the best of our ability.

Purchase and Giveaway Information

EcoNuts can be purchased on their website or on Amazon. You can also check out EcoNuts on facebook and twitter where you'll hear the latest on sales, product information and much, much more! There's currently a sweepstakes and photo contest going on now. You can enter to win a box of EcoNuts and some cloth diapers too!

EcoNuts has generously offered to include a medium size box of EcoNuts soap nuts (that's 100 loads worth!) in our Merry Fluffy Christmas giveaway package. How awesome is that? Not only do you have a chance to win cloth diapers, wipes, wipes spray, and dryer balls but you also can win soap nuts too! Remember to come on back to the blog on December 1st to start entering this amazing fluffy package.

Disclaimer: I received a trial size package of soap nuts (10 loads) from EcoNuts at the #hautegreen Social Hour for review purposes only. No other compensation was received. All opinions are 100% my own. I only promote products I believe in 100% and will always disclose this information to my readers. The Amazon link above is my Affiliate link.   

The Willow Store {#FluffyXmas Sponsor Spotlight}

Catherine Bolden, founder and mom behind The Willow Store, created this company in 2005 to share her dedication and respect our Earth, for our children and our reusable future. All of the products sold at The Willow Store are ethically manufactured in the US, they strongly support small business, and living wages. The Willow Store chooses only the highest quality materials, and organic whenever possible, sourced in the US whenever possible.

Catherine was kind enough to allow me to review the wool dryer balls found in her store. Now I'm pretty familiar with dryer balls and have been using a set I received from an Etsy seller. However over time we've actually lost them due to a certain 2 year old who decided they were his balls and were for play, not for the dryer. Luckily I now have a new set of three dryer balls that I love just as much as the other set. Maybe even more since they're slightly larger.

The dryer balls were different from the ones I owned before. For one, as I said before, they were a bit larger. And second, I didn't have to wash them before use. I just tossed them in the dryer and hit the start button. Super easy and no prep is always good in my book. I've been using the dryer balls for about 2 weeks now and they've kept my clothes soft and fluffy and my cloth diapers feeling great. I love the fact that they're great for all cloth. And I especially love how soft they make our sheets. Another added bonus is that they've helped speed up the dryer time for my comforters and large blankets. Not sure how but they dry a lot faster! 

Do you use dryer sheets and fabric softener?  Have you ever noticed a film like feel to your clothes after using these products? That's the chemical residue that makes your clothes feel soft. And it can be pretty irritating if you have sensitive skin. Wool dryer balls are the natural solution for softening your clothes without chemicals. Made completely from US wool, they help your clothes (and cloth diapers!) tumble dry softly, and reduce the drying time by up to half. To use, simply toss 2-3 balls in your wet dryer and start. No need to remove them from the dryer when you are done, just keep them there for the next load!

The Willow Store's dryer balls are approximately 9” circumference (about the size of a tennis ball). You'll want to use 2-3 balls for fastest drying. These won’t harm your clothes or cloth diapers at all. The balls are 100% wool, so some natural pilling may occur over time but all you have to do is pick it off and continue use. These balls are available in natural cream or hand dyed in a variety of colors. The colors are safe for any color laundry, the dye used is fiber reactive, and will not bleed onto your clothing. And the best thing about them is that they last for many years and you don't have to continue purchasing dryer sheets!

Purchase and Giveaway Information

The Willow Store has kindly offered to include a set of wool dryer balls to my Merry Fluffy Christmas package and I couldn't be more thrilled. Not only will my package include cloth diapers, wipes, wipes spray, and inserts but it'll also include the items needed to care for your cloth diapers as well. Now I'd say that's a pretty great package!

To find out more about The Willow Store please visit their website. You can also find them on facebook and twitter where you'll always hear the latest on sales, new products and much more!

Disclaimer: I received a set of wool dryer balls from The Willow Store for review purposes only. No other compensation was received. All opinions are 100% my own. I only promote products I believe in 100% and will always disclose this information to my readers.  

Artsy Fartsy Foo Foo {#FluffyXmas Sponsor Spotlight}

When I first started learning about cloth diapers I frequented one message board on a daily basis. There I learned about BumGenius, Happy Heiny, Fuzzibunz and much, much more. But I also learned about some wonderful WAHM companies who made amazing diapering products also. And one of those companies is Artsy Fartsy Foo Foo.

From all of the buzz on the message boards, if you had a problem with nighttime leakage, her hemp inserts were the ones to buy! And these inserts are hot! If you didn't stalk her store on stocking day you might not get a chance to purchase some of these amazing inserts. So I waited patiently and one day I was lucky to remember what time and date she was stocking her store and jumped on as soon as possible. I scored 4 inserts and did a little happy dance.

Once I received the inserts I learned that no prepping was needed. Yup, that's right. Artsy Fartsy Foo Foo already preps the inserts before sending them off. Do you know how much time (and water) that saved me? Lots! So I threw them in the wash with the diapers and got to using them that day. And wouldn't you know? My super heavy soaker of a boy couldn't leak through these suckers. I paired my Artsy Fartsy Foo Foo hemp insert with a Bububebe fitted diaper and had the perfect night time solution for my boy. Paired with an adorable wool soaker and we were set. No more wet bedsheets, no more wet Mommy.

A great thing about hemp is that it isn't just for nighttime. You can use these inserts in any pocket diaper or you can lay them under a soaker in a fitted for extra absorbency. They can be paired with microfiber, bamboo or just about any other soaker or insert you may have. And hemp is an amazing material. It really does soak up a lot and holds onto it. The inserts that I have are about 2 years old and still work amazingly well. No microfiber stink, and no sign of wear at all.

Artsy Fartsy Foo Foo also makes Milk Maids. Now what exactly are Milk Maids? They're nursing pads that really do the job. Just like the hemp inserts, you will have no leaking when using your Milk Maids nursing pads. They hold quite a bit of milk and are super comfortable. Plus you don't get the ring boob effect like you do from other nursing pads because these are large enough to cover just about the whole boob (and I'm not super small...).

Purchase and Giveaway Information

Artsy Fartsy Foo Foo has generously included 6 hemp inserts to include in my giveaway package for the Merry Fluffy Christmas event coming up at the beginning of December. With so many amazing prizes from quality stores in my giveaway package you will not want to miss this awesome event!

Head on over to Artsy Fartsy Foo Foo's facebook page or check out her Hyena Cart store or Etsy store for information on stocking dates, pricing and availability.

Disclaimer: I purchased my own Artsy Fartsy Foo Foo products. All opinions are 100% my own. I only promote products I believe in 100% and will always disclose this information to my readers. 

Changing Diapers by Kelly Wels {#FluffyXmas Sponsor Spotlight}

I want to start out by saying how much I wished Changing Diapers existed when I first started cloth diapering. The only information I had was a very resourceful message board and a few internet sites. Nothing all in the same place and nothing as straight forward as this book. But after reading through it I've found a new love for cloth. Kelly Wels has really done an amazing job encompassing the world that is cloth diapering.

I'm so excited to be able to have this book available to give to friends who are interested in cloth diapering but need more information. I've had quite a few friends ask for cloth diapering resources and always have to email multiple links about different types of diapers and options. Now I just have to ship this book to them and I'm set! I still love having my friends over to show them exactly how cloth diapers work because I'm a visual learner but having this book as a resource for questions they may have at a later time is so great. This will be my staple baby shower gift from now on.

The best part about the book is it's simplicity and size. It's not overwhelming at all. And it's broken down quite nicely into different chapters that flow nicely. Plus you get extra tips and stories along the way to keep you entertained while you learn (don't you wish we had those in the text books in school?). And an added bonus? One of the diapering chapters is titled "Daddies and Diapers." How perfect is that? Cloth diapering is not just for mamas. Dads need to get involved too. My husband can wash cloth diapers and knows how to put on and use them too. He isn't as good at the folding and putting away part but I can do that. Getting dads involved in the process only makes it easier on both parents.

Kelly's research is extensive and she didn't just stop at one or two diapers or diaper shops. She reviewed and polled many, many cloth diapering mamas, stores and manufacturers. She not only went to the experts who make cloth diapers, she went to moms and dads who are using cloth diapers already. The information and research is put in a simple, easy to read form that even a sleep deprived mother or father can read and comprehend.

Purchase The Book and Giveaway Information

You can buy a copy of Changing Diapers on Kelly Wels' site or on Amazon here (affiliate links). And you can find out more about sales and awesome information by checking out Changing Diapers on facebook and twitter. You can also follow Kelly Wels on twitter and facebook. She is an awesome resource and is super friendly too.

Kelly Wels has been kind enough to include one Fuzzibunz diaper in my Merry Fluffy Christmas giveaway package. The diaper will also come with a super cute "I'm a hip mom and love cloth diapers" temporary tattoo. The tattoo is even eco-friendly! So make sure to come back to this blog from December 1st through December 5th for your chance to enter this awesome giveaway!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of Changing Diapers: The Hip Mom's Guide to Modern Cloth Diapering for review purposes only. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. All opinions are 100% my own. I have also included affiliate links in this post leading you to Kelly Wels' site and Amazon.com.

Aqua Blossom {#FluffyXmas Sponsor Spotlight}

When I first found Aqua Blossom on Etsy it was love at first sight. Natural ingredients, yummy sounding products and most importantly relaxation for mama written all over each product in the store. But not only does Aqua Blossom have amazing products for your beauty needs, they also have an amazing Lavender & Tea Tree Oil wipe solution spray for cloth wipes.

I jumped into cloth diapering with both feet and once we started using our cloth diapers I didn't buy another disposable. But cloth wipes... I didn't think I could do it and stuck with my Kirkland brand disposable wipes. When I started cloth diapering with my daughter I started to have a change of heart and decided to give cloth wipes a try. And with the cloth wipes I needed to find a great wipe solution for when I needed a little extra help.

When I received my bottles of wipe solution spray from Aqua Blossom I immediately opened up one of the bottles and took a whiff. Ahhh... the lavender immediately hit my nose and I was instantly relaxed. Maybe my daughter's bum would feel the same way after I used it. So I sprayed a bit on, wiped and diapered her little tukas. She seemed to enjoy it and even giggled when I sprayed her.

Along with my large bottle for the changing table came a small trial size bottle to use in the diaper bag. This pair is the perfect addition to any cloth diapering stash. Not only is the solution soothing and gentle, but it makes diapering a bit easier. And now I don't have to throw anything but the waste away. Everything either goes in the toilet or in the wet bag. And I feel a bit better when we go to Costco and don't have to pick up another pack of wipes.

Here's a little bit more information about Aqua Blossom from their store:

"Our goal is to provide quality bath, body, and beauty products at affordable prices. All of our products are made in small batches using natural ingredients. By using ingredients found in nature, like plant and fruit oils, butters, and essential oils, you get naturally healthy skin without all the chemicals found in most commercial beauty products."

Not only do they sell the awesome wipe spray but there's an array of creams, scrubs, lip balms and much more! Aquablossom's facebook and twitter fans receive news and discounts first! Like Aquablossom on facebook and follow them on twitter to keep up with the latest and greatest just in time for the holidays.

Discount Code & Giveaway Information

Aqua Blossom has generously offered to include a large 8oz bottle and travel size 2oz bottle of the Lavender & Tea Tree Oil wipe solution spray in my Merry Fluffy Christmas giveaway package. They have also kindly given a 20% discount to all Simmworks Family Blog readers. Please use the code simmworks20 while checking out to receive this discount. So make sure to come back December 1st - 5th to enter my amazing giveaway package valued at over $100!

Disclaimer: I received a full and travel size set of wipe solution spray for review purposes only. All opinions are 100% my own. I only promote products I believe in 100% and will always disclose this information to my readers.