Hip Mountain Mama Review - Imagine Tee

I received my first item from Hip Mountain Mama and I L-O-V-E, love it!  It is the awesome Imagine Tee and it's super cute and comfy too.

I first off gotta say that it runs small, so order up a size.  A small is 4-6, medium is 8-10, and large is 12-14.  I was originally going to go with a small because I'm a size 4 (at Old Navy), but I decided to go with a medium to play it safe.  It was still a bit too snug for my comfort.  I sent it back for another, which was no problem at all because the folks at Hip Mountain Mama totally and completely rock!  :)  I probably could have gone with the medium but feel much more comfortable in this one.

The shirt is really long, which I love.  And while it's not super low cut, nursin' mamas, I was able to nurse by just pulling the top down, which made things very easy for me.

I kinda feel like a goob posing, but ya gotta see the whole shirt, right?  :)

The detail in the design is a-mazing.  It's really pretty cool.  Here's a closeup:

The Imagine Tee is also super soft, as it's cotton, and is great for summer because it's lightweight.  But it's not too thin that it won't last - it's just comfy goodness.

Added bonus:
When you buy the shirt, some of the profits go back to Oceana, Sea Shepherd, Trees For The Future, and Environmental Defense Fund, which I thought was very cool.

Thank you, Hip Mountain Mama, I'm loving my new Imagine Tee!  :)

Side note:
I did everything I could to have "Imagine" by the Beatles playing... How perfect would that have been?!  But I just couldn't figure it out... :(

Coupon Clipper Extraordinaire

So, since making the decision to be a stay at home mama, I have picked up couponing to help save some money.  And I've become addicted!  Love, love, love finding, clipping, and organizing coupons.  It's kind of like a game.  A game that I really want to win...

I've been following several coupon blogs, including Organic Deals, and an amazing local blog, The Coupon Closet.  The girl who runs it, Carrie, is absolutely incredible.  She posts the best deals and always tells how you can get things for FREE if you use the right coupons and get it at the right store!  She also always posts pictures of how much stuff she buys and says how much it should have cost and how much she paid.  There will be like 20+ items and she'll be like, "I spent $6.37 and most of it was tax."

Well, last night I actually went to a coupon clipping class.  That's right, a class.  Taught by the famous Carrie.  And I loved it!  I feel like I learned a TON!

I'm SO going to get to be that good.  Look out world, I'm on it.

The Change in Me

There are so many things you know will change when you have a baby and yet so many things that are surprises of which you just begin to adapt.  For instance, I no longer wear the long necklaces I used to always wear because Silver is constantly trying to grab them and put them in her mouth.  My necklace I miss the most was made in Uganda by a woman/man/orphan that rolled magazine scraps by hand and I figure that really can't be very hygienic for her to chew on.  :)  (But it is a great cause and the necklaces are awesome - Beads of Hope Africa).  But, anyway, I'm thinking about getting one of these necklaces from http://www.smartmomjewelry.com/ because I miss wearing necklaces!!!  And I bet Silver would love it.

I'm also no longer wearing bracelets for the same aforementioned reason.  *Sigh.  And I'm constantly late.  Even when I'm sure I'm going to be on time, I'm late.  Sometimes five minutes, but usually closer to fifteen.  If it looks like I'm going to be on time, there will certainly be a last second spit up, diaper leakage, or something of that nature.  Minus the time we made it to church on time and left the diaper bag at home... :)

In addition to the time it takes to get out the door, you don't realize that a 15 minute grocery store trip takes 30 minutes by the time you've got the cart cover on, the kid out of the car, the toys in the cart with her, you slow down periodically to distract her, then you've got to pack all of her stuff up and get her back in the car before you unload the groceries...  Everything just takes a bit longer these days.  :)

Another change that I wasn't aware of is the sleepiness factor.  You expect to be tired during the first months, but you don't hear as much about how 8 months later, your baby might still not be sleeping through the night.  DISCLAIMER: if you're judging me right now b/c Silver isn't sleeping through the night, STOP.  I do not believe in the 'cry it out' method and Silver is still pretty much exclusively breast fed.  So, if you're miracle child was sleeping through the night at this point, then good for you.  But I bet he/she was bottle fed and did some crying those first couple of nights... So, to each their own.  :)  I know I'm not alone in this because the mamas in my Mom's Support Group went through the same thing with their little ones and they've got my back.  :)

You'd think at 8 months things would seem 'normal' and I would be in the groove of things.  And some days I am in the groove, knocking things out like you wouldn't believe.  Like I've been doing it my whole life even.  But other days, maybe the majority of some days, I still feel like a first time mom who is a total mess... And you know, I'm okay with that.

So I'm a Crunchy Mom

I hadn't really been sure what the word "crunchy" meant in terms of parenting, but have heard it quite a bit.  I did some research today and discovered that the world apparently fits me pretty perfectly.

The Urban Dictionary definition for Crunchy Mama:

Mother who supports homebirth, breastfeeding, baby wearing, cloth diapering, co-sleeping, gentle discipline, etc.  One who questions established medical authority; tends to be vegetarian and/or prepare all-organic foods.  See crunchy and hippie.

That crunchy mama is breastfeeding in public again!


Hmm... Pretty right on!  Maybe that's what I should have named the blog... I had a hard time committing to something.  I think how they used it in a sentence is kinda funny though and I wonder if people have thought that about me since I don't hesitate to nurse Silver wherever, whenever.  Oh well.  More on the "tends to be vegetarian" bit tomorrow.

Jealous that I didn't come up with this awesomeness,
but will probably be reading her blog now :)