Moving forward, we will be focusing solely on cloth diapers and baby carriers. We will continue to serve customers using our website. We will also be hosting monthly cloth diaper 101 classes locally and we will continue to host cloth diaper parties locally as well. We will add local one-on-one cloth consults and local deliveries.

Without going into all the considerations, this was a very difficult decision for us. We want to thank all of our loyal local customers for their business over the last 2 years, and we hope to continue to service you in the future. We will also continue to explore other unique opportunities to service our local customers.

Starting in November, you can call, email or utilize our Facebook page to let us know when you need something. Please let us know if you have any questions as we start this new journey.

There are a couple of great events going on in October! 

First, we are having a cloth 101 class on Saturday, October 22 at 10AM at the boutique!  Make sure you RSVP on the Facebook event page or by emailing MamaT@expressyourselfmama.com.  Come and learn all about modern cloth diapering and bring a friend or two along with you for the fun!!!

Second, make sure and save the date for the Halloween Trick-Or-Treat Spooktacular in Downtown Dekalb!  Bring your littles dressed in costumes for trick-or-treating downtown through many of the local businesses and shops!  Make sure you stop into Express Yourself Mama and enter our raffle and grab a treat! 

Let’s also have some fun with a Halloween picture contest!!!

Express the Halloween spirit!   Email me at mamaT@expressyourselfmama.com with your Halloween pictures.  I will not inhibit your creativity with a lot of rules. The picture needs to be Halloween related.  It can be a picture of your little one in costume, halloween diaper, your diaper stash depicting Halloween or whatever else you can come up with!  Please do not post the pictures to the boutique’s Facebook page as I will create a Halloween pictures album and upload them myself so that they are all in one spot. The pictures must be emailed to me to be entered.

You will have until Friday, October 21, at midnight to email me your picture. Please only ONE entry per person. Voting will begin on Saturday, October 22 and the picture with the most “likes” will be determined on Sunday, October 31 at 3PM and the winner will get a $20 gift certificate to Express Yourself.
 

Have fun with the pictures!  I look forward to seeing them all!!  Make sure and keep expressing the love and tell your friends about our Facebook page and this Halloween Picture Contest.  The next giveaway will be announced when we reach 1,111 Facebook Friends!!!  Hoping we can do it by Halloween!!!

Yes, We do love all of the CJ’s All Natural Products!  So much that it is really really difficult to pick one favorite CJ’s product.   But if forced to pick one, Mama T would pick the CJ’s Carcass Cleaner…a CJ’s multitasker….a body wash and wipe solution all in one.  And you can not go wrong combining the carcass cleaner with CJ’s matching creamy body lotion! 

All of us love this stuff.  Mama loves pink sugar, Daddy loves Green Irish Tweed, and the little ones like to change it up!  Loving My Pixie Pie on the kids right now….they smell so good that you just want to eat them up!  GMa D loves Orange Vanilla and GPa really likes Coconut Lime Dream!

Of course CJ’s BUTTer is their popular all-natural cloth friendly alternative to the diaper ointment!  And they also have deordorant, cleaning products, lip balm, wool wash and woolie revitalizer!  And best of all it all comes in tons of fun scents!  You can not go wrong with CJ’s.  You are guaranteed to love it!  It gets sooo many great reviews!  It is good for eczema, rashes, chapped and dry skin!  Check out all of the great CJ’s products on our website!

So this giveway is for a bottle of CJ’s BUTTer Carcass Cleaner and a bottle of CJ’s Creamy Body Lotion both in the most popular scent of Monkey Farts!  Through Sunday you can also get a CJ’s sample with every order!  And one order a day will include an extra CJ’s freebie!  Make sure you enter CJ’s sample in the special requests section during checkout!

There are several ways to enter this giveaway!  Please note that you must be an Express Yourself Mama Facebook Fan to win!!

Ways to Enter!

1. Leave a blog comment where you share your favorite CJ’s scent or the one that you would most like to try
2. Leave a blog comment about your favorite bath time routine!
3. Spread the word regarding these giveaways by posting a Facebook or Blog post and then leaving a comment here on the blog with a link or proof telling so
4. Get one of your friends to like our facebook page posting a comment that you sent them…making sure that you leave a blog comment telling us so!

Giveaway is up and open through midnight Tuesday, October 4 and winners will be announced on Wednesday!  So let the FUN begin and make sure and EXPRESS the fun for more chances to win!!!  A special sale and giveaway will be announced when we hit the exciting 1000 Friends milestone!

Thinking back to the begining after I decided to exclusively pump for my dear son…the time when I was pumping 10+ times a day and getting used to a brand new baby…., I never thought I would learn to love my pump and eventually be sad to telll it goodbye when my big little transitioned to soy milk. I had over my 10 month journey come a long way, and grew a very fond appreciation for my pump. It had allowed me to provide precious liquid gold to my baby boy.  

This time, the path although bumpy especially at the beginning was easier to follow.  And yet funny, I have to admit that I found myself clinging to the familiar afraid to sway too far from my comfort zone of pumping.

Of course I am hesitant to say that nursing is better than pumping, but I will say it is very different.  I will also say that nursing is easier in the long run.  And by no means did I ever nurse exclusively as I work full time and definitely had to rely on my pump when apart from my dear little one. 

I hope it is evident that mama milk is important to me…and I thoroughly enjoyed being able to provide the very best liquid gold for my little ones no matter the way.  I appreciate that it is the natural way to feed a baby even though I had to utilize a machine to make it work for us!  I also firmly believe it is one of the most valueable gifts you can give your baby!  Its benefits are proven and more reasons to breastfeed are uncovered each year!  It is also beneficial for Mama and Mother Earth too!  I also feel that it is a sacrifice, whether it comes easy or not so easy for mama and baby…it is a huge commitment (of both time and effort) especially at the beginning! 

Ok now that all that is said, let me get off my soap box and just reminisce.  Reminisce that the good far outweighed the bad and the good times far exceeded the hard ones!  Reminisce that I was able to come off my birth high and immediately nurse my baby girl this time!  Reminisce the special time I was able to share with my sweet girl over the many hours of nursing her the last 16 months!  Reminisce the magic comfort nursing provided her when she was sick, hurt, tired or teething.  Reminisce the sweet milk smiles and the laughter shared. 

Yes this time was very different!  My sweet baby was a ninny baby.  I did not have to set my alarm clock at night to remind me to pump because I was lucky enough to have a baby that wanted to eat throughout the night.  I did not worry as much about losing my milk supply but at the same time I never had more than a day’s worth of milk in my fridge and never had to make space for milk in the freezer whereas in my eping days I was so diligent about never missing a pumping session that we always had an abundant supply of milk waiting in the fridge.  Of course I pumped enough milk for her while I was working, but she really only ever needed a couple bottles a day while we were apart.  I spent many of my lunch hours nursing instead of pumping!  I didn’t have to clean as many bottles.  I never had to pump while driving although I admit that I did nurse her once or twice in the backseat while she was strapped in her carseat…proba bly not the safest but the memory brings a smile thinking about the twisted ackward position I was in   And while last time I was really sad to hang up my pumping horns.  This time, when she turned a year…I was super excited to leave those behind!  This time I find myself attached to my nursing cover.  My Mom of course made it for me making it extra special, it is super cute having little birdies on it,  but it is also a huge symbol of our accomplishment!  And as we pass over this bittersweet milestone of weaning at 16 months, I can’t bring myself to pack it away or worse yet sell it used as my mom  recently suggested.  

And of course this all means that my baby is growing up and really isn’t a baby anymore which is bittersweet in itself!  But tonight…I am just reminiscing…I can not believe that it has been 16 months since I first nursed my sweet girl and just over a month short of 3 years since I welcomed my firstborn and this entire jorney began.  Life is full of milestones…and it is important to take some time every once and awhile and just reminisce.

Wet bags are a necessity when you have a wee one!  A must have for cloth diapering mamas.  Also good for  wet clothes, swim suits, dirty clothes or even anything messy in your diaper bag!    How about a free one??? Get a free GroVia wet bag with any $30 purchase!  Just input girl bag or boy bag in the comments section at checkout.  It’s that easy.  This promotion runs while supplies last through September 7 at midnight.  Get your wet bag today! And as an added bonus…one random customer each day will get their free wet bag stuffed with goodies!  This is an online promotion, but you can also use the coupon code LOCAL to request local pick up!

Planet Wise Snack Bags are great.  Perfect for a sandwich, snacks, fruit or leftovers.  Even perfect for a wet wash cloth!  Everyone needs one!  And Express Yourself Mama is running the EY Mama Snack Attack Back to School Special.  Get a free Planet Wise Window Snack bag with any $50 purchase!  Just input girl snack or boy snack in the comments section at checkout.  It’s that easy.  This promotion runs while supplies last through August 31 at midnight.  Get your free snack bag today!    

Make sure and check out our other current specials.

Tell us what you have had to do to get ready for back to school this year!

 
Top 10 Things I Have Discovered After Kids

1. The world of cloth diapering
2. Craigslist
3. My Love for Blogging
4. Ebay
5. Special Appreciation for my Mom
6. Baby Gap
7. Medela PISA
8. Day Care is Expensive
9. Little Wonders and Firsts are Worth More than Anything Money Can Buy
10. Nick Jr

Everything means so much more since we have been blessed with our dear little ones!  It is fun to see the excitement in their eyes and take joy and pleasure in their adventures and their daily discoveries!  Of course I would not change a thing!  Now I only need to work on convincing Daddy that Mama needs to be able to sleep in more!  Tell me what you would add to either of these lists!  The next blog post will be about how having kids has changed me, and I can’t wait to share my transformation with all of you!

I would not describe eping as difficult, although it required a huge commitment of time and worry. The hardest part for me was not knowing if I was doing enough to keep up my supply. The early days were more than hard….the never ending cycles of nursing, pumping, feeding, nursing, pumping, feeding. Battling a low supply, several rounds of thrush, weeks of cracked nipples, out of control hormones, a resented c-section, numerous unsuccessful visits with the lactation consultant and an unhappy baby at every feeding session. The exhaustion and the frustration mounted until I finally made the decision to focus on pumping. The decision was bitter sweet as I now had pure focus which gave me even more determination and motivation to succeed against the odds and what I had heard over and over from the many doctors and nurses. But on the other hand, I also felt as though I had failed myself as a woman and a mother and that I had deprived my baby of the ever special bond that resulted from nursing.

Once the decison was made, I stepped up to the challenge, pumping 12+ times daily in order to build my supply so that I could eliminate formula from our house! It got a lot easier as time went on and it became a big part of my daily routine. And when the time came to hang up the pumping horns, it was even more difficult for me than some of the early days of nursing.

And this next time with my dear daughter it has been much of the same and yet so different. I was obviously better prepared for battle this time. The battle against doctors, others opinions and my own body. This time, I would stand my ground and refuse to supplement. I would have Newman’s ointment, Motherlove, my Moby Wrap and my trusty Medela PISA ready to employ if needed. I would understand that the first month or so would be dedicated to nursing and building a supply at least as much as possible with another toddler at home. This time, things started off on the right foot as I Vbac’ed and got to nurse her immediately following her birth. Just thinking about the joyous, exhilarating experience brings tears to my eyes.

But slow weight gain and extended jaundice brought on the supplementing recommendations right away. But with the encouragement of my mother and Judy, I held strong. I supplemented but with mommy milk instead of formula. I am very proud of the fact that we have made it to 14 months of nursing and counting! At the beginning, we encountered low milk supply, slower weight gain and nipple confusion, but things gradually got better. By 3 months, things were much easier…and I did not feel like I was struggling with at least one feeding session on a daily basis. By 6 months, I was starting to feel more comfortable and actually enjoy and look forward to nursing my little one. By 7 months, it was a major turning point for me…I actually preferred nursing instead of pumping as pumping had been my comfort zone for so long with my first little one….but all in all we are still nursing and enjoying each day of it (although she has started to self wean the end is in sight which is also bittersweet in itself).

If you are struggling with nursing or pumping, don’t give up! Find the support you need. Support is key in my opinion. I have a couple of close dear friends and a very supportive Mama of my own that encouraged me to keep going when I needed it. And us nursing mamas….we are sure to be there for other nursing mamas! Being a mama is a wonderful and crazy adventure, and sometimes nursing adds to the craziness of this special time. I was reminded exactly what it is like to nurse a newborn after hanging out with a good mama friend of mine this weekend whom is nursing her 2 month old. You soon forget what time is dedicated to nursing especially at the beginning. I feel honored to have friends that I can share this passion with. Obviously, I never thought I would be passionate about boob feeding until I had kids! We were joking about how different our lives are now that we both have 2 kids under 3! An upcoming post will discuss this in more detail!

But back to the specific topic at hand, I am so thankful that I got to supply mama’s milk for both my little ones…no matter how I did it. I know one thing for sure, whatever way you do it, it is worth it! It has been one of the most challenging but rewarding parts of motherhood for me thus far. It is a sacrafice that many mothers make for their babies. And this sacrafice should be praised! Join me in celebrating breastfeeding as we wrap up our special series in honor of 2011 World Breastfeeding Week. Express Yourself as a breastfeeding mama….Express Yourself as a pumping mama….Express Yourself as a boob feeding supporter!