Real Diaper Week

Today kicks off Real Diaper Week. This is the week when cloth diaper fanatics come out of the woodwork to promote cloth diaper awareness. As an aforementioned cloth diaper fanatic, I want to take this time to say how much I love cloth diapering. I've saved money, it's better for the environment, they're so cute, and Patrick hasn't had a diaper rash since we switched. And it allows me to indulge in shameless shopping. And really, how cute is this bum?

On to some information concerning the exact opposite of parenting. I had the Essure procedure done after Patrick was born. We're done having kids (especially after all the complications while I was pregnant with Patrick) and we wanted permanent birth control. I can't stress enough how much better Essure is than other long-term birth control options. Permanent, no hormones, no surgery, local anesthesia, 24-hour recovery, in-office, minimal pain. If you're considering permanent birth control, I highly suggest you look into this procedure.

I was the hourly winner at 4Loot yesterday and won 150 coins. I wish I had thought to take a screenshot, but I didn't think about it. I was pretty psyched about it. And then today, I managed to get 40 coins from videos. If you do 4Loot, don't forget about the videos. Those things can be pretty lucrative at times.

The buttons for the Dan River Autism Awareness 5k arrived today. Austin was very excited about the 'Team Austin' buttons. I think Patrick and I are going to do the 1-mile instead of the 5k. 3.1 miles is a bit much for a 3-month old that eats, on average, every two hours. If I'm lucky he'll sleep through the 1-mile.

Don't forget, tomorrow is Tax Day! If you haven't filed your taxes yet, make sure you get them in by midnight.

An amazing site to find great deals on different products

I've come across a site about which I am incredibly excited.-nomorerack. Every day at noon EST, they offer good deals on 9 products in different categories (clothing, electronics, jewelry, etc) that are available until noon EST the next day unless they sell out. Sometimes there are amazing deals, such as this past Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend. They released deals more often and the deals were amazing, such as an Xbox 360 with Kinect for $100. The drawback is that obviously these deals sell out quickly-within minutes in some cases. NMR also has Insanity Deals. These are deals that are too insane to pass up. They're released randomly, but NMR guarantees 30 Insanity Deals each month. These are almost impossible to grab because there may be only one released and there are so many people vying for it. The Apple iPad 2 has been released for $43.20, but other products released as Insanity Deals include the Kindle Touch 3G for $15.87, Canon EOS Rebel for $19.77, and Playstation 3 160GB for $26.54. Lastly, you can earn amazing products by getting referrals. With 200 referrals, you can "earn" a Kindle Fire for free. You can always try this site risk-free without buying anything. It takes seconds to sign up. Best of all, $2 flat shipping per item.

Last week, I purchased Angry Bird slippers for $8 and a hooded cardigan for $11. A lot of NMR's products are perfect for gifts!

*Note: As you might guess, when amazing deals are released (such as the $100 Xbox 360 w/Kinect), there are site issues. You may not be able to get in or the deal may sell out before you can get it. NMR does not have unlimited access to servers or products. I was really hoping to get the Xbox 360, but the site crashed due to the overwhelming traffic and it was sold out by the time I got in 10 minutes later.

Earning a few extra bucks

I've been on strict bed rest since August 12th. Three months down, six weeks to go. I have a lot of extra time and I've had trouble finding activities that interest me. I've recently found an amazing site for those of us on bed rest or with a lot of extra time on our hands. Swagbucks is a site that pays you for doing things you're probably already doing-searching the internet, playing games, shopping, and playing around on Facebook. I'm not the type of person to suggest something unless I've tried it out or I use it myself. I've been active on Swagbucks since November 3rd and I've already cashed in enough swagbucks (their point system) for $25 in Amazon gift cards. I should have enough swagbucks for a $50 Amazon gift card in the next week or two. And, if I continue at the same rate of activity, I should have earned at least $100 in Amazon gift cards in time to shop for Christmas. I know that doesn't seem like a lot to those of you with jobs, but keep in mind I'm unable to work and this isn't a full-time job. I use swagbucks while I'm watching television or using the internet.

Here is my referral link. It will open in a new window. If you sign up by November 17th, use the promo code "SBPAYSFORME" and Swagbucks will credit your account 80 swagbucks on top of the standard 30 swagbucks. That's 110 swagbucks just for trying it out! A $5 Amazon gift card is only 450 swagbucks. I'm always around and I'm happy to help new members, even if I didn't refer you. Send me a message if you have any questions. And check out these pages on Facebook for extra tips and help: Swagbucks and Swagbucks Offers That Pay.

Happy Swagging!