Not that long ago, there was a Zulily deal for diapers.  It was a new brand I hadn’t heard of, but I did look for reviews online, and it seemed like a pretty good bargain.   For $39.99, I received a month’s worth off diapers and wipes through The Honest Company.  For a size four, that was 186 diapers and 4 packs of 80 wipes.  Since I had $15 in Zulily credit, I paid $24.99 for all of this.  If you order through The Honest Company directly, you’d pay $79.95 plus $4.95 shipping and handling, so I thought it was a pretty good deal and was happy to try them.

They come in several adorable prints- and you choose what ones you want.   It’s a monthly recurring subscription, but there aren’t any fees if you choose to cancel it.  There is also a line of Family Essentials which you can order that has stuff like shampoo and laundry detergent.  All of The Honest Company Family Essentials products are non-toxic, organic and all-natural.  The diapers are chlorine free, sustainable, and bio-degradable.

The diapers are CUTE.  I ordered just the boy prints, and none of the plain white.  I received two bags of the blue plaid, two of the anchors, one of the skulls, and one bag of solid white.  Not really a big deal, because it’s a diaper, but I figured I’d point it out since I’m talking about the company today.

The wipes are a bit thin and small in comparison to other brands, but they do the job.

But here’s my issue- they aren’t very absorbent.  When I put my kid in a diaper, I expect it to hold whatever they put in it.  I’m a frequent changer and during the day I change them every couple hours.  I don’t like to leave my kids sitting in their own waste.  So I don’t expect to get 12 hours out of a diaper, or even 6.  But 2 or 3 would be nice.

Today, I changed the boys into clean diapers and put them down for a nap, and an hour and a half later, they woke up soaked through.  They’d normally sleep for another 30-60 minutes, so not only did it interrupt their nap, but now I get to do extra laundry.  Not fun.

An additional problem I am having with these diapers is the tabs that fasten them on to the boys.  They keep coming undone and are very weak.  My guys have a habit of stripping naked and often spend the day playing in just their diaper and all I’ve heard a lot of  ‘Uh oh!’  since using this case of diapers- and then I see a twin running towards me holding the tab to keep them on.  I tried putting them in fitted feetie pajamas, but it still happened inside the clothes.  They are just playing as they normally do, and we don’t have this happen with the other brand of disposable diapers when we use them.

I called to cancel our membership, because I definitely don’t want any more of these diapers in our house.  The customer service representative that I spoke with was nice and pleasant, and made the process easy.  She took note of the issues I’m having with the diapers to pass on to the development team, so hopefully it’s something they can improve on.

I love the idea behind this company- their vision of health and sustainability.  I love the prints of the diapers.  I love the idea of having the diapers delivered to my door monthly.  But I don’t love a malfunctioning product- especially one that is supposed to contain bodily fluids.

]]> http://www.tatertwins.com/2012/01/31/they-honestly-suck/feed/ 17 http://www.tatertwins.com/2012/01/30/yucky-10/ http://www.tatertwins.com/2012/01/30/yucky-10/#comments Tue, 31 Jan 2012 03:32:20 +0000 Jayme http://www.tatertwins.com/?p=5942

I don’t like a lot of foods.  Some are more common- like mushrooms, olives, raw onions.  Lots of people love them, lots of people hate them.  But some things I don’t eat seem to be everyone’s favorites but mine.  Here’s a list of my top ten icky foods.

• Raisins.  I guess when I was little I ate them all the time, but now I really hate them.  Don’t put them in my bagels, cookies, or trail mix please.

• Shrimp (and all other seafood really).  The only thing I’ll eat is a tuna sandwich and I have to be in the mood and there has to be a significant amount of mayo.

• Fruit Pies.  Pumpkin and apple are the only exceptions.  Strawberry, cherry, lemon, blueberry- all gross.  I think it’s the mushy cooked fruit that turns me off.

• Dr. Pepper/Mt. Dew.  I don’t know why so many people drink these two kinds of soda- they are both nasty to me.  Dr. Pepper tastes like carbonated prune juice and I don’t even know what Mt. Dew reminds me of.

• Bananas.  I think it’s the texture and the stringy things.  I don’t have a problem with banana flavored stuff like candy or bread.

• Hummus/Chickpeas.  I just don’t like the flavor.

• Jelly. UGH.  It’s the squished fruit again.  I hate jelly.  I won’t eat jelly donuts, or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  Nasty.  It reminds me of the flavor of cough syrup and that triggers my gag reflex.

• Thin Mints/Peppermint Patties/any mint & chocolate combo.  Don’t you dare mess with my chocolate by adding toothpaste.

• Sushi.  I know it’s seafood, and I covered that above, but so many people just adore it and the thought just grosses me out.  Not only is there fish, but there’s nasty sticky rice and icky seaweed.

• Nutella.  I just don’t get it.  It’s so gross.  Yet there are like a million recipes pinned on Pinterest devoted to it and it’s got this cult-like following.

What foods do you hate that everyone else seems to love?

Nutella banana crepes- shudder. Just shoot me now.

]]> http://www.tatertwins.com/2012/01/30/yucky-10/feed/ 19 http://www.tatertwins.com/2012/01/29/silent-sunday/ http://www.tatertwins.com/2012/01/29/silent-sunday/#comments Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:35:11 +0000 Jayme http://www.tatertwins.com/?p=5936

Kind of like Wordless Wednesday, but on a different day

]]> http://www.tatertwins.com/2012/01/29/silent-sunday/feed/ 9 http://www.tatertwins.com/2012/01/28/valentines-day-bakepops/ http://www.tatertwins.com/2012/01/28/valentines-day-bakepops/#comments Sun, 29 Jan 2012 02:53:48 +0000 Jayme http://www.tatertwins.com/?p=5917

Right before Christmas, I was sent the BakePops pan- I’m sure you’ve seen the commercials.  Unfortunately with everything that was going on, I was unable to take the time to play with it until recently.

I’d tried making cake pops awhile back for Mia’s birthday without the pan, but it was a disaster!  They tasted great, but I could not get the pops to stay on the stick, especially when dipping them in the coating. It was really frustrating and I gave up.

I was excited to try the BakePops pan because not only are the cake balls uniformly sized, but the pan also comes with reusable sticks and they are shaped differently than the traditional lollipop sticks used and I think it really helps!

Super thick batter

I followed the instructions for the cake that came in the kit- they recommend using a box mix with some differences- add an extra egg, use about half of the water called for, and instead of actually using water, they suggest milk.  They also say it helps to add a box off instant pudding.  These changes make the batter nice and dense so that they stay on the sticks and dip easily.

The pan is actually two pans- this is the bottom one and the top is the other half of the circle.  The top also has holes in it, to allow extra cake to bake up and out.  There are also two little clips to keep the pans closed tight while baking.

After letting them cool, I melted some white chocolate and used it to anchor the sticks in the pops.  I just used a brick of baker’s chocolate and microwaved it, stirring every 30 seconds until it was melted.

Once the white chocolate hardened, I remelted it and began the dipping process.  I found using the baker’s chocolate MUCH easier than the Wilton’s candy melts that I’d tried to use last time.  It melted way better and it went on super smoothly.

On some of the pops, I added sprinkles right away, before the chocolate dried.  For others, I waited until it started to solidify and drizzled another color on to them.  I’d also melted some milk chocolate, so some pops were dipped in that.

The boys definitely approve and love them!

]]> http://www.tatertwins.com/2012/01/28/valentines-day-bakepops/feed/ 12 http://www.tatertwins.com/2012/01/26/my-marriage-was-built-on-grief/ http://www.tatertwins.com/2012/01/26/my-marriage-was-built-on-grief/#comments Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:20:35 +0000 Jayme http://www.tatertwins.com/?p=5903

For us, our first loss happened about a year after we met, and we’d only been married a few months. It sort of defined our relationship in that grief and baby loss has always been a part of who we are as a couple.

We were stationed in Hawaii at the time, so just about as far away from our families as we could get, and had no choice but to rely on each other to get through it.  Well, I suppose we could have turned away from each other, but luckily we didn’t.  We shared our heartbreak, taking turns being the strong one (mostly him) and connected over our sadness.

Ultimately, I think it brought us closer together super fast.  We had been together just long enough for that honeymoon period to start wearing off- where suddenly the little quirks that were cute when you first met become annoying.   We went from the petty beginning of the relationship arguments like who does the dishes to burying our baby, so suddenly the small stuff didn’t seem like such a big deal.  It’s as if we totally skipped over that adjustment stage- I honestly can’t remember the last time we argued about something.

I feel like Raime was a catalyst in cementing our commitment to each other.  Because of her, we knew that we could rely on each other through anything.  I was never so sick in my life as I was when I was in the hospital for the week leading up to her birth, and Aaron was right there at my side the whole time, even when I wasn’t coherent.  That right there is true love.

I will never forget the look on his face when Raime was born and they handed her to him.  Just thinking about it breaks my heart- such love and pain and pride all at once.

While of course I wish it never happened, losing our baby in the beginning of our marriage gave us strength.  It brought us together, and instead of breaking us apart, our commitment to each other was fortified.

It seems unlikely- that a successful marriage could be built out of grief and loss, but it works for us.

]]> http://www.tatertwins.com/2012/01/26/my-marriage-was-built-on-grief/feed/ 5 http://www.tatertwins.com/2012/01/26/my-mantras-for-the-year/ http://www.tatertwins.com/2012/01/26/my-mantras-for-the-year/#comments Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:47:32 +0000 Jayme http://www.tatertwins.com/?p=5896

2012 has just begun, and it’s started with a bang. I already need to revamp my New Year’s Resolutions and it’s not even February.  So instead, I’ve decided to live life this year while embracing a few quotes…

These are the words I’m going to try to live by this year. Some are humorous, some are serious, but they are all meaningful to me.

Do you identify with any of these?

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