Wow! You get what you pay for I suppose

I'm nine months into running my on-line shop. Lovely Eco Chic I have been working with a lot of bloggers. Mostly I've been very please with the reviews I've had done. Since I'm really pick y about what I carry to the point of being crazy almost I get really bummed out when I know a product Rocks! and the blogger makes it sound blah!

So far this has happened twice where I felt like asking them to just take the review down. In fairness to my fans I like them to see as many points of view as possible. This last one hits home. It's my favorite product. The review makes me look like I'm trying to sell moldy bread. I noticed I lost a few follows on FB today. I'm wondering how this affects my creditability.

I'm just sick to my stomach wondering what's the right thing to do. My business is just now getting weekly sales. I hope this wont stop them.

Where is my Start up an on-line for Dummies book. There has to be a what to do if your bloggers don't agree with you. Ugh!


To top it off I've been dealing with this drama and Sonny goes and tries to wash his hair with the left over chicken fat in our frying pan from dinner. It smells so bad. I just wanted to puke.

I love today! That is all.

My Broody Hen

Some of you know I have 2 sets of hens. Last years hens Blacky and Sally and this years chicks. My hens will be a year at Mother's Day. They are pretty solid egg layers at this point. Over the last couple weeks we had a huge BOOM of eggs. I was giving them away to everyone.

Well I now know the reason. Blacky thinks she should have chicks of her own. She's Broody. Poor thing doesn't realize that she needs a rooster. This is were it becomes a bit strange. Sally is our dominate hen. Definitely a hen. She too lays eggs. However now that Blacky thinks she's having chicks Sally is playing Dad. She struts around the yard protecting to coup. If you're any one besides me she pecks you. Blacky sits patiently in the nesting box. Waiting and waiting for these unfertilized eggs to hatch.

Looking at various websites how to deal with this poor Motherless hen I'm following none of the advice. I take her out of the nesting box a few times a day and make her hang out with Sally. I keep taking the eggs. Some have looked weird, jelly looking on deflated. Some are shaped strange  with ridges. Every website says this could be from stress.

I almost want to replace an egg Blacky sits on for a few days with a baby chick. As hard as this couple is working to raise some chicks I think they should have some. Just a couple of things are stopping me. I have six birds already. Who's to say the trick will work? That kind of borderlines on animal testing to me. I guess I keep making sure she socializes with Sally in the yard and get plenty of food and water. Heck I  have thought I was pregnant a few times when I wasn't.

Lovely Eco Chic Diaper Service and Boutique: Planet Wise Breastfeeding Cover Giveaway

Lovely Eco Chic Diaper Service and Boutique: Planet Wise Breastfeeding Cover Giveaway: Planet Wise Breast Feeding cover Giveaway!

My peeps first dust bath

Yes we are expanding our flock. More to come.

Worried homeless

My brother is homeless. Two of them are. Bad choices info their teens followed them into their 40s.

Driving my son Joey to school last week he told me God talks to him and told him his dad was dead. I wasn't sure what to say. It's been months since we have seen him. I could only feel sadness. Poor Joey to have that kind of worry at 10 years old.

Sure when I wake up cold or see the rain I hope my brother has a place to keep warm. Joey loves his dad. His worry goes beyond what mine ever can. This is Dad he loves and see suffer.

I just tell him to pray. God has a plan and hears him. Joe tells me he talks to God. I think my litter mans prayer were heard. My brother called my parents. He's in a rehab. The pastor of the church he goes to helped him get in. He's got a job when he gets out.  Even better news he shares a bunk with our other brother who's in rehab as well.

Today is good. Amen

Diaper Donation

Diaper Donation

Since the cloth diapering community is full of generous people, we thought we should send this message out to ask as many persons as possible to join this cause with us.

Our friend Jenn, the owner of The Big Blue Frog in Penticton BC has been approached by a local mom who is going to Haiti in June to do volunteer work in an orphanage for children with AIDS. They are in desperate needs of...well... everything so we thought we could help with the diapering part.

We've been able to find about a dozen of gently used diapers so far but we all know that it is far from enough, especially when you have 7 or 8 kids in diapers!

If you are able to participate, PLEASE send your diapers (pocket with insert, AIO, AI2, hybrid, fitted-cover) to

MiniMaestro
2339 Ogilvie Rd
PO Box 46004
Gloucester ON K1J 7M9

or to

Lovely Eco Chic

3649 Hillsborough Dr

Concord, CA 94520 ( I will send them for you. As international mail can cost slightly more. ~Mary)

MiniMaestro gift certificate for each diaper you send us. And if you do not need or want the gift certificate, MiniMaestro will donate a new diaper for each couple of diapers you send us. Please make sure you indicate your choice when sending the diaper(s), along with an e-mail address to contact you.

You can read more about the orphanage here.

So? Who's in with us to help those kids in Haiti wear descent diapers? Does not have to be cute or fancy, only do adequately what a diaper is supposed to do...

Thank you from the bottom of our heart!

One of those shopping trips

I am slowing adjusting to life where a big paycheck came in every two weeks in my name to a paycheck that is never consistent as a substitute preschool teacher. Fortunately I'm not a big spender and when ever I need money for food or gas god seems to deliver.

Today Joey needed new shoes. Lucky me my brother always sends gift cards to my kids for Christmas and Joey got his shoes. Target in our town also has groceries and I picked up a few things.

I can't help but try to shop fast when the boys go anywhere with me. A perfect example why is the sweet elderly woman who told Declan not to grab the coffee cup out of the trash and he lost it. When I picked him up his pants were soaked through. Joey and Sonny want everything on the self and I'm broke. It's a hard thing for me to say "No we can't get that." After all my joke for years has been ...Target's the what the heck did I buy for $300 store?

The lines were exceptionally long tonight. My boys stood by me calmly. Miracle. The checker finally rang us up after a 10 minute wait. My boys are still calm.... I'm slightly holding my breath and crossing my fingers at this point. Sure enough after giving the checker 3 gift cards I still owed $41s and had $35. I asked him to take something off and he voided my entire transaction then proceeded to look threw the trash for my gift cards. Fifteen people behind me standing there were asked to go to another line and a woman lost it slamming her cart and throwing an unattractive grown up woman fit. My boys stayed calm.

An hour later still trying to leave Target I was given another $5 credit off my bill for my kids and my own patience. I'm just thankful today I was given that miracle of peaceful boys in the store. They could have easily made an awkward situation so much worse. I don't know if the knew or not but I sure love them.