Baby/Toddler Wearing

When Curtis was born, I didn't know a whole lot about babywearing.  In fact, I don't think I had ever heard that term before.  I just knew I wanted a Baby Bjorn to carry him in while I was shopping, so that is what I got.  Yes, it worked and he liked it, but it was such a pain bc if I would bend over to do any cleaning, he would dangle and it was just not as sturdy as I would have liked.  I still kept it and I didn't buy anything else.

When he was 16 months old, I experimented and made a Mei Tai carrier.  It was terrible... yes, functional, but it was way too big in the body, but if I'm in a pinch, I'll put it on with Wesley.

Before I had Wesley, I was looking into more "true" baby wearing items.  I sought a local company called Two Momma's Designs and decided to purchase what they call a buckle tai.  Very similar to an Ergo and since I knew a lot of people like that style, I decided to try it and purchase one of the buckle tai carriers for myself.  I LOVED it.  Yes, I tried it on with Curtis on my back at 26 weeks pregnant.  Anyone who knows me knows that my belly was NOT small, so it was a bit awkward to put on while pregnant.  However it was very comfy and I knew I'd love it.

Fast forward to when Wesley was born.  I put him in it as soon as we were home from the hospital.  I remember wearing him down to the pool for the Labor Day picnic.  I put him in all cozy with his legs tucked in and he really loved it.   A couple weeks went by though and he decided that he wanted to try to "launch" out of the top.  I guess he was just too active to be carried with his feet tucked in.  He was by no means a lazy newborn.

Long story short, I love it, he loves it and we still use it at least 3-4x a week.  Here's a picture or 2 of him in the carrier.

I recently went to a cloth diapering/baby wearing party near my house.  They had cloth diapers for sale and some carriers.  They had a Moby 1/2 off and I decided to try it out.  I also love this.  I just wish I had it earlier because it's really good for tiny babies.  Wesley loves it though bc I can let him face out or wear him on my back a little easier than with my buckle tai.

I love baby wearing.  With that being said, I plan to wear Wesley till he refuses to be worn anymore LOL!  I will probably keep the carriers so I can use them for my daycare needs.

What carriers do you have that you just love?

Frugal Vacations

This is going to be a short post since I'm getting ready to go on vacation.  Hence the reason for this topic for my blog ;)  Every 2 years (sometimes every year) we go to Surfside Beach, South Carolina.  It's such a fun place and we've been going since I was 3.  We started going with my grandparents when we were younger, but soon moved on to goind with our friends, the Snyders.  A few years passed and we added the Fitzgeralds to the beach crew.  This year, even the Hutson's are coming (at least some of them are).  I'm so excited and I love going every year.

Recently, the beach has been a place for big Zuk announcements. Note: Zuk is the term for the Thiergartners, Snyders, Fitzgeralds and Hutsons combined.  In 2004, Katy and Doug got engaged.  In 2006, we announced our first pregnancy when we were expecting Curtis.  In 2008, Katy had just had Jillian... so, that's not an announcement, but something momentous, right?

Anyway, back to my original topic for this blog, frugal vacations.  Here's in list form what I do to keep the cost of vacation down while still having a ton of fun.

1) Fill up at the cheapest gas station before you go to the beach.  Gas at the beach is so pricey!
2) Take as many groceries with you as you can fit into your cooler.  Groceries tend to be pricey there too, plus you know what foods are your favorites and what things you just can't live without that you might not be able to find there.
3) Cook as many meals as possible in the condo/house instead of going out.  We go out to eat for dinners maybe 3x at the beach.  One nicer place and 2 places that are more like "Applebees" prices.
4) Stay in a house that can accommodate huge numbers of crazy people.  This year, we chose the Watson, again.  It's so fun and we love the location.  I believe this house is suited for 12, and we'll have roughly 12-14 people staying in the house.  There are 19 going, but this year we got an extra condo to house a few extras so we're not so cramped.
5) Carpool to the beach from Charlotte.  We plan to ride together in less cars so a) All the cars at the beach have a spot to park in the shade and b) Cheaper transportation


I love going to the beach with the Zuks.  I would eventually like to try to vacation in other spots, but this is, right now, the most economical for us and we always have so much fun.  I always get bored on vacations without all my Zuks there... it's just not the same.  I love them so much!   I know, I've blogged about them before, but I really love them all :)

I don't know about any of the other Zuks, but I am READY for some rafting!!!

Here are some pictures.

Please add comments about what you do to have a frugal vacation.

My dad's favorite activity, lounging in the ocean.

Lynn was crying when we told her that we were expecting :)  June 2006.