DIY Diaper Cake

A little late, but i wanted to post pictures of the diaper cake i made for my sisters shower a few months ago. I watched a few you tube videos and read various instructions and took a swing at it- I have to say i was pretty impressed with the results. Its not too difficult to make, but like with all projects, you just have to have a little patience.

First- decided whether or not your going with a theme or a gender. Since her shower was more so an animal jungle theme I decided to go with jungle like animals. You can also incorporate additional items into the cake its self. I've seen a few with bottles, baby blankets, baby lotion, pacifiers, etc. Here is a snapshot of what i used & for the cake itself i used 96 size 2 diapers, black hair ties and larger rubber bands.

First i began by rolling each diaper up and securing it with a black hair tie. I made sure i rolled all the diapers in the same direction and rubber banded them roughly in the same spot.

You want to ensure that they are rolled pretty evenly as far as tightness and that they are able to stand on their own. This will make the cake building processes a lot easier.

As i began building my cake I realized that using only 96 diapers would make a small cake, smaller than i wanted it to be. So i quick improvised and wrapped a cookie tin in tissue and added bulk/size by wrapping diapers around the tin. I've seen people wrap diapers around baby bottles, cans of formula and  blankets.

As you can see the diapers are all roller in one direction. This is where the larger rubber bands come in. Once all the diapers are in place place the larger rubber band around them all to secure them together.

The mid tier was starting off unevenly proportioned to the bottom tier so i wrapped the diapers around a toilet paper roll, which worked perfectly!

The top tier i wrapped around a bottle of oregano! That was the only thing in my pantry that fell into the size proportion i needed. This flat surface also worked well for the 'cake topper', so if your using some sort of topper this might be a good idea, though it doesn't have to be oregano ;-)

Once all the layers were assembled, i wrapped a thick brown ribbon, 1.5 in i think, around all three tiers using double sided tape to secure it to the diapers.

I added an accent color to the middle tier. I decided to only add it to the middle tier because I didn't want the cake to become overwhelming to look at.

Once done, i added the small decorations to the cake and used double sided tape to keep them in place. If your wondering where I got the small stuffed animals from... long before we began to plan my sister baby shower  McDonalds had an animal themed happy meal. So what did a dedicated sister do? I bought happy meals until i got the two stuffed animals that i wanted- the giraffe and the tiger.

Here is the cake topper that i used. I bought the pacifiers from her registry, curled a little ribbon and wrapped a monkey beanie baby around it.

Here is a few other pictures of the finished product. 

and yes, i fixed the center ribbon once i noticed it was crooked by the baby wash.

and if your wondering that is the same wrapped board i used here and used here.

Fullbar Review

In my never ending quest for weight loss, i never discard any idea or product - no matter how silly it may seem. My latest try has been the full bar. A coworker of mine gave me a box of these bad boys because they made her gassy. This concerned me, I'm gassy just because, let alone eating something that will induce gas.

And although i cant really say its a full review because i haven't followed the directions exactly, your supposed to eat 2 a day alongside your 2 biggest meals. BUT i have eaten a few of them.

 Here's the breakdown: They are 160 calories and only 10 are from fat, so they are very low in fat. Though they are high in carbs, 31g, most granola, cliff, luna, etc bars are the same. My husband tries to convince me that carbs are not the enemy, and they are not, he's right. Our body needs them- my problem is that i carb over load- and that's what makes you gain weight. It has 4g of dietary fiber, and the average person needs about 25-30g of dietary fiber a day. It has 5g of protein, that ones a no brainer, protein is good for you- helps rebuild muscle.One bar has 13g of sugar, which is the same as 2 Oreo cookies, yes, the oreos might taste better, but these have some nutritional content. Overall they aren't unhealthy and they taste what you would expect from any other bar. They are a little grainy, again like many other bars, but honestly... its not a deal breaker.

In a nutshell, you are supposed to eat a Fullbar with 8 oz. of water, wait 30 mins and then eat a reasonable meal. As the name indicates, this bar will make you feel full- so by the time you eat, your stomach is partially full and you eat less. Simple, right?

So far, I've never felt gassy after eating a Fullbar. I follow the direction and drink at least 8 oz of water, but i tend to drink more. I also eat the bar slowly, by choice.  This actually may be the reason why i've never felt gassy or bloated. Then came the moment of truth... 30, 40, 50 mins later and i didnt feel hunger. I eventually got lunch because i was afraid this feeling of fullness would wear off and i'd binge later. I eat a smaller lunch than usual and felt completely satisfied.

On another occasion i actually substituted my lunch for the Fullbar. I had my regular grande coffee round 8:45a, had my normal 20 oz of water before noon. I opened up a Fullbar and had at least 8oz of water with it. I didn't eat until about 3pm once i got home and again i wasn't crazy hungry.

Go on now, go. Run and try it. What do you think?

30 Day challenge?

We've decided to go to the dells for Jujus birthday. That means i have exactly 30 days (as of Tuesday) until i get into a swim suit. That also means i have 30 to try to lose a few pounds and tighten jiggly areas, if possible.

My biggest issue is my stomach. Its not like its incredibly huge, but it'll be challenge to suck it in for the 3 days that we'll be there. My biggest obstacle right now is my toe. Darn toe. I'm still limping around on my crutch and some days, by the end of the day my foot is swollen and i can feel my heart beat in my big toe. That's my excuse right now, at least its a good one. I tend to always have excuses for not working out, but this one is legit.

So today is day 3 of my 30 day challenge.

I am eating a lot better. I'm not eating just lettuce and carrots, mind you... I'm no bunny- But I've cut down my portions and opt out of empty calories. I haven had soda in a few days. Not even diet. I'm drinking more water- because reserve logic... drinking lots of water helps you release retained water. I wish fat would work that way too.... hm.

Even with my injured toe i have managed to get some exercise in. I did Pilates one day and i did Turbo Jam the other. Both days i "butt blasting" (yes, Butt Blasting") workouts to work my bum. Yesterday i even ventured on to the exercise ball, and i only fell over twice. That's progress ladies and gentlemen.

I've been keeping a food diary, and include everything i eat during the day. Including half a frozen pizza. There's something wrong with me, i know.

To tell you the truth, I'm not sure if 30 days is enough to make a difference but I'm going to try pretty darn hard. I figure, I'm aiming for a six pack... if i fail, and fall short, a four pack will do.