Advent Calendar Ideas

Last year, I decided to start an advent calendar for the girls. I wanted one that I could reuse each year. I found a cute little house online with doors I can have kids open each day. Last year, I did candy in each of the doors. This year, I decided I did not want to only have candy in each of the doors. I did a quick internet search for ideas and found a lot of great ideas out there.

So, this year, my advent calendar has a little more variety in it. I'm restricted by the size of my doors on my house-in hindsight, I sort of wish I had picked something with bigger compartments or pockets. Here's what I decided to put in the compartments:

1. Candy- Hershey's Kisses, Tootsie Rolls, and mini candy bars. Last year, I did some hard candy like Jolly Ranchers and also jelly beans.
2. Rubber band bracelets- Amazon has an interesting selection. I found some that were Christmas themed. I also bought some that are animals.
3. Temporary tattoos- I also found some Christmas themed. 
4. Stickers- My girls love stickers of all kinds. Again, I found Christmas themed stickers. I had to cut them to size to fit in the compartments, but they worked pretty well.

I alternated the stuff so it wasn't the same things in a row.

Other Ideas for Advent Calendars

Obviously, these will depend on the size of your pockets. You could do:

Lip gloss/chapstick

Small bubbles

Bouncy balls

Finger puppets

Small Christmas ornaments

Key chains

Travel toiletries

Spinning tops

Small yoyos 

Small action figures

Pieces of a Lego kit adding up to a total kit

Stamps

Hope this list helps you- I probably should have written it a bit earlier in the holiday season this year!

Out with the old...

Spent this weekend switching around dressers and moving around furniture in my youngest daughter's room. I suppose it was pretty good timing that she was sick all over her crib Friday night since it meant I washed all the linens twice and decided to change where her crib is in her room. Her old dresser was just too small. If I could do it again, I would have bought the larger one to start. As a new mom, however, I was convinced I needed the guard rail for the changing pad. I learned later on that the guard rail wasn't really necessary.

Here's the old dresser when we first moved it into her nursery, minus decorations and plus my oldest checking out her old crib:

We eventually moved it farther down the wall. It only has 3 drawers on one side and a chest opening on the right side which just became a mess of blankets and towels.

Here's the new bedroom set-up. Please ignore the ugly blanket covering her window. We put it up to make the room darker and I'm now realizing it's time to find curtains.

The original dresser is made by Pali, the same as our crib, and the new dresser by Munire. It's a much better size and fits her stuff so much better. The color is a tiny bit off, but overall a pretty good match.

The Wrapping Mommy

Today is a beautiful fall day and we are off to our 3rd Frozen themed birthday party of the year. I decided to use some princess themed stamps from Melissa and Doug to dress up some plain brown wrapping paper. Unfortunately, the purple and pink stamps didn't show up too well. My oldest daughter suggested putting on the foam stickers we used before on the present they helped decorate for their Father's Day present. What the heck? Sure, why not? Here's the finished product:

Here's a close up of the almost invisible stamps:

The stamp is a glass slipper. I've decided stamps in general show up better on plain white paper. I love using tulle for bows. I think it gives gifts such a pretty touch.

After I was done and getting ready to jump in the shower, I hear my oldest call me the "wrapping mommy." I'll take it😀. 

September 2014 Stitch Fix Review: I finally got the magic 5!!

If you've been following my blog, you know that I've been getting Stitch Fix boxes for several months. It's a personal styling service that I love! I've been waiting to get the "magic" box where I keep all five items. I finally got it! I actually got it a couple weeks back, but haven't had time to get the hubby to snap a few pictures.

See my previous reviews here.

41 Hawthorn Filbert 3/4 Sleeve 

Popover Blouse $58

Since I've kept similar shirts by 41Hawthorn in the past, I figured this would be a keeper.

I was right. It's simple, but can go with many items in my closet. I paired it with a pair of Ecru Springfield Pull-On pants that I found on-sale online:) Boy, I love these pants! And, obviously, I like the shirt. I wore it a week ago or two with a striped skirt I got from last month's fix for which I did not blog because I only kept one item and did not have time to take pictures. 

41Hawthorn Boat Neck Striped Cotton Tee $48

I'm a sucker for stripes, and I had pinned this item. The material was very soft and comfortable.

I actually wore it last week with a brown belt around the middle to break it up. Hubby likes it better with the belt. He does not quite share my love of stripes as much:)

Tart Sioban Striped French Terry 

3/4 Sleeve Dress $88

I've received Tart items before, and they always seem to fit me well. When I did my sneak peak after I received my e-mail, I thought it was a different dress. So, when I pulled it out, even though I had pinned this dress, too, I wasn't sure I was going to like it.

I threw on a pair of boots that I plan on wearing with this dress in the fall/winter. I will, of course, wear tights. The dress is a very soft, comfortable material. I think adding the belt helps break up the lines, though my obsessive-compulsive side is annoyed that the buckle is slightly off in this picture. Oh, well. The only criticism I have of the Tart dresses is that I wish they were a couple of inches longer. I also confess that I feel mixed feelings about liking clothing from a brand that is named Tart.

Three Dots Nevin 3/4 Sleeve 

Leopard Print Sweatshirt $74

Another item I had recently pinned, though I have to confess I wasn't sure if it was going to look okay on me. My hubby was not sure, either. It has an interesting pattern/color combination. It is also soft and breathable.

I like the 3/4 sleeves of the sweatshirt and it's very comfortable. In this picture, I'm pairing it with the last item from my fix, another great pair of pull-on pants. I'm kind of obsessed with them at the moment. 

The sweatshirt is a bit pricey, but I never look at prices until I've tried on items. Plus, I can wear it to work with slacks, like above, or with jeans at home. So, that sort of justified it in my mind.

Liverpool Rizzo Pull-On Skinny Ponte Pant $98

It's really hard to show the material of these pants in my pictures. My stylists have sent me several pairs of black pull-on pants. I like that these are fitted, but not too fitted, if you know what I mean. If they are too tight, I can't wear them to work. These pants are very comfortable and the material is quality. I had of course googled pictures before they arrived, but I knew it was going to be a matter of trying them on and seeing how they fit. I wore them to work yesterday with an item from a previous fix. I like that I'm able to mix and match items since my stylist (Thanks, Connie!) keeps track of what I have.

As you know, I kept them all and, of course, got the 25% discount. I think the only piece I haven't worn yet is the dress. I actually get my next shipment this week, so hopefully I will have time to blog about it sooner rather than later. I got some gift cards for my birthday and am anxious to spend them! 

I asked Connie for some different color items in the jewel tone family for my next fix. I've received a lot of blues, which is my favorite color, but since fall has arrived, I would like some dark reds, greens, purples, etc. This fix, she sent me a lot of items I pinned. Again, I'm glad she paid attention to my board. My hubby commented that this fix might be a little less exciting than other ones where I received items that I would not have picked out otherwise. I'm on the fence about that because I loved the items and they all fit me. So, was the fix less exciting because I pinned most of the items and they happened to be available? Not sure. I'm just glad I got the "magic box" and hope to see more in my future.

Online Stores for Used Kids' Clothing: Thredup Versus MoxieJean

I'm hardly the first blogger to write about this topic, but I thought I would write a quick update regarding the two sites. I'll summarize the different areas and then make an overall comparison.

Inventory of Items
Thredup easily wins this category. They have a much larger selection of clothing available on their site. If you create a personal closet of items you like, they will send you updates regarding new items. Moxiejean also will e-mail regarding new arrivals, but they also say they put new stuff up twice a week. Thredup seems to put up stuff daily. I think Thredup is overall a bigger operation.

Pricing of Items
I have found both sites to be comparable, but will give the slight edge to Moxiejean here. They have sections with "Recent Markdowns," and "Clearance" items. You can get some real steals here.

Quality of Items
I haven't found much difference between the two sites. Thredup will list items as faded or with a spot and post pictures of both the front and back of the item that allow you to look at the items carefully. Moxiejean only shows the front of the item. They say they only accept "excellent" stuff.

Brands Available
Moxiejean wins here. They take many more brands than Thredup. They even sell items without a brand if it is in excellent condition.

Payout for Items Sent In
I'm wanting to give the slight edge to Thredup here, but it isn't clear cut. I think that Thredup may accept "Very Good" items whereas Moxiejean accepts only "Excellent." Of bags that I've sent in, I've gotten more money from Thredup than MoxieJean, despite MoxieJean taking more brands.

Moxiejean tells you why they did not accept your item; Thredup does not. However, Thredup includes pictures of the items they have kept in your payout email. I like the pictures and knowing when my items sell.

Thredup gives store credit or will give you a payout through Paypal, which has a transaction fee if you want to deposit in your account. Moxiejean will send you a check, but gives you 25% more if you spend it in store.

Processing of Items Sent In
Thredup seems to get items there faster, but processes them slower once they arrive. Moxiejean's items take about 2 weeks to get to them, at least from where I live, but they process them in under a week once they arrive there. So, for me, it's sort of a wash. I like that Thredup sends an email letting me know when my items arrived and estimated processing time.

Shipping Costs of Purchased Items
Both sites offer free shipping for $50 and higher purchases. Thredup also has the option to sign up for free shipping all year long for $20. I will probably sign up at the beginning of next year.

Items seem to get to you quicker from Moxiejean than Thredup after you order them, if that is a factor.

Website Design and Usability
Although I like the "prettiness" of Moxiejean's website and how they present the items, I think Thredup's website is a little bit more user friendly. It also allows you to look at other items from the same collection of stuff in case you are looking for a matching pair of pants. That being said, Moxiejean seems to keep items together a little bit better than Thredup when you send them in. They also will pair items together as matches sometimes.

Overall Winner
I think that Thredup is the slight winner here, but I will continue to buy from both sites. I probably will send in items more to Thredup than Moxiejean, but that may change depending on what I get on my latest items that I have sent in to them.

Homemade Shaving Cream

One night I was browsing Facebook and Pinterest, as I frequently do, when I came across several websites and blogs showing how to make homemade shaving cream. I pinned one blog showing how to make Rosemary Mint Shaving Cream. I was intrigued, since I'm prone to ingrown hairs and have tried baby oil, etc trying to prevent them. While I still haven't solved that problem completely, I decided to try this recipe. The original blogger does a great job with the recipe instructions, though I might modify it the next time I make it. I want to thank her for writing such a nicely written, easily followed recipe!

I used the following ingredients, following her recipe, except I used Lavender instead of Rosemary:

1/3 cup Sweet Almond Oil
1/3 cup Coconut Oil
1/3 cup Unrefined Shea Butter.
Lavender Essential oil
Peppermint Essential oil

I bought all go the ingredients off of Amazon, except the Coconut oil. I believe I bought it at Whole Foods or Sprouts. True to the original recipe, it makes about 8 ounces. Basically, you melt the Shea butter and coconut oil on the stove, add the sweet Almond oil and essential oils to your liking, and refrigerate till it solidifies. Then, whip it! When it's done, it's creamy and looks good enough to eat!

Here's the start and the finish pictures. The original author does a great job with her instructions. 

My husband tried this batch. He found it went on very oily. He said that maybe I needed to whip it more. I think it might need more Shea butter. I'm going to try doubling it next batch.  I'm also going to just use Vanilla essential oils because I don't like Peppermint or Lavender, really. I'll update the blog if doubling the Shea butter helps make it a bit less oily and easier to put on your skin. Or maybe add cocoa butter, too?

MoxieJean - Another Online Consignment Store

I know I haven't blogged in a bit, but after my good experiences I've had with Thredup, I decided to see what else is out there. I came across a website called Moxiejean. It only accepts kid's clothing, but, it accepts more brands than Thredup does. I have a lot of Carter's items from my girls' early days and many of my friends like that brand. It's usually reasonable and quality is decent. I've recently been giving stuff to my sister since her daughter is a tiny bit smaller than my youngest, but I still have a ton of clothes in storage.

I just requested a clean-out bag, which is free to get and return. Like Thredup, they seem to have high standards, maybe higher, and there are some "discount" brands they don't take. What I like about them is they will also take infant clothing and they will give you store credit or mail you out a check instead of a Pay Pal credit like Thredup does. Supposedly, you make more money sending in stuff to them than you do on Thredup. I don't know yet. They also take newborn to 12-months. Thredup doesn't take under 12-months items.

I'll let you know how it goes. I think it's hard to say what they will take before I've had a chance to see what they accept. I've got two bags prepped and will probably prep a 3rd one today. 

Any negative or positive experiences anyone wants to share? From what I've seen online, people are mostly happy with them.

Top 10 Baby Products for the First Year of Life

Recently, I seem to have many friends and relatives delivering new babies. All the pregnancies around me reminded me that people often ask what items are needed the first year. Obviously, this is a subjective list, but hopefully others will find it helpful.

1. A Comfortable Rocker-Recliner

During the first year, you spend a ton of time holding your baby. They love being held and rocked. We invested in a nice Best Chair rocker when my first daughter was born and it came in handy with my second daughter, too. I've slept in our chair many nights and we still use it daily. Best Chair allows you to customize your chair to your liking in various prints and patterns. You can find them sold online from various companies, but I think it's best to find a local company first to go sit in some chairs till you find one that you like.

2. Summer Infant SwaddleMe Wraps

During the first few months, babies often wake themselves up because of the Moro Reflex. Swaddling them often helps them sleep a bit better. As a new parent, you will do anything to get your child to sleep! You can find SwaddleMes everywhere from BabiesRUs to Amazon.

3. Merlin's Magic Sleep Suit

I found out about these sleep suits after my second child was born. I wish I had known about them with my first daughter! They are designed for your child to wear after swaddling, but before blankets. They still inhibit their movement a bit. My second daughter was a much better sleeper than my first daughter. It may have been a coincidence, but I still think these suits are great! Check out their website here. If you decide to try them, make sure to look on Facebook on their page. They used to post discount codes there.

4. Halo Sleep Sacks

You are sensing a theme here, right? Sleep is very important to new parents. These sacks are great. I still use them with my 2-year old, though now she wears ones with feet holes. They even sell some with the swaddling feature built into the sack. Check out their website. You can buy them on Amazon or BabiesRUs.

5. Fisher Price Swing

Before I had kids, I researched products quite thoroughly. I decided I wanted to have my daughter near me in the room at first. I went out and bought a co-sleeper bassinett. Guess what. Neither girl liked it or would sleep in it. Both girls would sleep in their swing. If it weren't for that swing, I don't know what we would have done for the first several months of both girl's lives. Fisher Price has a nice selection. We had the My Little Lamb Swing, though I would probably buy the Snugabunny now.

6. My Brest Friend Pillow

Everyone knows about the Bobby. I had never heard of this pillow for nursing. I tried it out at my lactation consultant's office and I was hooked. It stays hooked around your waist and is much more secure than the Boppy. I used it with both girls up until I weaned each girl at a year of age. They even make an inflatable one for travel! Check out their website.

7. Medela Freestyle Pump

I used this pump with both girls and my sister is now using it with her second child. It's small and has a lot of power. It doesn't need to be plugged in to work, which is great for when you don't have an outlet. If you are a working mom, then you need a good pump. I think this is the best one you can buy, though probably the most expensive. However, it's now being used for baby #3, so it has been well worth the price. You can find it on Amazon.

8. Quick Zip Crib Sheet

I first read about these crib sheets in the book Baby Bargains. As you can briefly see from the picture, the top part zips off, making it much easier to change the crib sheet. Although they come in limited colors, they are great! Check out their website.

9. Nursing Tank Tops

I lived in nursing tanks while breastfeeding. There are several makers, but the two I liked best were made by Bravado and Target. I would usually wear one to work underneath another shirt and then take the top shirt off and sleep in the tank that night! 

10. A Dresser Changing Table

My husband and I went back and forth as to whether we wanted a changing table. I asked friends on Facebook and on message boards. The thing that swayed me in the favor of a changing table was the reasoning that my daughter was going to need a dresser for her clothing anyway. Why not get one with the changing table option? My husband and I both agree that it was the right choice. The above changing table is from a website online. It's made by Pali and is the one that we have. Since my 2-year old is not yet fully potty trained, we are definitely getting our use out of it:)

Hope you have found this post helpful. Maybe I'll write another post about the best products for toddlers when my kids are a little older.

Goose Egg from Hell and Why Being a Parent is Scary

Since I work full-time, both girls are in daycare. I like the place they go to and genuinely believe the teachers love and care for my girls. I like the teachers, too. Today was one of those days when I arrived to one of them crying. I walked into her classroom and my youngest daughter was curled up on the teacher's lap crying for Mommy. I walked over to pick her up and then saw this:

My first question is "What happened?" The teacher says she doesn't know. She turned around for a minute and my daughter was crying. Sigh. It's one of those accidents. The ones that can happen anywhere, any place, to any of us. My daughter calmed fairly easily once I picked her up and thus far, has been acting fairly normal tonight. Thank goodness!

When I first saw the bump, I really thought it looked like a blood vessel was going to burst and it scared the heck out of me. As soon as my daughter stopped crying, I started to realize that it probably looks much worse than it is and reminded myself that kids fall every day. I confess that on the drive home, I kept talking to her and assuring myself she was okay. She's sitting on the couch now eating an orange and watching Scooby Doo with no other signs that she fell other than the goose egg from hell.  Sigh. Being a parent is sometimes the scariest adventure a person can take. 

ThredUp...Why I Am a Fan

I posted a while back about cleaning out my closet and sending in some stuff to Thredup. In case you aren't familiar with this site, it's an online consignment store that accepts women's and children's clothing. I recently sent in a second bag of my old clothing. Unfortunately, I didn't get as much for my second bag because they did not keep as many items. I do admit to being a bit confounded sometimes as to which items they keep. Regardless of that, I've now taken a liking to using Thredup to buy clothing for my kids

After my first "test" order of items I basically got for free with my credit from my first bag I sent in to them, I've purchased more items from them. I also had my husband buy some clothing since they give you 40% off your first order. The stuff I've gotten from them has been in fabulous shape. I can't believe most of it is used! Many of the items I've purchased have had tags on them and are brand new. Even the items they rate as having a small flaw are usually just fine. Most of the time, I don't even see the flaws they identify. I like that they take large pictures of the items so you can see the item closely. And they have a 30-day return policy.

Here are pictures of a brand new shirt I bought for my oldest daughter with the tag still attached:

If you look closely at the second picture, you will notice that this item retails for $88! I'm not paying that kind of cash for a 4 year-old's shirt. 

The downsides to ordering here are you can't always match colors exactly or find exact outfit matches. And, obviously items may not fit or be as perfect as you want them to be. I'm pretty picky, though, and I've been pleasantly surprised with every piece I've purchased. I usually buy most of the girl's clothing online from Zulily, Old Navy, Amazon, etc. I might be taking a break from them for a while except for shoes. 

If you want to try it, here's a link giving both you and me $10 to shop.

Art Show

My husband comes from several generations of artists, on both sides of his family. Both his maternal grandparents were painters. His mom also paints. His father also likes to make pottery. My husband's art is his cooking, though he used to paint. I'm glad he enjoys cooking because I like baking, but cooking, not so much.

I'm pleased to say my oldest daughter seems to be developing an interest in art, though she is only 4. Her favorite hobbies are coloring and drawing. I'm not sure whether it's more than the average 4- year old, but I've been saving her art since she was an infant.

Because my mother-in-law still participates in art classes, she decided to enter some art from her mother, herself, and my oldest daughter. To give you an example of my mother-in-law's skills, check out this awesome castle she made for my princess loving daughter:

I think it's very pretty.

Here are the pictures my daughter is entering into the art show. My husband picked one of them and the other picture was given to my mother in law as a gift from my daughter for Mother's Day:

The top picture in the center is called "Princess Ice Ice." The one underneath is "Minnie Mouse." My mother in law painted the flower on the left. Her mother painted the seagull picture next to my daughter's pictures. I think it's pretty cool to see three generations of artists next to each other. We'll see whether my daughter wins a prize. She's pretty excited about participating in the show.

July 2014 Stitch Fix Review

My Stitch Fix box arrived a day early this month-yea!!! As soon as I got my email, I went online to try and find out what my stylist sent me. I was excited to see that she had paid attention to my requests at the end of my last fix (Thanks, Connie!). I asked for slacks and matching shirts. I also happily saw that one of the shirts was one I had pinned on my Pinterest board. Also, there was a polka dot dress that I had a bit of difficulty finding online. However, I love polka dots, so I was excited to see if I would like the dress.
  
See here for my previous reviews.

Here was my first glimpse of my box:

Pretty, right??? Okay. Let's get right to the nitty gritty.

 Margaret M High Waisted Tall Trouser $98

These pants are fairly thin material wise and do not have buttons, like maternity pants, if you have ever been pregnant. I wasn't sure if I would like them, but I kept a pair of Margaret M pants before that they sent me, though they are a bit pricey. I tried them on, and though a bit long, I loved them! I folded under the bottoms and decided to wear them to work the next day:) I paired them with an previous item that I received from Stitch Fix.

This picture was taken after work, so my shirt is a bit wrinkled. The pants still look pretty good, though! Obviously, I kept them. I do think they are a bit overpriced, but I really liked the fit and that they didn't have buttons! I felt like I was wearing yoga pants to work:).

Collective Concepts Amira Polka Dot Flutter Sleeve Dress $68

 

My initial impression was, oooh, very pretty!  I wondered how it would look on and whether the hubby would like it, since he does not like ruffles.

 

Both the hubby and I liked the dress on me. The price was also decent. I'm not sure if it will be a perfect work dress, but it definitely is something I can wear on a date or to church. So, I decided to keep it.

Pomelo Dot Print 3/4 Sleeve Blouse $48 AND Ecru Pull-On Springfield Pant $158

I was very excited to see this blouse. However, it looked big to me when I grabbed it out of the box. It's a medium and I said earlier that I'm now a "Medium," instead of a "Small," so I thought maybe I was just underestimating my size, since I sometimes forget I'm bigger after two kids.

My first thought when I saw these pants online was there was no way I was paying $158 for a pair of pants. I thought, "These better be the best fitting pants on the planet for that price!!" Oh, and the style card is marked incorrectly on these pants, in case you were wondering.

So, first, let's talk about the pants. Unfortunately, I really liked them. They fit great! They are a bit looser in the leg than the Margaret M and are a thicker material, though more cottony than polyester feeling. They also have no buttons and are so comfortable!!! Sigh. I really wanted to keep them. However, I decided that I just couldn't justify $158 on a pair of pants. I am, however, going to try and find them online on sale. Oh, and if you google them, you will find at least two links saying that they are, in fact, the best fitting pants around. Sigh.

As for the shirt, well, it just doesn't fit right. You can see, the sleeves are big. Last month, the Pomelo shirt was boxy, too. I felt pregnant in this shirt. I don't want to feel or look pregnant when I'm not. I even tried it with a belt and it still didn't look right. I think I'm going to request small shirts from Pomelo, at least the ones that are blousy like this shirt.   

Skies are Blue Carly Mixed Print Sleeveless Blouse $54

This was the piece I was least excited about when I took my sneak peak, but it was prettier in person. The details on it looked interesting.

 Ugh, another shirt that made me look pregnant. Too boxy!!! I tried it with a belt, too.

 No, no, and no!!! I kept playing with the location of the belt. It still was a no. Plus, the shoulders are a bit weird/big and I feel like I look like a linebacker.

So, I kept only 2 pieces this fix. I requested my same stylist. I think she did well and listened to my feedback. I like that. I'm also updating my pins on Pinterest on the Pomelo and Skies are Blue brands to try smalls in certain pieces to see if they will fit better. 

I'm already looking forward to next month's box!