School Supply Shopping...oh, how I love thee!

Does anyone else love school supply shopping? As I've noted, my oldest daughter starts Kindergarten this fall. We meet in early June to do her pre-assessment with her school and we then get her school supply list! While part of me is dreading the cost since I've heard horror stories, the other part is looking forward to it!

I remember getting my school supply list every year. We would set out to get them and the excitement would start. Would I get a trapper keeper this year? What kind of pencils would I buy? Oh, my, erasable pens!!! And let's not forget the look of a new spiral notebook with clean sheets and wonderful smelling, crisp paper!

I asked my husband if he remembered and enjoyed school supply shopping. He looked at me blankly and said, "I guess not since I don't really remember it." I told my daughter that I was excited to go shopping and she told me, "I will probably like it since you did, Mom!" Perhaps I'm part of a special, nerdy breed that loves the newness of supplies before they are corrupted by school work. If so, I hope my daughter learns to love it as much as I did.

May 2015 Stitch Fix Review

It has been a while since I've written a Stitch Fix review, though I've continued to get fixes every month. I continue to love the service. My regular stylist Connie was out on maternity leave, but I'm happy to say she's back! Fiona did a great job in her absence, but I missed Connie! This month when I got my Stitch Fix e-mail and took my sneak peak, I knew immediately that she was back. 

I'm reviewing a bit differently than I usually do...mainly because it's late and I didn't feel like taking pictures of the cards individually. Hopefully, you can see the pictures well enough.

Let's start with the style cards:

Sweet Rain Casanova Henley Blouse

    

Connie suggested that I pair it with a black pencil skirt. I liked it! However, when I took this picture, I had just come home from work (spoiler, I kept it!).  The skirt looks wrinkled and what the heck is that white fluff on my skirt?? I decided to change and take another picture (after nagging my poor husband who was my photographer). 

I paired it this time with my Margaret M pull-on jeans. I left it untucked, but left the sleeves rolled up (though they are a bit sloppy). I like it with jeans, too. I think next time I'll try it with red pants or maybe even a red pencil skirt.

Market & Spruce Lawford Knit Top

Connie knows that I love stripes. This shirt is a very soft knit, but a bit see through, so I paired it with a black tank underneath. I'm a bit ambivalent about the leather detailing at the top, but my hubby really likes it. I llike that it's soft and despite being knit, doesn't stick to all of the areas I don't want to show lol. So, in case you haven't already guessed, I'm keeping it.

41Hawthorn Angela Quilted Detailed Blouse

This was a good choice given that I have other blouses in this style that I like. I also love the color of it. However, the fit on this blouse is a bit off-it's too big! It makes me look wide and my hubby did not like how it hangs on me, so to speak. I'm sad to be sending it back, especially given the detailing on the back.

Isn't the quilting pretty? Of course, now that I'm seeing this picture, I wonder, what the heck is on the back of my pants?

It simply has too much fabric. I don't want to look pregnant when I'm not!

Market & Spruce Juli Lasercut Detail Blouse

I absolutely love polka dots. I am also quite fond of blue. Unfortunately, this shirt is a bit big on me. It has some really cute cutouts on the bottom of it.

See the diamonds on bottom? And, yes, the polka dots are pink! So sad it's going back. It's just a bit too big.

It's too big in the front and under my arms. Sigh.

Collective Concepts Gabriel Tie Waist Dress

This is the piece I was least excited about when I took my online sneak peak. I didn't love the pattern on it and it looked too short for work. When I tried it on, it just felt "meh" to me. It's okay, but special. And, it's definitely too short for work. My hubby also didn't like the placement of the waist on me. So, back it's going.

If you are keeping count, you will notice I only kept 2 pieces. I still consider it a successfull fix because I think 4 out of the 5 pieces were ones I might have kept, had they fit right. I am also very excited that my regular stylist is back and I can't wait to see what she sends me next month!

Mother's Day...and why I'm now going to all school activities

My oldest daughter just turned 5. She's been in daycare since about 5 months of age. Initially, she was in a daycare that was located at my job. I loved the convenience of her being on site and I frequently visited her during the day to play. Right before she turned 2, our site notified us it had to close. I was sad. I loved having her so close.

We found a new place, but unfortunately, the convenience of having her on site was gone. We like our new place and they frequently have parent-child events. Of course, it's not so easy to go now in the middle of the day to visit my girls. We do usually go to weekend or weeknight events.

In my oldest daughter's class, they announced a Mom event for Mother's Day. My daughter told me, "Mom, you never go to school stuff." It hit me that even though I go to the after work things, the day things that are smack during work hours, well, I don't always go to them. I realized that the during the day events were very important to her. So, I told her I would go. She was so excited!

Yesterday was the event. She talked about it all morning before we got to school and was so excited to have me there. I've now made a pledge to try and go to all events. I'm lucky enough to have a job where I can go. I want her to know that she's important. I didn't realize before how important these events were to her, which is sort of silly. I had a great time and even brought my younger daughter over to her class. I often tell people that being a parent is the toughest job there is. Good thing that having children is worth it.

Swap.com...and Why I'm not buying from Thredup as much

I've previously reviewed both MoxieJean and Thredup as places to buy and sell your used clothing online. Since that review, Thredup has made several changes to its policies that make me less likely to purchase from them. Before describing those changes, I'll review another online consignment store I've been using: Swap.com.

Swap.com has a fairly large inventory of items, both new and used. Their pricing of kid's items is pretty good-though I think the seller has more to say in the pricing of the items. Unlike Thredup and MoxieJean, you pay to send your items in to them. As a seller, I'm not likely to do that because, well, I don't want to spend the money. They take more than kid's clothing-they sell movies, toys, etc. Because you pay to send items in to them, you make more money off of selling items...at least that is my understanding. 

If you are a buyer, the website allows several sorting options-by size, brand, type. It doesn't allow by color, which I wish it did. You can create email notifications for certain brands, sizes you like-similar to Thredup's closet settings. They allow returns-read the policy for the specifics. Shipping is free if you spend $50. 

Quality of the items is more variable on Swap.com than on MoxieJean or Thredup. They do have several ratings for the quality. I've returned a couple of items they described as "good condition" that I would describe more as "fair condition." They do have a "like new" descriptor as well. MoxieJean is still the most consistent with regard to quality.

SO, WHY NOT THREDUP ANYMORE??

I've become less likely to buy on Thredup because :1) They got rid of Thredup everyday, which allowed free shipping for a year for $20; 2) They upped their free shipping to orders of $70 and higher, and; 3) They've been doing this "final sale, no returns" thing on many of the items I might want to buy. The reality is, I'm less likely to buy used clothing if I cannot return it. I think this is a big mistake on their part. Most of their competitors allow returns. 

So, checkout Swap.com. I'm glad there is another good consignment option online. I am hoping Thredup reverses some of its changes. I'll continue to also buy from MoxieJean. 

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?