New Favorites - 2016 edition

I thought I'd share a few things that made this year better, easier, more interesting... (in no particular order, and I'm sure I'm forgetting lots of things, but my 40 yo brain is a sieve...)

1) Red Thread Good Cold Brew Coffee: 
I discovered this by accident on our trip to the Hamptons this summer. In Sag Harbor, where we hadn't been since 2011, there is a little shop (near the new Jayson Home summer outpost) called Sylvester & Co. (a "modern general store" owned by interior designer Lynda Sylvester).  I stopped in since I saw the sign for coffee and it was amazing.  They serve it hot and iced in their café and while I prefer the latter, I'm still enjoying it this winter hot.  By some strange coincidence, her other shop is in Savannah, so we went there as well the very next month. (FYI: she just announced she is closing her Savannah store)  Thankfully, you can order the beans or cold brew concentrate (which I highly recommend) online from her site.  My fave is Dreamy Decaf (which has a bit of chocolate in it).  I'm considering investing in her retail expansion.  Exciting times for this cool company! Bye bye Starbucks...

2) Lavender ice cream from Leopold's Ice Cream:
This is a seasonal flavor from the famous Leopold's in Savannah, GA, where they've been making ice cream since 1919.  I can't even explain how good it is.  Just trust me.  You can order their ice cream online, but only when in season (which is April and September for lavender).

3) Hamilton (the Broadway show, the PBS documentary, the soundtrack, the mixed tape, the legend)
When I was in NYC in last summer, Hamilton was still in previews and the President was in town taking it in (we went to Larry David's Fish in the Dark).  Watching it debut at the White House in 2009 is worth the view.  It wasn't really a cultural phenomenon yet, though since several of my friends from college went the high school with Lin-Manual Miranda, I'd been following it for awhile on social media.  The show has recently now opened in Chicago (with a new cast), and soon will also be in London and San Fran, but if you want to hear the original NY cast, check out the soundtrack, which is amazing.  I also highly recommend the Mixed Tape (which is other artists singing some of the songs), which if there was ever something that actually improved on the original...  Both are labeled "explicit", so if you want to listen (perhaps in the car) with kids, which gets me through some days and they also love, you can buy the edited versions. It is a such an inspiring show, and for a history buff, it's great to see so many people interested in it.  It actually got me excited about and prompted me to ask my mother more about our ancestor, Johann Daniel Miesse, who fought in Washington's army.

4) My VanMommy (aka the Honda Odyssey, aka Mr. Blue)
I've already sung its praises and five months (and nearly 10K miles!) in, I'm still a fan. Ugh, recalls...

5) Odd Mom Out
I don't otherwise do Bravo and I don't do reality TV.  But I do do this scripted comedy, which has been picked up for a third season.  It's amazing and hilarious and if you aren't watching it, you are seriously missing out.  I think you can stream all the episodes online. It got me through getting called up for jury duty and sitting around waiting out the day to make my whopping 30 bucks.

6) Out on the boat
My dad is an odd duck. He got a power boat about the time I went away to college (convenient, right?) which he almost never takes out, and since we aren't up north that much in the summer, we don't get out much either.  Well, we spent a lot more time up this summer to see my step-father, and made sure to rectify that this year and the kids had an absolute blast.

7) Last Chance/Nordstrom Rack
I've never been a big Nordstrom shopper (though I love their café), but I finally started hitting the Rack (especially for kids' stuff, Tea, Peek, Boden, Hanna, et al) and now it's like an addiction.  I got M a $300 silk Oscar de la Renta dress there for $40.  We also just got only their second Last Chance Store in the country (so maybe like the next to last chance), where I scored a J. McLaughlin dress for myself for $10. This is part of how I support my Tory Burch clothing addiction, while still being financially prudent.

8) The Inside Track...
Patagonia is one of the only brands where a name label will conspicuously grace my children.  Mine don't advertise for free people, but I make an exception for them.  They donated all $10 million of their Black Friday sales to environmental charities. Typically, I shop their great sales and get all we need, but now a friend of mine from high school is working there as a designer (after cutting her teeth at Lands End), so I am lucky to have access to generously shared discount codes for 40% off.  Let me know if you need one.

9) Bon Iver's 22, a million
Another new Bon Iver album, this one for my 40th birthday. My high school (in podunk nowhere) also somehow produced two-time Grammy winner Justin Vernon (who I didn't know then, as he was four years behind me).

10) 23 and me
My mom's been a busy bee researching our ancestry for several years now (prompted by her retirement to care for my late grandmother), but I decided to spring for a DNA ancestry and health analysis on 23 and me, to see what came back. Because at the end, you know I'm just a numbers person.  Thrilling, right?

11) Wellesley Women of the World
About the time my gen on the Bump boards moved, imploded, or whatever, sometime after the twins were born, I moved on and then happened to accidentally come across all the Wellesley boards on FB, which very happily took their place.  Between familiar faces from the Bump (hi ladies!) and from my college days, it felt like home. I have a complicated relationship with the place (I went back for the first time in several years the day before the election), and it's been one hell of a year to be an alum, but as I like to keep the drama to a minimum and need smart, honest, compassionate women by my side, I'd have a hard time finding a better place to land.

12) Last but not least, The Man Repeller (aka Leandra Medine Cohen) who I didn't follow previously, recently very sadly lost her first pregnancy (from a WTF IVF break) in her 14th week, and her post(s) about it since are definitely worth the read.  This is an especially hard time of year to experience loss (and be dealing with infertility generally).  It's been six whole long years already since I lost my first.  My how the time passes.

My New Bigger Blue Beast

Well, we finally did it... 

We bought a minivan! (and no that's not a pregnancy announcement, we are still a happy family of 4)

We've been mulling it over for a few years, but for the first time in my life I had both a new completely paid for car (which is marvelous and I highly recommend) and not much income of my own (which I don't).  But I got tired of my transportation life being more difficult than it needed to be schlepping kids in/out of an SUV, and that always costs money, so hello amazing minivan convenience features and trading one not-quite-big-enough-now blue beast for another bigger blue beast.

Power sliding doors, lower entry, the rear DVD, all that seating and cargo room.  Ahh...  We decided on a certified 2015 Odyssey, which is when they added many new features beyond just fourth generation Odyssey, and with almost no miles, so I'll be driving it for likely forever.  It has so many cameras and sensors, it's like an NSA vehicle.

The word is Honda is overhauling the model for 2017. It's really big driving around alone, but it is so much more spacious than my old SUV, for the same/better gas mileage, it is worth it since I usually have little ones in tow.  Once they were hitting their heads standing in the back (hello 44+") and other cars with their doors, it was time.

Love love my new blue beast so much, we've put several thousand miles on it the last few weeks driving it everywhere (more on our travels later...).

I talk to so many SUV moms who can't imagine/fight like death making the shift, but let me tell you as someone who fell for SUVs when I got my first one 20 years ago, it is nicer than both my Lexus and my Volvo.  Seriously.  I didn't care for either of my previous Hondas, but the Odyssey has won me over.  Be not afraid!

If you like this, check out that...

Happy Friyay!  It's almost Spring and daylight savings time!!

One of my most love/hate things about being a parent is managing my kids' stuff.  Of course the shopping part is fun (and a bit of a competitive sport for me), but then you have to manage all of it and get rid of all the clothes, shoes, toys, books, gear, accessories etc. as they outgrow them (not so much fun).  And with same sized boy/girl twins (and no plans for more, and similar aged cousins) there are really no such thing as hand me downs in our family (and as third of four girls, I can appreciate this is good for them, bad for me), so its often one (season) and done.  I also find I tend to buy more gendered things for the purposes of keeping track of whose is whose than I would if we'd had singletons. Oh well.

I've gotten to the point though, where I am fairly tired of buying/dealing with crappy stuff, even it is free with all my BR card rebates or easy because it's at Target (though a Marimekko collab is coming next month!) I've found investing in better stuff (even if it means I want to resell, i.e. more work, rather than give away) is a better investment, as buying on sale (and reselling) means things end up being almost free (and not crap, win/win).

I have a long abiding live for Garnet Hill, which is a catalog based company headquartered in rural New Hampshire.  I first came across them when I lived in Boston in the 90s and the salad dressing heiress/family I babysat for always had their catalogs around (though I wasn't the key target audience back then), so I'd look at them when I wasn't working or studying.  They have great stuff in their own brand (clothing and home), but they carry other great brands too, like Patagonia.  I could just use whether a store carries Patagonia as a barometer of whether they are my kind of store.  I've been wearing them since the 80s (thank you hippie dad, and preppy mom). I especially love Garnet Hill's swimsuits, dresses, leggings, backpacks, bedding, rugs, all in amazing fabrics. They have ridiculous sales (including their sales of the day), as do these all... (Pro tip: if you let something sit in your shopping bag for a bit, they may send you a free shipping email, good for multiple purchases.)

If you like Mini Boden, check out Little Joules...  Both are British and kind of eerily similar (Joules just slightly predates Boden), but I find Joules a little more my taste sometimes (they carry men/women/kids/baby).

If you like H&M, check out Zara...  This isn't really a revelation, as they are both somewhat ubiquitous "fast fashion", the first Swedish and the latter Spanish, but H&M has many more stores in the US.  We finally just got a Zara at our closest local mall.  Their girls' clothes are much nicer than H&M.  I also think of these stores in tandem as I discovered both while in Europe in 2001 before either had crossed the pond.  I mean that jacket, OMG.  We have the most gorgeous dresses from them.

If you like Tea Collection, check out Peek Kids...  Peek recently opened (and then sadly closed) three stores in our area, but they have a good website (they are also based in San Francisco), though I prefer not buy clothes online if I can help it (another reason why I can't live in a retail desert).  I'm not a fan of clothes (kids or otherwise) with lots of words (which they do) or branding (you want me to pay you to advertise, not this one), but they do have amazing Liberty of London print fabrics (more Brit love).

If you like Hanna Andersson, check out Polarn O. Pyret (or POP for short)...  I just discovered this Swedish company when we had our getaway in Minneapolis recently (they are at the Galleria in Edina).  I started talking to the saleswoman about the similarity and apparently the real Hanna Andersson once worked at POP and then left to start her own company (and you can tell).  They've been around since the 70s, but have just recently opened a couple of US stores (also in NYC and MA (Chestnut Hill, of course)).

If you like Skip Hop (zoo), check out Beatrix NY...  I discovered Beatrix (among others) at my favorite kids' store in Osterville, MA, Pocket Full of Posies.  We got them crazy cheap tablet cases there (which we finally filled last Christmas).

Happy Shopping!  Happy Weekend!

Collaboration Nation

Hang onto your wallets ladies because some of the better designer collaborations I've seen in awhile are all happening NOW.  Well, John Robshaw for Uniqlo is already live and Lilly for Target and Milly for Kohls debut April 19th and 23rd, respectively.

I guess it's not that surprising that some of JR's most distinctive signature textiles are being translated for his line at Uniqlo.  I just can't wait until we finally get our own store here this fall...

I'm forever a lover of Target (I grew up in Target land) and their collaborations, and Lilly (which I've loved for decades) is no different.  I have a feeling this line is going to disappear quickly.  I've stocked Mari's Lilly for this summer (they have awesome sales and then it is super easy to unload here), but I'll probably be squeaking in a few of these toddler girl pieces...

Milly (by Michelle Smith) for DesigNation at Kohls is a little bit edgier twist on Milly, though these two are decidedly not, though very cute.

L'Aime pour les amies (love for friends)

I have some pretty creative and enterprising friends that I thought I'd share with you as we are in this season of memory preserving and gift giving.

If you are a scrapbooker...
Peppermint (middle name: Patty, no joke) is a friend from way back in Jr. High.  Back then (some 25 yrs ago), we always sat next to each other in home room every day since our last names' started with the same two letters, and now she has a fabulous design firm called, One Little Bird.  As my yet to be completed wedding scrapbook (nearly nine yrs later) can attest, I am decidedly not a scrapbooker, but I love me some paper and appreciate good design.  Please check out how fabulously talented she is and follow her on Facebook or Instagram for promotions...

If your body need a little pampering (hello?)...
My dear friend Gina is what you might call a Jill of all trades.  A writer and producer, a corporate hack like me (that's how we met over a decade ago), and now she has launched her very own skin care line, Naturals by Gina B..  Pretty sweet, right?

I can't speak highly enough for her first two products (the Kiss my Ash scrub and balm, both of which my feet loove).  They are all natural (no junk) and smell absolutely heavenly (from essential oils).  She has also just launched two new products in the last few days, another balm and a coffee scrub.  They make awesome (and affordable) gifts, and if you're lucky, they'll come in some of her awesome signature purple bubble wrap (which the twins are completely bananas over).

A Few of My Favorite Apps

I admit to being slightly tech challenged (I haven't yet taken the time to figure out how to watch the new Downton Abbey season online before January, since its debut in the UK in Sept.  If you know, let me know!), but I'm trying to work on this and thought I'd share some of my favorite apps right now.

I treated myself to a new iPhone (the 6) for my birthday in September (which I promptly broke, but that's another story) partly because of their new ApplePay.  It's not accepted many places yet, but more are coming, and I'm getting the hang of it.  It is super slick.  It is supposed to be much more secure than swiping credit cards (which we use for everything and pay off monthly) because it is encrypted using a one time code, so there is nothing meaningful for a hacker to steal.

I signed up for Target's Cartwheel app over a year ago, but then didn't use it for months.  When I finally got into it last summer, it became a bit of an addiction.  One that has now saved me nearly $350...  If you haven't tried it yet, it is really great, and yes highly addictive (you've been warned).

Amazon Price Check is a great little app that will scan the bar code (you can also type, snap or say the product) and search for any item and give you the best price in their system.  Really helpful when you find something (in a store, on a deal site, etc.) and wonder if you might be able to find it elsewhere for less or what is the best price.

I'm still a paper planner (and white board calendar) girl, but I've started using the Cozi family organizing app and find it helpful in keeping our four calendars coordinated.  It also gives you the option of automatic updates on family movie openings, house maintenance scheduling, and life tips.

I'm a big fan of Consumer Reports and they have a great app for when you are out shopping and want to check if something you're looking at is rated and how it fared in their tests. (Subscription required to access, worth every penny BTW)

Do you have apps that you couldn't live without?  Please share! :)

Boden Sample Sales

Am I the only one who didn't know they did these?  If you are on the East Coast (PA & MA, though Boston was last weekend) and love Boden like me, check them out for me, will you?  The prices are about what you'll find in their better sales.  The only one I may have a chance of making is Springfield in June.  Happy Shopping!

• SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1ST, 2014

  HYNES CONVENTION CENTER
  900 BOYLSTON STREET
  BOSTON, MA 02115
  10:00am-4:00pm

• SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23RD, 2014

  THE PENN STATER
  215 INNOVATION BOULEVARD
  STATE COLLEGE, PA 16803
  10:00am-4:00pm

• SATURDAY, APRIL 12TH, 2014

  GREATER PHILADELPHIA EXPO CENTER
  100 STATION AVENUE
  OAKS, PA 19456
  10:00am-4:00pm

• SATURDAY, MAY 31ST, 2014

  DAVID L. LAWRENCE CONVENTION CENTER
  1000 FORT DUQUESNE BOULEVARD
  PITTSBURGH, PA 15222
  10:00am-4:00pm

• SATURDAY, JUNE 14TH, 2014

  MASS MUTUAL CENTER
  1277 MAIN STREET
  SPRINGFIELD, MA 01103
  10:00am-4:00pm

prices:

• Women’s and Men’s:

• Tops: $25
• Sweaters and Bottoms: $30
• Dresses: $40
• Coats: $50
• Shoes: $50
• Sneakers, Slippers and Sandals: $25
• Handbags: $50
• Accessories: $25

• Mini and Johnnie B:

• Tops and Bottoms: $15
• Knits and Dresses: $20
• Coats: $25
• Shoes: $15
• Boots: $20

 

Honestly...

...I should start selling this stuff out of the back of my car. I promise (to try) not to have too many more posts on Honest products, but I just thought I'd give a quick update. As I mentioned, Costco just starting carrying their awesome shampoo/body wash and given their low mark-up rule, they are selling it for half as much as when purchased in an Honest "bundle" ($7 by mail bundle ($10 retail) vs. $15, for 4x as much). Run, don't walk people! Because if you know Costco like I do, as soon as you completely fall for something they carry, they will stop carrying it. :)

Swimsuit shopping

Two words to strike fear in most any woman.  Well that was the mission that I took on recently.

I'd been wearing a black CK swim dress (kinda like this one) for pregnancy and postpartum (the last two summers), which I'd gotten a million years decade ago in Boston for $30 for just that purpose, and have now clearly gotten my money's worth out of it.  I have a closet full of bikinis, thanks to my long torso, and though I didn't have any trouble losing the baby weight, thanks to breastfeeding and an insane metabolism, my bikini wearing days are (happily) over given my stretch marks are so large and severe I look like I got into a fight with a bear. 

I would have to wear one that looked like this to cover below the navel. 

And though it is cute, I just couldn't.

This is why one pieces were invented and honestly who wants to be that mom at the pool that looks like she is trying way too hard to cling to a meaningless vestige of her previous life.  Not this one.

I've been looking at suits online, since who has time or the sanity for trying them on in store with kids, which narrowed my focus significantly.  Places like Garnet Hill had lovely options and others like Land's End were very practical, but I ended up going with J.Crew swim yet again, since I had to finally decide, just like I have for most of the last 20 years (and hate if you must, I wear the same size I did then).

Ruched femme tank

(in long torso)

I got this recently (in dark blue) and am very happy with it.  My only critique (besides not having more long torso choices) is it has wider straps, which I don't usually go for given one of my least favorite things are strap lines, but I like the way it is cut and hangs.  Their swim sale is over, but the entire site is 25-30% off now w/code "SUMMER".

Two of my favorites come together

Costco has announced it is going to start carrying some Honest Company products.  Yay!!  First up, huge sized bottles of their shampoo and body wash, which our whole family now uses.  I haven't been to the store to see if they are in yet or how much they are, but if you have, let me know! 

Have you checked out their new products?  We love their swim diapers, now out in new designs which I had to have, though I had already gotten their old ones, which I loved too. 

Speaking of new designs, they mix up their diaper designs every once in awhile, we are loving their new strawberries and hippos.  They sent me their new lip balm for Mother's Day and it is nice.  I am trying their new sunscreen as soon as it warms up again enough that we can head to the pool and beach.

Happy June!


(I've received no compensation , including free products, from Honest for my posts on them, I/we just love their products.)

Places/cos/stuff I love (for saving $/time/sanity while trying to be green & healthy)

The funny thing about being home with the kids is life gets simplified, as my focus is much more narrow than it used to be, while it also gets more complicated in that everything (even the most simple thing) is more difficult to execute than it was before.  But this is the good stuff we've been waiting for. :)

So I thought I'd share a few things that have made the last year or so easier for us in our neck of the woods, but are also national or can be found by anyone living in a major metro.  And before you even have to think it, I have no shame to admit that yes we are do in fact likely fit many of your suburban yuppie (though my family was hippie 40 yrs before it was yuppie to be) stereotypes, though thankfully we don't do things for any other reason than it is want we want.  Now that we have that out of the way, in no particular order:

1) Door to Door Organics: this is our weekly organic produce/CSA/home grocery delivery service that I've generally been happy with and which has service in several other major metro areas.  We use them primarily for fruits/veggies and the kids' whole milk, though they deliver many other things too.

2) Tazo Chai (tea latte) concentrate:  Chai latte has always been my drink of choice at Starbucks, as somehow the caffeine doesn't affect me the same way that coffee or espresso (even decaf) does.  Even though we live in the suburbs, and have access to their drive-thrus (thank goodness), it is nice to be able to make the exact same thing at home (thanks to our milk frother) because some weeks days (for many months) there we didn't leave the house.  Costco sells the cartons for $8 for a pack of three (instead of 5/ea at retail), which makes it about 90% cheaper than buying it prepared in store.  But they are a good company, which I like to support, so now that we get out more I may be able to keep up my gold membership between the drive thru and Target.

3) I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love Costco.  Love may seem like a strong word, but if my husband were a store, he would be Costco.  I love them that much.  There aren't many stores that have regular double carts, not those weird things that Target has, and beside being able to buy so much of our stuff (organic food and household miscellany) there (which obviously requires a cart rather than a stroller), and return anything with no questions asked, the kids absolutely love it there too (I think because there is so much and so many people to look at).  And the sample ladies make up a good contingent of their fan club. :)

4) Whole Foods:  I've loved this store since I moved to Boston nearly 20 yrs ago (when it was known as Bread & Circus) and lived across the street from the one in Lincoln Park, and dreamed of getting our own for several years when we moved here and they finally opened one nearer to us three years ago (not that the old one was that far away).  This is where we buy our fish and other things that we don't get elsewhere.  They also have awesome prepared food, because sometimes you need a pizza or a rotisserie chicken and you don't want to eat crap just because you don't want to cook.  One of the huge and unusual advantages of the one near us is they have underground parking, which is a dream getting in and out of the car in the cold winter or rainy spring with little kids.  And since hardly anyone uses it, it is less busy and safer and you can park right next to the elevator.  Easy peasy.

5) Bright Start 529 Savings:  How does one love a 529, right?  Well how about free money?  Yes, you heard that right.  We've gotten a free (and tax free) extra grand from these guys (since we had four accounts) when they did a matching promotion a while back.  Not too shabby.  That definitely makes up for not getting the state tax credit, if you don't live in Illinois.  We do automatic monthly contributions, but extra ones are super easy to do online too.

6) Gap Brands: (Gap/Old Navy/thank goodness they don't have BR kids, right?):  If you love classic styled baby clothes, I recommend getting a Gap brands credit card (any card works at any store/online).  I've had a BR card since I used to buy most of my work (and otherwise) clothes there, and it has come in handy now with the kids.  They have great sales, have lots of lines to choose from (so you don't have to turn your kid into a free walking billboard, unless you want to, of course), and the card always gets you additional savings (and rewards credits back).  If you aren't getting at least 40% off everything you buy there, you are overpaying.  You save more every Tuesday in store, though the web sometimes has better deals.

7) Once Upon a Child:  This place is the easiest way to get rid of no longer needed baby stuff, from clothes to gear.  They pay fairly well, especially since it saves me the time of dealing with Craigslist.  And honestly I often do exactly what they love and usually just spend what I make back on "new" clothes.  I've found some great stuff here (like nearly new Lilly for her, Polo RL for him, though both of these also have great sales online too).  I buy the vast majority of our stuff new, but as you know, I'm all for recycling. ;) 
.
8) Honest Company/Seventh Generation:  I've mentioned both these guys before, but I just have to say if you are doing disposables (which I didn't think we would), I hope you order them online from somewhere instead of dragging boxes from the store and maybe even consider using ones that are "greener" for baby's bottom and the planet, if you can.  Woot.com often has deals on the 7 gen ones.  They both make great wipes and skin products too.

9) You probably have seen my affinity for IKEA all over the blog/our house.  While it is super close, we don't go that often.  They have double carts too, though they don't keep them in the parking lot, so we usually just do the stroller since I don't take the kids if I'm buying big stuff.  They have somewhat decent stuff for the kids to eat, lots to look at, and I can not wait until they are big enough to play at Smaland.

10) Sweet Tomatoes/Bahama Breeze:  We take the kids out to dinner at least once a week, to get all of us out together and get them used to eating in restaurants.  These are two of our stand bys that are chains. Sweet Tomatoes is a salad bar buffet, which means that they can try even things that we don't usually make at home.  Bahama Breeze is a Darden restaurant which makes it sound more lame than it is.  They have an enclosed patio (w/live music) which the kids love and their kid's menu is actually healthy.  They like the corn cakes, baked fish or chicken, which comes with broccoli and fruit.  It is nice that they don't have to eat crap, since nearly every kids' menu is awash with chicken fingers.  Blech.

The real reward to saving, since I don't budget, is seeing the extra money go to the kids' college savings, especially since I just finished paying for my education a few years ago... 

What helps you save your money, time, sanity?

We are looking forward to changing things up for summer.  New classes through the park district, and besides the local pools, which are cheap (and free for the kids) and mornings at the one of choice is open for toddlers only, the Botanic Garden and the LP zoo are both free (save membership/parking) and Ravinia is free for the kids at classical concerts.  Our local farmer's market starts and the Green City market (in the city) moves back outside soon, respectively.

Summer is what gets people coming to and staying in Chicago. It worked for me. :)

Planner seeking planner

I'm a planner AND a planner person. And if you are too, you likely already have a planner (or two) for this year. It is already/only late February, so they are clearing them out. If you need a change, I can attest to two that are great.

Last year, I had one from Erin Condren, which of course I couldn't resist because it had my signature HDT quote on the cover... (now 40% off, when purchased with gift labels, using code "COMBO2013")

This year, I opted for a Lilly (Pulitzer)... In "Skip on it" and "You gotta regatta". They are now only $8-$12 (in three sizes), no code needed, and ship free through Th 2/26.   Enjoy!

If you are in the market for an all terrain double stroller...

We've really enjoyed our Bumbleride Indie twin and they've been slashing prices lately (a new model is coming out) to even less than we paid last spring for ours.  Zulily has them now for $440-$450, which is crazy.  They also have the single Indies. 

We love ours in Ocean, but I have a sweet spot for Seagrass (but I thought it would get too dirty), and the other colors (Walnut (natural edition), Fog and Jet Black (movement edition) Lava, Red, and Aqua) are nice too.  It is the top rated double by Consumer Reports and several other reviewers (like Babble and Baby Gizmo).

If you need an invite to shop Zulily, click here.

Mom cards

I'm kind of a traditional kind of gal, so no matter how many laptops, tablets and phones we have, I love me some paper.  Now that I'm a mom (it still seems so wild to write this), I've thought about how my identity and life now revolves around being a "mom of...", which leads to the paper needs of such a new life.

I just ordered my first set of "mom cards" which identify me as being "Alistair and Marielle's mom", for the purposes of networking with other moms, setting up play dates, etc.

What do you think of mom cards? Cheesy? Helpful? Necessary? If you are a mom, do you have mom cards?   If you do, what did you include?   Just contact info?  Or a picture of your kids, allergies (which thankfully the twins' don't have), etc.?

Monterey Blue calling card

Some of my other simple favorites from SF (same link as above):



Preppy Green

Sausalito Red

Navy Weave

Pink Peppermint

Nantucket Blue

(which I have for my own cards)

Six weeks to Valentine's

I know we are still recovering from the most recent holidays, and looking this far ahead gives the false impression that I am actually organized, but St. Valentine's Day is just six weeks away.  And these are SO cute!

Williams-Sonoma Conversation Heart Cookie Cutters

Love Serena and Lily?

I didn't end up using them much for our nursery, but they have lots of great finds (love their Hanna jammies) and non-baby stuff too.  Get $100 credit for $50 from Bloomspot (you can buy more than one!) for the next ten days only!  Enjoy!

Shopping Small

Being small business owners ourselves, DH and I try to make an effort to patronize local and small businesses whenever we can.  But honestly, it is difficult and getting more so all the time.  I actually had to look up where to spend our credits for Small Business Saturday last weekend (we ended up at our fave local sushi place and produce market to spend both), since it was not usable online like last year. 

Even though it is super close, Wal-mart is already on the "avoid if at all possible" list and Amazon is working hard to get itself on there too because of their sketchy business practices.  When you have two small kids, online shopping is nothing short of a godsend, but so is the chance to get out of the house once in awhile, even when it is with said children. 

Where we live is adjacent to the largest single retail area in the state (i.e. the mall is somehow/sadly the largest tourist attraction in all of IL.)  While this means that conveniently pretty much every store has an outlet within minutes and many of my faves: Costco (double carts, samples), Whole Foods (underground heated parking), IKEA (dark chocolate, and soon Smaland), Target, Buy Buy Baby, Baby Gap, Anthro, Starbucks, Janie & Jack, etc., etc., it is also heavily dominated by chain stores.  After living in Wellesley (Natick), Brighton (Chestnut Hill), and downtown Chicago, my mom still jokes (only half jokingly) that I choose where to live based on the local shopping.  One of my fave kid's stores is Land of Nod, which started as a small business, but was then bought by Crate and Barrel (a Chicago institution), which the Segals have since sold to a German retail conglomerate.

One of my fave new finds this year has been The Honest Company, which was co-founded by Jessica Alba (probably the least interesting thing about and best thing for marketing the company).  Their stuff (natural and adorable diapers, baby and beauty products, and household cleaners) is not cheap, but it is really nice.  We've been happy with everything we've tried, and we've tried almost everything.  I highly recommend it if you are inclined to such products, shopping small (if not always local), and patronizing responsible companies.

Divali

So skinny, but such a strong girl

And busy, and into everything

Visiting with great G-ma G over Thanksgiving

Don't let the innocent face fool you, she's trouble...

Real life with a sensitive child...

My weaknesses = stocking stuffers for the twins

I have a serious weakness for Jellycat stuffed animals and have for several years now.  They make the most adorable stuffed animals that I've ever seen and thankfully are easier to find now.  They are based in London, but I first came across them on the Vineyard a few years ago.  I got the twins the Bonne Huit Bunnies (in nutmeg and stone) from their Jellykitten line for their stockings this year, as they are "baby safe," they will be born in the Year of the Rabbit (like DH), and are sure to be a hit.

Another serious weakness of mine is baby socks.  I probably don't need to explain this, they are just way too cute.  After amassing some from Robeez and Zutano, I also had to get them some Trumpettes specifically for Christmas.  Gotta keep all those twenty tootsies warm (and cute! ;) ) and until they're big enough for shoes, it's all about the socks...  And what's better to find in a big sock, than a bunch of little socks!

More baby stuff

As a full-time horizontal incubator, online shopping is one of the few things that I can actually engage in that gets us ready for the babies' arrival.  And so here are some recent fun finds...

Animal prints (in Hindi) and fun organic cotton clothes from My Little Pakora:  These started as designs on her onesies that inspired the prints.  I'm not sure why she didn't do the peacock too (the national bird of India), but hoping it's coming, so we have a set of four.  They are 8 x10 (like the Sarah Jane Virtues) and we are quickly running out of wall space in the twins' nursery, so we may switch them out until we have them in two separate rooms.

Organic baby wash/shampoo and lotion from Dolphin Organics:  Thanks to Small Business Saturday, we get to try out all these products for free.  Yay Amex!  As much as people don't want to hear it, once you learn the awful things they are still putting in children's products, it's not a difficult decision to pay more for premium products that aren't filled with harmful chemicals.

Baby books by Sara Midda:  I had looked at these months ago at Anthro, back when I could go to Anthro, they are adorable and I'm finally running out of time...

Paper shopping

To match our birth announcements for the twins from Erin Condren, I got lucky and found the personalized matching (and much more affordable) floral jacks thank you notes on Shutterfly... (she does lines for them and Tiny Prints)  Now if they only made her announcements in these colors at Shutterfly prices, oh well.

Which reminded me I'd made up, but never ordered up their Nantucket calling cards and note cards for myself.  Well, since I'm sitting on lots of Shutterfly credits (and haven't been without business cards in a dozen years), it was time to pull the trigger.

Love them! :)