Shout out!

Man, I love this website! They have the cutest stuff, for girls AND boys! Cute accessories are hard to find for boys, but TJ does them well! My first purchase was a hat, and I was hooked. Hooked not just on their products, but the company in general. Great ideas, great quality, and they really seem to listen to their customers, which is ultimately important.

They come out with new products often, and almost always post their ideas on their facebook page, asking for opinions, and improvements before they release it.

Their cutest idea yet? The matching Boy/Daddy ties! They haven't quite been released yet, and they are only starting with two colours, but is that not the best Father's Day present idea yet?! I am metaphorically in line for one of those already!

Girl's accessories are much more obvious, and "Taylor Joelle" naturally has more of them. But us boy Mama's are grateful that there is a company out there even attempting to attack our market! And just because we don't have any little princesses running around...at least yet ;) ...let's not discount the buckets of girly charm these pettiskirts have! And yes, I do already own the pink one.

Last but not least, is their weekly "hot buy". Although it's not officially scheduled yet, approximately once a week, they put one or two of their items on sale...often more than half price! You can sign up for an E-mail notification for when it changes, or "like" them on facebook, and follow their feed! Either way, I know you'll LOVE their site!!

Steal of a deal!

By now, everyone should know of my love affair with the Steal Network. We all love a good deal, but the real bonus of involving yourself in these websites, are the great companies, and new products that you might otherwise never have known about.

In no particular order, here are my favorite steals of the last year:

Teething Bling

Taylor Joelle ties

Finny's Funny Fleece Hats

Aden+Anais Cozy Sleep Sack

Innobaby Packin' Smart

Inspired By Finn Amber Teething Necklace

Stonz Booties

Baby Signing Time DVD's

DC clothes and shoes

Customer Service

Though the product itself is what makes for a great company, when it comes to products you commonly use with children, a no BS Customer Service is a very close second. I recently had a great experience, so I want to share my satisfaction with this company.

Like any good story, it begins with me online shopping, looking for answers. Here were my problems at the time;

#1. As soon as Cameron turned about 3 months, he started breaking out of his swaddle. The fleece blankets I was using just weren't big enough, so I stopped trying, and just covered him.

#2. When I began just covering him, he started to grab the blanket, to pull it up to his face. This of course, made me a little nervous, since none of the blankets I had were breathable. There were several times I would wake up seeing that he had tucked the blanket over his face, completely under his head! What was I supposed to do to stop him from doing that?!

#3. When he started to get a little more mobile, the position I put him down to sleep in, was never the position he woke up in! Along the way, he would lose his blankets, and wake up cold.

Enter Aden+Anais. The ultimate in safe sleep luxury for babies. All their products are made from a super soft, 100% BREATHABLE muslin. (Hallelujah).

My mind was put at ease knowing that no matter what I put in Cameron's crib, he could breathe through it. For the little face covering deal, A+A have a perfect solution. They call them "issie's". A small 16"x16" security blanket. Here it is in action!

Sleep Sacks are getting pretty popular now. They are the perfect solution for babies that don't keep covers on. (which is most of them!) I like the A+A ones, since the muslin doesn't overheat baby. They have 2 versions of the sleeping bags. A one layer for warmer weather, and a four layer for cooler nights.

Though I didn't get the swaddles in time to use them, I am eager to test them out. I picked them up on sale at my local boutique shop. They are a huge 47"x47", and will no doubt solve the dramas of before. I wish I had known sooner! I have added to my collection with a few Dream blankets too.

So here we are back at the beginning. I bought some issie's for Cameron back in September, and one recently got a hole in it. I figured I may as well try my luck at their Customer Service department to see if they could do anything for me. I was surprised to hear back from them very quickly, telling me they would send me a replacement! Seriously. 6 Months after I bought it. Now that's commitment to the customer!

The best of both worlds

Maybe I should start keeping Cameron up later. I have way too much time at night to dream shop online! I have lately been back on the diaper bag search. Not because I don't LOVE my cute PPB, because I really do, and most of the time it works totally great.

I have come to the realization however, that on certain occasions, ie: Day trips to Calgary, overnight trips, Carry on for plane rides, and sometimes even church, it has a couple of unforgiving flaws.

#1: It's too small! Don't get me wrong. It's the absolute perfect size for every day outings. A couple of diapers, wipes, cream, snacks, sippy, wallet, phone, keys etc. But when it comes to longer outings, not only does most of that double, but I have to throw other essentials in there too. Bibs, toys, perhaps a blanket, jacket, and quite often a change of clothes since it's almost a guarantee he'll decide to throw up. Can you even imagine what it will be like packing for more than one!? (No current hints)

This necessity explosion leads me to unforgiving flaw #2: The black hole effect. The boxy backpack I currently have is guilty of this on a good day. I thankfully have a place for most things in there, but when it is packed to the extreme, everything has to come out so I can find that little toy that ended up jammed down at the bottom, which can be frustrating to say the least.

Before Cameron, I was a handbag connoisseur, so it only seemed fair if I was to give all those up, that I get something I really liked! Back when I was choosing my diaper bag, I had two brands in mind. Petunia Pickle Bottom, and Ju-Ju-Be. Ju-Ju-Be is all about functionality. Their anti-microbial, teflon fabrics are specifically designed to withstand spills and messes, they have crumb drains, gusseted pockets, and easy access to all Mommies essentials. PPB wins hands down on looks. The patterns are to die for, and the bottle pockets, key chain, and attached changing pad prove that they do still have some good features about their bags too.

So I think I've made my point. I still love my bag, and I wouldn't change it for anything. But an addition could come in handy. Introducing the Ju-Ju-Be "Be Prepared".

It's huge, practical when carrying a ton, and is everything my boxy isn't....except cute. PPB tipped the scale last time with it's gorgeous patterns, but this JJB in the new "Marvelous Mums" print, is actually really cute...which ultimately makes all it's other wonderful features that much more enticing. Take a peek inside!

*insert tears*

Clark has a special blanket. It's comfy, and huge, and he's thankfully willing to share it with me. That is, only if we are sat together. If he decides to sit alone, the blanket goes with him, and I have to fend for myself. Unfair, right? Well, for now. I have made perfectly clear that when the opportunity presents itself, I am buying myself the best blanket ever, and it will officially be mine!

Well, that "opportunity" was last night, and it escaped me. In previous blog posts I have made my "babysteals.com" addiction quite apparent. I have been stalking it for the blanket of my dreams, and when it appeared last night, I was all of 30 seconds too late to secure one.

This luscious 60x80, "Saranoni" beauty is regularly $120, on last night for 50% off, and I missed out. Not only that, but my sister is coming up for a visit in a month, and she could have saved me the wretched Canadian shipping! Yes, I had a hard time getting to sleep.

My only saving grace was that I at least snagged a toddler one for Cameron. Now at least HE doesn't have to feel left out when we snuggle on the couch! ;)

Mother knows best

I used to think my Mother was crazy for spending her birthday or Christmas money on us kids. But I have come to realize, since having my own, that finding an impassable deal for Cameron is so much more satisfying! Don't get me wrong, I still love the occasional shopping spree for me, me, me....but cool baby gadgets, plush blankets, and cute little clothes are just so great; especially on sale!

You can imagine my excitement when I came across this Mexx pea coat in the local baby boutique. Adorable at first glance, this checkered beauty became even more enticing when I realized the original price of $90, had been lowered to $27! Stolen!

Introducing...

As if I was no good at keeping up with the "Platt Family" blog, I have created yet another time sucker for myself.  It seems like it's the thing to do lately though, so I'm joining ranks.

It's no surprise what this Blog is going to be about. I feel like the family blog is being overcome by posts about bargains, wishful items, and must-haves. It only seemed fair for both parties, that I separated the two. So here I am, introducing "Shopper Girl".