A few of my favorite things....

I have totally been slacking with blogging lately. I have been spending lots of time at swimming lessons and haven't done the other things on my to do. I had great intentions of sharing some camping tips/ recipes with you today, then I spent Saturday afternoon in the ER when my baby broke his nose. :( One of my worst days ever!! So, instead you get a few of my favorite things, summer edition.

After our wardrobe makeover, our large dresser was moved into my son's room. That meant I have LOTS more changing space and could fit more than just the wipes on top of the dresser. I still organized the top drawers this way, but I am able to keep a few extra things on top of the dresser. To keep it cute and convenient I picked up this cute little tray from IKEA for $3.99. I put the diaper rash cream, lotion, nasal spray, and a few other small items on it and I love it!

Before I share these next few things, I think I need to have a bit of a preface. Yes, I am somewhat of a hippie. You may already know that by my cleaning solutions and nutrition. There is a reason behind my madness. When my sister, mother of 4, was 34 years old, she was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. She battled cancer for 21 months, then passed away, leaving a husband and 4 little ones behind. After she died my Mother (as any Mother would I think), racked her brain to think if something she had done, worn, eaten while pregnant/nursing, could have possibly given my sister cancer. I don't believe anything my Mother did caused my sister's cancer, but ever since our family has been a bit more cautious of what we put in/on our bodies. I don't mean to bum anyone out with that story, I just wanted to share with you why I make the choices I do.

So, on a happier note, for the summer sun, we have been using our Jason's Natural Cosmetics Earth's Best Organic sunscreen. WHOA, was that a mouthful! It is free from chemicals and is extra mild for my son's tender skin. You may have heard lately there is a lot of debate going on with the unregulated chemicals that are put in sunscreen, so this is a good choice for me. It is pretty pricey though, I think around $12 a bottle, but there are certain things I am willing to spend money on and this is one. I guess technically I didn't spend any money, we traded in textbooks to Amazon and used our credit to buy the sunscreen.
Next up for summer fun, you have to keep the pesky bugs away! West Nile can be scary stuff, so we choose Burt's Bee's Herbal Insect Repellent. It is a mixture of bug fighting oils and is DEET free. We had it last year and have used it a couple times this year and we haven't had any problems with bug bites. It is again on the pricey side, $8, I bought it last year at Whole Foods. We can save money on inexpensive crafts and spend money on the good stuff like this.
These are a few of my favorite Summer time things, what are yours?

A few of my favorite things....

I am in a great mood today, the sun is FINALLY shining and it is warm enough to play outside! While I am waiting for my son to wake up from his nap so we can play outside, I thought I would share a few of my favorite things. I am so funny, the smallest things put my in the best mood!

First up is my BYO lunch bag. I got this for my birthday a month ago and I absolutely LOVE IT! I was a little worried about it not being able to hold enough, but I was wrong. Don't let it's looks fool you, this little baby can hold a ton! I love that it folds up flat and is machine washable. Most of all I love that it is cute and I don't have to carry my lunch around in grocery bags anymore.

This next little gem still amazes me, someone is truly a genius. It is the spill proof bubble container from Little Kids. My neighbor and I were outside the other day blowing bubbles with our kids and she had one of these. I was amazed at how it didn't spill and how nice the wand was. No sticky bubble messes here. For Easter my son received a giant bottle of bubbles, but it was such a mess, now I just pour it into my spill proof container, no mess! I ran to Target to pick one of these up, well worth my $2.
I think I have said it before, but nutrition is one area that I am not necessarily a penny pincher. I mean sure, I shop the sales, and on occasion will clip coupons, but I find that the food that usually has coupons, isn't the most nutritious. I am tired of all the added sugar and other things out there, so I try my best to find things with only a couple of ingredients and no added sugar. I came across these Dole fruit cups and I think they are a wonderful snack for my son. All natural fruit juice, no added sugars, and they are diced into the perfect size for a one year old. I can toss them in my diaper bag and they work well on the go. So far I have tried the peaches and pears and they are great!
These are a few of my favorite things, what are some of yours?

A few of my favorite things...

So lately I have been in a funk. I have tons of projects that I am working on/ need to be working on, but I can't quite get it together to get anything done. HELP! I have 2 Easter projects that need to get done, well I guess only one NEEDS to get done, the other one I want to get done. And April is coming. April is a crazy month around here, besides Easter, all of our birthdays are in April. Mine doesn't really matter, but my husbands is in a week, and my son's is at the end of the month, hence the lots of projects. I am going to try to buckle down today and tomorrow and at least get 2 of my projects done this week. Wish me luck!

You are probably sick of my favorite things, but when I find great stuff, I just have to share! My favorite things today are brought to you by Target, you know my love for that store. The other day I went shopping and fell in love, with these......

Aren't they amazing?? I seriously get giddy just looking at them. I am a dork, I know. They are the perfect match for my dark grey shirt and grey polka dot skirt. So comfy and so cute.

I had to get some fun spring/summer nail polish while I was there. I thought this pink was fun. I am glad bright colors are the trend right now, I need some color in my life to get over these winter blues. Can someone tell the weather to stop it already with the snow? Even if it does melt the same day, I am done with winter and snow. Time for warm and sunshine!

Lastly I have found this next one to be a lifesaver in a pinch. The Happy Tot organic toddler meals are great! I make 90% of my own baby food, but have found that these are about just as good. Organic ingredients and NO added anything. I bought a few and keep them in the diaper bag to avoid situations like last weekend. What happened last weekend? I was an air headed Mom and went to lunch with friends without bringing any lunch for my baby. He was hungry and cranky and lunch wasn't as fun as it should have been. I have since learned that keeping a few of these in my diaper bag helps when I am an airhead and forget to grab something. He loves them and the packaging is great, I just hand him one and he sucks it down.
These are a few of my favorite things? What are yours? Do you have any tips for me getting out of this funk?

A few of my favorite things...

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I hope you are having fun, catching leprechauns, and finding pots of gold around your house. I made my rainbow jello last night, a quick side note, I felt it worked better to let each layer set up for 20 minutes instead of the recommended 15, I nearly ruined my blue layer.

On to some of my favorite things as of late.....

First up, my Camelbak water bottle. For some reason I am better about drinking lots of water if I have a cute water bottle to drink from. A few years ago a friend gave me a cute hot pink Camelbak for my birthday and I was hooked! My husband was jealous, so we had to get him one, then a few months ago my son got a hold of mine. I didn't think he would know how to drink from it, boy was I wrong! I think since it is a similar concept to nursing with suction and compression he caught on quick. A few months ago, Target had all Cambelbaks 30 percent off, so I picked him up his very own Camelbak, dinosaurs and all. He has done better with this than a sippy, and loves to drink water from it.

Next, I am loving my Vans no show socks. I took a trip to the outlets in Park City this past weekend and picked up a couple pair of these to go with my new glitter Tom's. My hubby is the best, he got me them for V-day, don't you love getting your tax return? I do. I prefer the Vans over Peds for a couple reasons. First, they are a cotton sock, not just a nylon, so no stinky feet. I made the mistake last year of not wearing any socks with my Tom's, BAD IDEA. Second, because they are a sock, they are more comfortable.
Lastly, I love love the PocketBacs from Bath & Body Works. The cute little holder fits perfectly on the outside of my diaper bag and I use these babies a TON. I am a germaphobe, so they are just what I need to keep my mind at ease. It is nice to have the fun scents instead of the standard, boring alcohol smell. I am not going to lie though, I only shop at B & B twice a year... you guessed it the winter and summer sales. I stock up when they are cheap, I think $1 each, and I am pretty sure I got the holder for 50 cents.These are a few of my favorite things, what are some of yours?

A few of my favorite things....

What a week I've had! My Mother was admitted to the hospital and thankfully I had 4 days off work and was able to get a 5th day covered to be with her. Thankfully, they let her come home today and though she has some work to do at least she will be at home. It is times like this I wish I lived closer than 4 hours away.

I thought I would share some of my favorite things, isn't it weird how some of the smallest things can put you in a great mood?

First off is the SinuCleanse Kid's Mist. This has saved.my.life. I CANNOT do the bulb syringe, it makes me gag, it is torture for the babe, I CANNOT do it. A friend recommended this all natural saline solution and it is THE BEST. Though my little guy still hates it, it takes 2 seconds and then we are done, much less fighting. It works almost instantly, so have a tissue ready. The saline makes all the boogies come right out! Seriously a life saver!!

I am LOVING my Klipo Cutlery Set from The Container Store. The Container Store is definitely in my top 5 favorite shopping websites, they have so many great products. I take this handy set in my lunch and it even has chopsticks. The best part about it is I can throw it in the dishwasher when I come home from work.
Lastly for today one of my favorite games, The Game of Things. Have you played this yet? It is a riot! We had some friends introduce it to us a few years ago, back then it was only available in Canada, and we couldn't find it anywhere! Christmas of 2009 I saw it at Target and had to get it for my husband, it is such a fun one to play with your friends for game night. I won't go into too much detail about how to play, but you write down answers and have to guess who said what, and seriously, you will be laughing for hours! Telling you about this really makes me want to play, does anyone want to come over for home made pizza and game night?
These are a few of my favorite things, what are yours?

Around the Town Tuesday...featuring The Basket Loft

My babies and I happened upon a DARLING store just this week. It's The Basket Loft, and this little place is filled to the brim with ADORABLE Christmas decor. I was able to snap a couple pictures, but they don't do justice to this fun little store.

Upon entering, my baby that isn't restrained in a stroller, headed straight for this bright collection of sock monkeys. They were so cute.

(This was the only thing that this baby was allowed to touch~~many breakables about.)


I absolutely LOVE Jim Shore, and there were plenty of his beautiful pieces to gaze at.


A good sized collection of FUN watches for kids. These aren't digital, and only $9.99 a piece. What a great "Learning Gift" this would make for my kiddos.


Simply beautiful Christmas place settings...


and lots of ideas for my entryway!




I've seen these charming measuring spoons at a few different places. What a way to make cooking a bit more enjoyable.


I'd love to get organized enough, that I switched out my bed linens during the holidays. If I had this pretty set, I'm afraid I'd leave it all year.


And last but not least, we spied this little fellow. Isn't he the cutest thing?!?



Be sure to visit:

The Basket Loft
1400 Foothill Drive
Salt Lake City, UT

A few of my favorite things...

I recently fell in love with J. Crew's Matchstick jeans. I am a curvy gal and have never thought I could pull off the skinny jean look, but the Matchstick jeans are amazing! I love the waistline (I am so sick of and over low rise!), they are comfy, and while they are a skinny jean, they don't make my hips look too giant. J. Crew isn't in my budget, but the J. Crew outlet is something we can talk about. I finally went on my first post baby jean escapade, which can be a horrifying experience, but I was pleasantly surprised. Not only were the Matchstick jeans an outlet price, they were having 30% off denim, AND if you are a student or a teacher, you get the student discount! I paid almost 60% less than I would at J. Crew in the mall, yup, I was stoked!

Christmas is coming and new eyeshadow is definitely on my wish list, but what I really love about M*A*C cosmetics is their recycle program! Good for the environment and good for me! You can bring in any 6 empty cosmetic cases and get a FREE lipstick!
Last, but not least, one of my favorite things from the past 6 months is the Boppy pillow. I don't know how nursing Moms ever survived without it! In public when I am nursing my arm is dying after trying to support an 18 pound baby! For nursing, tummy time, and practicing sitting up, my Boppy pillow is wonderful. I LOVE it. My one piece of advice is when you register for it, register for 2 covers, I wish I would have, it makes it nice to have an extra cover when you're washing one.
Those are a few of my favorite things, we would love to hear yours! Comment or email us at bagsnrags3 (at) gmail (dot) com.

A few of my favorite things...

These are a few of my favorite things....

Tom's shoes. Oh, how I love them! They are so cute and comfy, and the best part is they give a pair to a needy child for every pair you buy. My husband and I bought each other a pair this year for our birthdays, and he loves his pair too. They even have wedge peep toes and boots, they are on my list for Christmas.

Next up the Circa LED Scandi night light. I love this little guy. We bought one for my son's room to make late night feedings easier. It sits on a shelf and emits the perfect amount of light to be able to see, but not too bright. It is LED which is good for the environment, doesn't get too hot, and is easily rechargeable.Last, but not least, Johnson's Bedtime Lotion. This stuff is a miracle worker. At 2 months we started the bedtime routine and made a baby massage with some of this a part of it. My husband lathers him up and the sweet calming smell of lavender lets him know its bedtime. They have generic versions that I am sure would work just at well. Smith's was having it on sale for $2.99 for the big bottle (that is half off, it is regularly $4.99), plus I had a $1 off coupon, so it ended up being cheaper than the generic version. If you have tried the generic, let me know how it is!There you have it, a few of my favorite things. What are yours? Email us at bagsnrags3 (at) gmail (dot) com.

A few of my favorite things.....

A year ago when we started to go through a baby budget and divide up how much to spend on what, it was hard to know where to splurge and get the really good name brand stuff and where we could pinch our pennies. I started doing a lot of research, reading reviews, ect. So I have decided to share my findings with you. We really didn't spend hardly anything on furniture. We got our crib for free as a very nice hand me down, our steal of a dresser that I talked about last week (which is our changing table), and we refinished an existing dresser that we already owned. We have a few other pieces, the most expensive being our rocking chair. I think you can go more inexpensive with furniture, because you can always use a little paint and make it cute. When it came to my splurge, I really felt good about it, it is something I use almost daily, my stroller.

It is the Phil and Ted Classic Jogging Stroller, and I 100% LOVE it! I knew I really wanted a jogger, but then started to think, do I want a double, I don't want to be buying this again in 2 years. The Phil and Ted's sold me, it is both a single and a double. The best part is you can use it from day 1, which I have, it lays flat for a newborn. Most jogging strollers you have to wait until your baby is 6 months old. It can do 1 baby, 1 baby + 1 toddler, or 2 toddlers. I took my baby and a 2 year old to the park the other day in it and it worked perfect, easy to push, and both kids had a great time. It is so easy to fold up and down, and folds pretty flat and fits nicely in the trunk of my Mazda 3. When I first saw the price ($349) I cringed, but then when I started to do the math, buying a single stroller now plus a jogger, then a double stroller in 2 years, it ended up being pretty even. It is the only stroller I will ever buy and does everything I need. I also bought it when they had their promo in which they throw in the doubles kit for free! I think they do that from time to time, so if your interested, keep your eye out for it.

Next is my Baby Bjorn carrier. I think my husband might love this one more than me! I did a lot of reading while I was pregnant and in The Baby Book by William and Martha Sears M.D., I really enjoyed what I read about baby wearing. It makes sense, especially when they are newborns and you want to hold them all the time, but still get stuff done. My baby loves it, he is so content being in the Bjorn, it especially makes grocery shopping nice. We went to a nice baby boutique and tried on all the different ones from the least expensive to the most, and decided the Baby Bjorn was the right one for us. It is in the high/middle price range at about $80. Don't worry, after we tried them all on at the more expensive baby boutique, we went and actually bought it at Target.

Lastly, I love the Breastflow bottle by The First Years. When I started working again I became really nervous about keeping up with breastfeeding. I had so many friends and coworkers tell me that after their child started a bottle, they preferred the bottle over breastfeeding. I was determined to not have that happen in my case, so I started looking into bottles that lactation consultants recommended to keep up breastfeeding while working. The Breastflow bottles had all good reviews, so we decided to give them a try, and have loved them. They make your baby work the same way they would when breastfeeding by having the double nipples. It makes them use both suction and compression, and I can say he has yet to choose a bottle over me! I have not had a refused feeding from me yet, and hope it stays that way. They average about $12.99 for a 3 pack and you can pick them up pretty much anywhere from Wal-Mart to Babies R Us.

Hopefully, you have enjoyed some of my favorite things, I would love to know what yours are, please leave a comment or email me at bagsnrags3 (at) gmail (dot) com.