Five on Friday

Yep, switching it up this week and totally jumping on the 5 on friday bandwagon! Linking up with Darci, April, Christina and Natasha

O*N*E
After mentioning last week that i was debating on dishing out the hefty price for my BOB Revolution SE Single Stroller,  I sat down with my sweet husband to discuss. You see we made a promise a few months back when we new we needed to slow down on spending money, that from now on if either of us wanted to make a big purchase we would discuss it with one another before actually buying it. Yes, i know this is something we should have been doing all along, but it just never happened, and we would always be upset the other didnt ask to spend the money. Needless to say, my sweet, kind, understanding, loving husband (<---thats me sucking up hehe) agreed that not only does he know that i wouldnt buy something without it being a good deal, but that I also work hard, and if I really want the stroller, then i deserve it. You heard that right, I am a proud new owner of a lovely navy blue Bob stroller!!!! only sucky part, it doesnt ship for another 2 weeks!!! uuggghhh!!!

T*W*O
Today is Friday, and weather permitting, that means Starlight Musicals tonight. Its kinda a family tradition during the summers. We, meaning my immediate family, my sis family, my parents, and lots of friends, pack up the cooler filled with nice cold brewskies, throw the Radio Flyer Wagon in the back of the truck, and head down to a local city park where they put on free live music concerts every friday from 7-10pm. Its a cheap easy way to just chill and hang out with everyone. Granted, its the summer, in south florida, there are about a bajillion mosquitoes and there is a good chance you are either going to sweat like a pig or get rained out. But, that being said, we have a great time and it really does help wind down the busy work week. I love that Matthew is starting to enjoy it too. His cousins pull him and his friends (our friends kids Easton and/or Sam) around the park in his wagon. I remember going to the musicals when i was a little girl and I hope that Matthew will continue enjoying it as much, if not more, than I did.

T*H*R*E*E
I know Ive mentioned some friends here on the blog, but when i read this post last night, it was as if I was writing it myself (although i probably wouldnt have been able to write it as good). I have alot of friends acquaintances. But honestly there are only a handful of people i can count on. Some friends, mostly family, and honestly those friends are the ones I consider family. Im recently, well actually currently, going through a time in my life where a friend, a truely close friend of mine, just isnt who i thought she was. She used to fall into the category of family, but somewhere she lost that title. It kind of hit me out of nowhere, as I had thought everything was ok. But like it says in her post, im probably not the best a friend could be lately. Just like Becky, it kind of all started when I got engaged, got married, bought a house, got pregnant, had a child. To me that was just life, and I thought this friend understood that, as she was/is going through the same life stages. But obviously I just wasnt there enough for her, and disagreed with too many of her decisions (mainly fiance). Ive reached out multiple times and have tried to make things better. But maybe this is just one of those times that you just have to "choose to walk away from a friendship that doesnt work" anymore.

via

F*O*U*R
Im seriously considering giving this whole couch to 5k thing a shot. Im defintely not a runner. I prefer to walk/powerwalk or rollerblade. And honestly any type or race or marathon completely freaks me out. But i was thinking that if I did decide to go for it, it could be something that truely challenges me and takes me out of my comfort zone. Something that I can commit to doing for myself. It will help in my weight loss efforts, help in getting me out of the house, and help me feel just a little bit more accomplished. However, it scares me to death. Me run? a 5k? whos chasing me? thats more normally my attitude, but now that i got am getting my jogging stroller, this is kinda like a sign right? right. just keep telling myself that.....

via

F*I*V*E
I finally started putting some things on our walls. Mostly pictures. Weird considering we've lived in our house for close to 3 years. I dunno, it was just always kind of like we were waiting for things (renovations) to be finished before putting anything on the walls. Ive seriously had 3 big canvas photos sitting on our bedroom floor since matthew was about 4 months old. Theyre supposed to be hung up in the living room, but Im just too indecisive on where to actually hang them. And quite honestly, the photos are now kinda out dated since there are the first professional photos we had done as a family of three. We've now had like 3 more photoshoots, and im thinking maybe of getting new ones. Plusalso, our house is kinda small, and im nervous that by putting things on the wall it will kind of make it look cluttered. May have to scour pinterst this weekend to come up with some ideas.

Well, thats about it, and I hear matthew waking up over the monitor now. So hope you all have a great weekend. And if your new here from the linkup, thanks for stopping by! Would love to get to know you all so leave a comment!

things we love: shopping cart cover edition

As a new mother, I am always in search of great products that other mothers love. Its fun to share what works for you and possibly be able to recommend that product to another mother who could be struggling with the same issue. So I figured, every now and then I would write about a particular product that is or did help us.

A few months ago I got the opportunity to review the Infantino Slim Neoprene Shopping Cart Cover. You see, it actually came at perfect timing. My little man was just starting to do the whole sitting up thing by himself. And if you havent noticed, hes not on the lighter side of the spectrum. So I noticed one day that during our weekly shopping trip to Target, that it was getting extremely difficult to either a) maneuver the shopping cart and a stroller at the same time, or b) wear my now 20lb baby all over the store. I figured it was about time to start putting him in the shopping cart.

Ironically, my sister did too, and actually got me the Infantino UpRight Supportive Shopping Cart Cover for me/Matthew for Christmas. Now, the two, although both made by Infantino, have different pros and cons. I figured since I have both, I might as well give you my opinions on both and not just the first. So here it goes.

From here on out, I will be refering to them as the Slim and the UpRight, just so youre not confused.

Lets start with what they both have in common:

• Smart device pocket with play-through window for entertainment (LOVE this!!!)
• Soft cloth hooks to attach small toys to
• Can be used as both shopping Cart Cover and Restaurant Highchair Cover
• Safety harness keeps baby secure

The Slim, as you could imagine, is just that, very slim, very portable. I absolutely love how it folds right up into itself. Ive read a few reviews about it, and some claim its difficult to fold up, but honestly, I do it after Ive put Matthew in his carseat, as Im sitting in the drivers seat. With little space. And its honestly no hassle what-so-ever. You first just turn the little pocket inside itself, fold it long ways (it kind of does it by itself, once youve flipped the pocket part) and then fold the remaining about twice right into the bag. That might sound difficult reading but honestly it isnt.

The UpRight however, is alot bulkier. To the point that I dont even fold it up because I have yet to figure out how it folds into itself. Instead, I leave a reusable bag in the back seat and just stuff it in there. The ending result, not so pretty.

So you might ask, why I use(d) both. You see, when Matthew was first starting to sit up, and the first couple times we put him in the shopping cart, he would basically tilt either to the left or right. I was always scared that he would end up hitting his head on the side of the carts. So I would put my diaper bag on one side of him and rolled up blankets and/or burp rags on the other side to keep him positioned in the center of the cart (note: this was before I got either of these covers, we were using my sisters at the time). So when I was researching covers, the one thing that really stuck out to me about the UpRight one was that it had adjustable side bumpers that provided comfort and extra stability for wee wobblers. I loved  how cushioned it was, and it helped alot if we were in for one our "longer" Target trips ;) in which Matthew would fall asleep. He would just lean on the cushioned part.

So they both also have cool patterns, but are made out of different material. The Slim version is made out of Temperature resistant neoprene material which protects your baby from hot, cold and wet carts. Great for those of us who live in the south where the shopping carts are left out in the sun all day long. However, since its slim, it doesnt have alot of cushion. I tend to use this one more now, since he can sit by himself completely. But because its slim, it doesnt cover the cart on the sides. Not necessarily a bad thing, just if you have a kid that likes to eat the shopping cart (ahem, Matthew) you might want to use disinfecting wipes on the parts that are not covered. And then maybe drape a blanket or burp cloth over the sides.

Also, something that I like alot about the Slim, is the fact that the front has snaps that actually clip it around the shopping cart handle. With most, and particularly the UpRight, shopping cart covers, they have an elastic band that goes around them completely. And thats whats supposed to keep it in place on the shopping cart. But if you have a little wiggle-worm for a baby (ahem, Matthew) then the elastic doesnt really keep and will drive you crazy as it continuously slips off.

 

Ive used both as highchair covers as well, and you wouldve thought that the UpRight one would have the same affect for babies that cant completely sit by themselves, but thats not really the case. You see, the back part isnt as cushioned as the side parts, so Matthew kept leaning back and sliding down. And when I put the side cushions inside, it just looked uncomfortable. With the Slim, it didnt have this problem, but again, I use this one more now, since he can sit by himself and thats not an issue.

The Slim has another use as well, making it a little bit more versatile than the UpRight. You can actually use it as a playmate on the floor. I personally havent seen a need for this, especially because its not extremely large (like the blankets I prefer to use) and honestly I usually forget to bring it in from the car.

I think this is a good time to mentioned again, one of the featured that I listed above. My absolute most favorite part of both covers is the Smart device pocket for in cart entertainment! I mean come on?!?!? brilliant. Normally about half way through our shopping trip, Matthew gets a little fussy from being in the cart so long. So I take my iPhone and open up my Disney Jr app and stream either a Little Einsteins or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for him to watch. It is seriously a life saver. Especially when youre at the checkout line and all he wants to do is hold on to me. I simply put the iPhone in the little pocket, where its safe from drool, sticky fingers, and chewing, and the minute he hears his shows I know Ive avoided the possibility of a meltdown.

So thats it for my lil review on our experience with shopping cart covers. I personally recommend the Slim  (as you can tell from the amount of pics of the slim above lol) but both the Slim and UpRight have some major advantages to keeping you kiddo safe, clean, and comfortable in your daily weekly Target shopping trips ;)

Thanks to Infantino's Test & Tell Program I have received the Slim Neoprene Shopping Cart Cover from Infantino to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own.

Show & Tell: Shopping

This weeks theme for Show & Tell is Shopping. Now if you dont remember this here lil post, Ill clue you in that I have a major shopping problem :/

1. Tell us your favorite stores to shop at.
Target. Old Navy. Macys. Carters. Amazon. Best Buy.
Deal Sites: Zulily. Totsy. Groupon. Living Social. Hautelook.

2. What are you "signature pieces" to wear.. your go-to outfits?
Definitely jeans, tank top, and reefs or maxi dresses.

3. Show us your style through pictures {of you or pinterest finds}.
Sadly, I dont take alot of full length body pictures to be able to show you my style, but as I mentioned above, its normally jeans and tank. But these are definitely styles I love. (check out my style board on pinterest too!)

                                                          Source: blacklabelboutique.com via Lisa on Pinterest

                                                             Source: blue-star-marie.polyvore.com via Lisa on Pinterest

                                                                       Source: johnna-cameron.polyvore.com via Lisa on Pinterest

                                                                               Source: shopbop.com via Lisa on Pinterest

4. Show us your favorite celebrity style icons.

                                                           Source: thebudgetbabe.com via Lisa on Pinterest

                                                               Source: thebudgetbabe.com via Lisa on Pinterest

                                          Source: thebudgetbabe.com via Lisa on Pinterest

                                                Source: thebudgetbabe.com via Lisa on Pinterest

5. If you had to spend money on clothes or home items, which would you choose?
Thats a hard one. I feel like our house could be so much more decorated, yet I feel like I spend waaay more money on clothes than home items.

6. Show us your favorite accessories.
Honestly, i dont really wear alot of accessories. Just my wedding band and engagement rings, a bracelet and a purse. But I do admit I have alot of purses! the majority of which are Coach :D

7. Tell us in one sentence your philosophy behind shopping. {What makes you buy an item}
Well lets see, if its a good deal, or if i have a coupon for it, it usually comes home with me! hehe, bad I know, but honest none the less. lol