Wordless Wednesday #6 - From dress to shirt, from one sister to the other

Today's post cant be totally wordless.. The shirt Mia is wearing was originally made for Mimi as a dress (see photos here.... notice they have matching dresses, but the one for Mimi is the one with the pink ribbon).... By the way, the pillow dress (now shirt) was made by Prairie Mama... Not only they are cute, but will last A LOT and they are super cheap!

For more Wordless Wednesday go here and 5 minutes for mom.

Cloth Napkins

As I mentioned before, I have been green-iying our lives and one of the things that we havent been doing have been using cloth napkins.... I have never been a fan of disposable napkins, but we do buy them sometimes.

We are not close to be set with cloth napkins, but we ordered our first set!!! We are so excited specially since they are sooooooooooooooo stinkin cute!!!!! I order them from Etsy from a shop called Little Bit Designs by Girlie Momma. She is a very nice lady and the communication was GREAT! I will be contacting her very soon, cause Im planning to buy a set for my mom's house as a gift for her so her grandkids (my girls and my nephew) can use when they are over there... Cant wait!!

Here are two shots of the napkins... They have cute little animals in one side, and plain red on the other...

Here is a close up of the fabric:

The owner will be my customer too now as she will be ordering something from my shop... Gotta love how "mom shops" support each other!

Myself Belts

I have been meaning to do this review since the longest, and here you have it...

I was looking around for belts for my girls to use with their uniforms either in leather or canvas. I needed it to be black, brown or navy, and you guys have no idea how HARD it is to find those colors for toddlers girls!!!

While I was googling for the belt I was bumped to Myselft Belts because they have a leather black belt for girls, and I felt in love with ALL the belts... They have lots of cute colors, and we decided to get a Navy one for each one of them... Now, I see that they have a brown one, and I will have gotten that one instead, but oh well!

Anyway, the belts are GREAT... Both girls can fasten the belts by themselves, and even Mia doesnt struggle when she tries to take her cloth off (which results very handy as we are Potty Training). I was a bit concerned about the velcro, but decided to buy them because some reviews said that even with the velcro, the belts holds the pants very good, and IT'S TRUE!!! Even if the pants are a bit loose, they wont fall off.

Im not sure how long they will last (meaning how long will it fit to them), but I know that Mia will be able to use Gaby's when it doesnt fit Gaby anymore... They also look very durable, so I know we wont have a problem in that subject... They have been using it for almost 4 weeks, and they look like new.

They have an option to personalize some of the belts, but personally Im not a big fan of personalization especially when it is something that the other girls could use later on.... They also gives free shipping if you buy two or more...

Here are some belts.... This one is the one I got the girls for preschool:

This one is Gaby's favorite:

And this one will look so cute on my gorgeous nephew Ariel:

Lunch with style - Part II

As so many of you have been asking by comments and emails about the Foogos, I wanted to make another blog about it.... Gaby has already used them for 4 days, and Mia for 2 days. I asked their teachers about the food temperature on the food jar, and they told me that they were not "boiling hot", but they were warm enough! That is good enough for me! As for the bottles, Gaby had a leftover of juice when I was checking if they ate everything (that was around 3pm), so I drank a bit to check the temperature and it was as cold as it was when I packed it at 7am. That means that it was 8 hours later and it was still cold. I did put 2 cubs of ice, but still that alone is not enough for it to be cool for so many hours!!!! So, so far I LOVE THEM!!!!!!!, and of course I will recommend them to anyone!!!

I also wanted to post a review that I read a couple of weeks ago, which is mostly a comparison between the Foogo and the FUNtainer, both from Thermos brand. This lady says: "Foogo seems a great investment for anyone with very young children or infants because although they're designed for youngsters, their function and design are not limited to that age group".

I think she has excellent info about them, and it is definitely worth reading (read full review).

Labeling Madness!

Today was the last day to label all the things for school... Gaby starts Tuesday, and Mia starts Wednesday (actually Mia only has class Wednesday and Friday from 9am to 11am as part of the adaptation process, and will start on Monday everyday from 8am to 12:30pm). BUT, the parents meeting is tomorrow and also the moment to hand in all the supplies.

We have owned a labeling machine since the longest (Brother PT-65 P-Touch), but it has been long since the last time we used it... I think that we havent even used it since we got to this Country a few years ago. Anyway, it needed new cartridge and just when I was about to order the new model (Brother PT-80 P-Touch) was at half price, mostly at the same price that the cartridge alone was. Plus it was on Amazon Prime, which means that I was going to be able to get it in 2nd day air for free!

So, I when ahead and ordered it, mostly because I didnt want to take the chance of the old one not working anymore, and waste the oportunity to get the new one is usch a good price (if you check the price now, it is back to the regular $29 bucks).

Im REALLY happy with my labeling time!! The machine does leaves a lot of space at the beginning and end of what you print (around two inches of wasted label), but what I did was to write the same name several times, so it only prints with one litle space in between.

It even has some symbols that you can print, so I printed a puppy at the beginning and end of Gaby's labels (her backpack, lunchbox and handtowel have a puppy in it), and an apple aroud Mia's name just because!

Art Aprons

Around three weeks ago I "met" Michelle from Sew Posh Boutique (her site is Under Construction, but she can be found at her Ebay Store). Im doing a blog makeover for her new blog, and I will be posting it as soon as it is done. We have a lot in common (and I quote her): we have 3 daughters, a small business, a husband, and home to keep up with.

She sells the cutest smocks and aprons that I could find, and she made one for each one of the girls... The preschool shirts are navy, red or white (I wont be buying white, though), so I wanted the aprons to match the school colors. After lots of emails back and forth (it helps that she answers really fast), we decided on the colors and Im really pleased!! Her prices are really good and her shipping is super fast.

At first I wasnt sure about the difference between Smocks and Aprons (silly me, I know), but if you are wondering too (and Im quoting her again): a smock is front and back covering. It slides over the head like a shirt and ties on each side. An apron is front covering only. It is more adjustable than a smock because it features ties around the neck and around the waist.

We decided to go for the aprons and the ones for Gaby and Mia are exactly the same, and the one for Mimi is a bit smaller (it doesnt have pockets like the other two).

The girls are really excited abour their new aprons, and they were crazy to try them on.... I took a picture of them with no cloth (as they ones they have one didnt match.. LOL), and on top of the bed (that's why Gaby's hair is all crazy as she was jumping and not letting me take the picture)...

Lunch with style from auntie Cara

I have been wanting to buy the girls a drinking bottle and food jar that I saw a couple of months ago and felt in love with. I have read some great reviews about it, and everybody brags about them REALLY keeping the food and drinks cold or hot for several hours. They are called Foogos and they are from Thermo brand.

My friend Cara wanted to buy the girls a present for them to use to school... So, what a better gift that something that they will use every day!!!! She got Mia and Gaby a Foogo Food Jar and a Foogo Bottle with straw to each one. As the girls eat lunch at school, this will be great for them as we pack the food really early (around 6:30am), and we want to have something that will keep the food at least warm by the time they eat it.

The food jar holds 10 ounces of food and it promises to keep the food hot for 5 hours (or cold for 7 hours), and people brags about this being true. In the worst case scenario I hope they are at least warm (that's the one pictured on the right)

The drinking bottle holds 12 ounces, and it promises to keep drinks cold or hot for 12 hours. This is very important, as we send them juice for the morning snack, and then another drink for after lunch which was always way far from cold by that time.

She also got something for Mimi but it still havent got here...

Cara: Thank you very much for this wonderful gift!! I already told them that auntie Cara got it for them, and showed them a picture of you so Mia can understand who is the person that Im talking about (Gaby knows exactly who you are). As I have always said: "You are an angel in our life".

Kakie Creations

After I ordered Mia's backpack and lunchbox, I started looking for towels to match. The school asked for a Hand Towel and a regular size Towel. The hand towel is for the backpack and the regular towel is to be kept in her locker (they will use it if she has an accident and they need to bathe her or something for that matter).

Here are the backpack and lunchbox (arent they the cutest?):

I contacted Kelley from Kakie Creations, and I was pleased with all the ideas and suggestions that she had for the towels, and I have to say that the finished products are awesome!! I still havent used the towels, so I dont know how good they are "quality speaking", but they sure are CUTE and they feel very soft (especially the big one).

I also have to say that the prices are awesome!!! I think I got a pretty good deal with the combo that they gave me.

Here are the towels I got:

If you want to know what other people are saying about Cari or Kelley from Kakie Creations, just click here for their feedback page.

The head of a princess - Part II (With a Missy Prissy Coupon)

For Mimi's birthday, I ordered a headband from Missy Prissy Bow Boutique that some of you remember as my girls have used several times. To my eyes, it was too big for Mimi, but it seriously looks gorgeous on Gaby, and even on Mia.

Anyway, I decided to order two more headbands, because she hardly has any and Im really sick of people calling her: "Cute little boy". I asked her to make the half of the size from the party, and asked her for one Navy and white for "school", and one girly for everyday use. Again, Im very pleased with how they look on the picture and I cant wait to receive them!

Abigail (the owner) told me that I could give a 10% discount to all my friends, so Im posting it here!! So, if you want to order something from her store, just let her know that you are my friend and she will give you the discount. Enjoy your discount!!!

School shoes....

Most things in this country cost at least the double of what they cost in the states, and sometimes even more. When we moved to this country, the first thing I did was to get a courier account. Basically, I get an address in several countries, including United States. So, when I order something online, I pay regular shipping to Florida (where the address in the states actually is from), and then I pay here to receive the packages per pound. So, when Im going to buy something I have to make sure that the actual price + shipping to the states + shipping here costs less than buying it here, and you guys will be amaze that after I sum all that, most of the time Im not even paying half of what I will be paying here!!

The keys are:
First: Get free shipping to Florida (that's when Amazon Prime chips in).
Second: Always check in the details of the item how much it weights and try to get the one that weight less.

The last couple of days I have been a bit stressed out about how we are going to handle "Back to School" this year. Gaby gets a large "list of supplies", and even though Mia and Mimi are really young, they get theirs too. Also we have to buy uniforms, shoes, sneakers, backpacks, lunch boxes, etc etc etc...... We decided to start shopping as we only have 1 and half month until the school starts again. Here is what I got today:

All this for $41.54!!!! That is including shipping to FL (which was free). To receive it here, I still dont know how much I will pay, as not all of them had the shipping weight in the description, but I dont think any of them weights over 2 pounds, which means that the maximim I will pay is around 12 bucks. Not bad!

Im really happy... The shoes that I got for Gaby for non-P.E. days alone, actually costs in this country a little bit more than the total that I paid for the 6 pairs of shoes (costs US$43 bucks in this country!!!).

I didnt got sneakers for Mia or Mimi as she has a few "almost new" sneakers that used to belong to Gaby. I also got a pair of shoes for activities for each, so they have one pair of shoes that they can use for those color days, field days and so on, so they dont waste their nice shoes in school activities as they have been doing so far.

Updated on July 9th: The shoes got here and they weight a little under 6 pounds... I will be paying 19 bucks to receive them, which I think is pretty good. In overall, I spent $60.54, which is awesome for 6 pairs of shoes!!!! Way to go me!!! Cant wait to pick them up, which may be on the weekend or early next week....

The head of a princess!

I posted a thread in a board that I frequent asking for moms who makes grosgrain bowbands, and a few girls answered. I decided to go with Missy Prissy Bow Boutique, even though her style is really different to mine. She is more into lots of fluff and Im more into plain stuff, but she assured me that she was going to make something that I was going to love, and she was just right!!

Im in love with what she did, and even though I misunderstood the color that Laura told me to tell her, the bowband looks just perfect... The colors may not be a perfect match, but they are part of the "same family of colors"... Missy Prissy's owner, Abigail, wanted to change it with the exact colors, but Im really in love with the one that she did just as it is, and I just told her to leave it like that. I will be a returning customer for sure!

Mimi's Party Outfit

A couple of months ago, I ordered a custom outfit from Blueberry Daisy, for Mia's Flip Flop Party. I was so pleased with Laura (the owner) and I knew I had to order from her again.

The theme for Mimi's party is going to be Hugs and Stitches, and I wanted something related to the theme. Our first idea was to have a ginham dress to match the borders of the theme, but I wasnt completely happy about it, especially we were not sure about which embroidery to choose. Laura wanted to make her initials, but Im not a big fan of cloth personalization. So, I was googling around and I found the most gorgeous flower, showed to her and she got it right away!

The next step was to decide the colors and after lots of thinking we decided on having a "Turquoise" dress (as the butterfly), and keeping the flower hot pink (just as the flower in the theme). The turquoise of the dress ended up being a bit darker, but just perfect. Here is the picture that she sent me (I cant wait to get it on the mail).

Blueberry Daisy

The most difficult part was to find the perfect outfit… I looked everywhere and I couldn’t find anything worth it. I decided to lurk on some birth boards from Baby Center (January and February boards) for those people that just had their parties and were posting their outfits. I saw a really cute outfit, and even though it wasn’t flip flop related I decided to ask the girl where she got it… She told me that her mom got it for her daughter, but that she knew somebody that could make me an outfit for any theme.

She referred me to Laura, the owner of Blueberry Daisy, and I cant be happier. She had this beautiful Cherry outfit on the front page of her site that I just felt in love with. Very quickly she found the most adorable flip flop fabric and offered herself to do it. Now, she even did a few more and she is offering the design on her site.

Even though she has a newborn at home, she was very quick, and I cant be more pleased with the results. Even my mom thinks the outfit is really well done, and also hubby (whose mom was really good sewing a lot of cloth for him and his sister when they were kids).

Here is Mia wearing the outfit while I was trying to get a good picture for her invitation. Please ignore the red bow, but I couldnt find the pink one that matches... Here is where photoshop gets handy....

Toy of the week!

A few days ago, I wrote a *review* about a DVD that the girls love. Then, one girl of an online forum was asking about what toy to buy to her son for his first birthday. She wanted to buy a "Spanish speaking" toy, as she is raising him billingual. I recommed her a toy that one of my girls gor for Christmas, and I offer to show her a video with the toy in action.

So, I was thinking that from now on, I will choose a toy of the week. Each week, I will choose one of the toys that my girls owns, and I will make a review about it. I will try to get a video of the girls playing with it, or at least pictures.... The toy of the week with be featured on the column from the right, and the review will be writing every weekend (hopefully every Saturday).

I hope Im going to be able to help some moms in some way, when they are looking for a toy to buy.

Sesame Beginnings

If you have been following my blog, you may remember that my girls got the Sesame Beginnings DVD on Christmas. If you read the reviews there are a few people that didnt like it, but we decide to give it a try anyway. We dont regret!! We even had the other DVD's of the series on our Wish List, because we want them all!

Some parents look for DVD's to get a few things done, while the kid is hook to the TV (not that Im saying that I havent done it myself), but this DVD is not for that. The purpose of this DVD is that the parents actually sit with the baby to see it, and to spend some time with your baby. The author says: "Watch this with your child; then, turn it off and expand with him what you see".

The DVD is mostly like a board book, and that's what it actually is because a lady is actually reading the story to her 3 year old daughter. The songs are so cute and catchy that I found myself singing them frequenly during the day!

Even though is suppose to be for babies, Gaby is 4 years old and she actually asks for his DVD everyday!! She loves the songs and she loves to play the games suggested on the DVD with Mimi, especially Peek-a-boo, and the baby in the mirror.

Here is a sneak peak of the DVD, and this is how Mia learned to say HI. I apologize that my hands are moving so much while recording, but this was my third try and I already had Mimi on top of me. In the first two tries, Mia was screaming happily!! LOL

Cloth diapering?

When I was preggo with Mia I was considering going cloth, but I just though it was too difficult, too much money, too much time, but one of my New Year's resolutions is to find a way to use my money wisely, so I started browsing around and learning about them. There are so many people that loves them, and that says that they are as easy as a disposable, so I cant loose anything from trying them out (just a bit of money, but oh well).

Let's just go by the numbers.... Each package of diapers cost us the equivalent of US$52.12 (the same package goes for US$29.99 on Toys R Us in the states). The package for Mimi comes with 144 diapers, and the package for Mia comes with 112. As Mia is using around 7 diapers a day, it means that the box is over in 16 days, and Mimi is using around 9 diapers a day, which means her box is also over in 16 days.... That means that I spend US$104.24 every 16 days just on diapers, that's US$200 a month on diapers, plus a few more that I have to buy to Gaby sometimes. That means that in 2008 alone, I will spend over US$2000 just on diapers!! Then it goes the wipes!! I pay $11.95 for a pack of 160 wipes!!! (yes, I know, OUCH).

If you are interested as well, the first thing to know is that there are 4 types of diapers:
- Prefolds (the ones that our parents used) with a cover
- Fitted - Also with a cover
- Pocket - With an insert
- All in ones (AIO) - All sew together, and it's like a disposable but in cloth

There are also brands that have several sizes as the disposables (XS=1, S=2, M=3, L=4, XL=5) but there are some that have one size that fits babies from 8 to 35 pounds.

Im going to try the pocket ones. I ordered a 3 pack of BumGenius in One-Size, and one Fuzzi Bunz in size Medium. The medium goes from 15 to 30 pounds and both girls are in that weight range. A girl on a Cloth Diapering board was telling me that some kids use that size all the way until Potty Trainning.

The BumGenius have great reviews everywhere, and as they just got a new improved version 3.0, the version 2.0 is on sale.... Here is a picture of these ones:



The Fuzzi Bunz also have great reviews:



Now I CANT wait to try them out. I know this may get addictive but they have a pretty good resale price if I take good care of them.

I wont even tell my mom until I try them out, because this kind of cloth diapering is unknown in this country. If I tell somebody about cloth diapering they will automatically will think about prefolds, poo in the diapers, and babies soaked in pee.

I will sure make an update about this.