Thrifty Thursday

This Thursday I am going to highlight the best place to get haute deals on baby and mom stuff.  If you don't know about this site, haute moms, you have been missing out!  My favortie place BY FAR for great deals is MamaBargains.com.  They are so great that their motto is "Get Hooked" because well, that't what happens once you start using them.  There is a package from MamaBargains.com multiple times a month at my house that the packages are starting to look like they are part of our porch decorations.

Mamabargains.com is the first and only one deal at a time website.  What does this mean?  It means they feature a premium product, one at a time, that is always 50-80% discounted.  When that product sells out, up goes another.  You never know how many deals they will have in one day or just how long a product will last...that's the hook.  This great idea was dreamt up by fellow haute mom Jessica Singer who literally had a dream about a  business such as this one called "Momazon".  Jessica and her husband turned that dream into a reality and in 2008, Mamabargains.com was launched! On top of that, I have had only positive experiences with their service. 

For all you Facebooks users, if you "Like" them on Facebook you will get status updates on what is currently being sold on the site.  I have made many rushed phone calls home to my hubby from the car begging him to get on and make a purchase before it is too late! Most of those updates are put on by Jessica herself.  Mamabargains.com also has an exclusive relationship with Proctor & Gamble.  If you become a Luvs Facebook fan you will get a once weekly sneak peek at one of their deals with the exact time it is going to be sold!  Well worth the Facebook "thumbs up" if you ask me.

Hurry on over to Mamabargains.com and see what they have today...and in an hour...and later tonight.  You literally will be hooked.  Coming soon I hope to be having a giveaway sponsored by Mamabargains.com so get hooked on their site and keep your eyes open over here at Haute Mom for that giveaway!  Happy shopping haute moms!

All Through The Night

To continue on with the sleeping saga, or lack thereof, my little angel Stella has earned the “Party in my Crib at 3 a.m.” onesie. She is quite the night owl lately and much to my embarrassment, she has learned that one of her parents will come and party with her if she just cries long enough. Now that I am working on an estimated of four hours of sleep per night over the past two weeks, I am more than ready for a solution. I asked my pediatrician what the deal was and he calmly replied, “Their sleeping patterns do change. Isn’t that funny?” No. It is not.


I’ve wondered if it was the fact that her two upper teeth were starting to make an appearance so I went bananas with the Orajel and Baby Tylenol. That didn’t work. I also realized that I may not have been feeding Stella enough so I upped her amounts of solid foods throughout the day. Gerber loves me but Stella did not sleep any more soundly. We are now in quite the nighttime routine and I fear, the longer it lasts, the more permanent it will become.

I started doing some research online (which sometimes is too much of a good thing) and read some articles on “sleep regression”. What drew me to these articles was the fact that all of them were linked to “9 month old not sleeping through the night” comments. BINGO! According to this sleep regression, when our little ones hit certain milestones (growing, teething, crawling, walking, etc.) their bodies physically and mentally are working overtime. This increase in activity can actually cause their little brains to process throughout the night, keeping them from a fitful night’s slumber. Such milestones occur at four months, nine months which is apparently the worst one (thank you very much), and twelve months.

Myth or fact? I am not sure. It makes sense to me but there is nothing but a blog devoted to this “sleep regression”. Their only solution is to wait it out which is what I am doing anyway so I guess it doesn’t matter if it is true or false. In the meantime, at least I have something to blame the bags under my eyes on.

Haute Mom Dilemma #31 ~ Bringing Baby

Now that Stella is just about nine months old we have gotten to the point where we are taking her with us to most places. The usual shopping and restaurant experiences can be done without a hitch and hubby and I are venturing on to more daring outings. This weekend we are going skiing for the first time in two years and I can’t wait to get into my ski outfits. Yup, I said outfits.

The most recent grand outing was to the Farmers Insurance Open, which is a golf tournament that is held in San Diego. This is one of those tournaments that’s worth going to even though golf can be a total snoozefest to watch if you are not a fan. The ladies are dressed in the most non-golf course friendly outfits and all the big dogs play, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods (dirtbag), you name it. I had questioned my sanity in bringing Stella considering golf is one of the QUIETEST sports on earth and we had to park 15 miles away and shuttle in. There was to be no quick getaway car in case of emergency.

We got down to the tournament, which was a little over an hour away and things went without a hitch. The stroller, diaper bag, Stella’s mood, and the weather were all aligned perfectly. It was an amazing family day.

This got me thinking…what places are truly “kid friendly”? I thought it may be inappropriate to bring a baby to a professional golf tournament. After looking up details, I learned that they actually do a lot to accommodate kids. What about things like wine tasting? I know people that bring their kids to wineries and then I have others say how inappropriate it is. Concerts? Plays? Movie theaters? I am not saying I would bring Stella to any of these but I would be lying if I said I had never thought about it. When does bringing baby cross the line?

 

Thirsty girl

View of the fairway

Tuckered out

Enjoying the fun

Best baby shoes...ever.

I wrote a post a couple of weeks ago about a children’s shoe company, pediped. They were having a fundraiser where 50% of the shoe sales would go to a charitable donation. I bought some shoes for Stella (only because it was going to a good cause, of course) and they arrived about two days later. That’s right, TWO days later. Aaaahhh, instead gratification with online shopping for this haute mom!

I immediately tried one of the pairs on Stella and I have to say, love them. I have had such a difficult time finding shoes that fit and were comfortable for Stella and these are them. They are easy to put on, Stella doesn’t even realize that she has them on and, did I mention, I LOVE THEM!

If you didn’t buy a pair then, I highly encourage everyone to do so now. These seriously, are the best shoes I have ever tried for Stella. And I have tried a lot! I bought the Jackie’s and they are still on sale, among with many other styles in all three of their lines: the Originals (0-24 months), Grip ‘n’ Go (9 months to 3 years), and the Flex (1 to 6 years).

The pediped® Spring/Summer 2011 collection also just debuted with the new Adventure Line which are eco-friendly, machine washable, and water-safe. They are also lighter weight and more flexible than other waterproof shoes on the market. And yes haute moms, they are darling, as is the rest of the collection. Get those manicured fingers ready to shop! Go to pediped now.


Stella in her pedipeds - normally she's trying to get her shoes off!



Fashion Friday

For this Fashion Friday I would like to ponder jeans because you all know that I am obsessed. I am proud to report that just shy of nine months after having Stella, I fit into all of my pre-pregnancy jeans and even have room to spare. Although my jeans fit, I have to say that they fit DIFFERENTLY. I weigh less than I did when I found out I was preggy but still, my haute jeans fit FUNNY. Haute moms, you know what I mean don’t you?

There is something that gets…uh…left over from ten months of pregnancy and it is not pretty. My hubby thinks I am crazy but there is something softer and well, looser about my skin in my stomach region. What’s up with that? I always think I am rockin’ the jeans and love the way they fit until I lean over and feel that extra MOM thing that wasn’t there before. Stella likes to jump on it and grab it. Yikes.

I have been seeing a lot of new things come out in the jean arena that boast comfort and a “slimmer” you. There are brands like Skinny Jeans, Ryders by Lee and Not Your Daughters jeans that are made to make the female have a tighter rear, slimmer thighs, and the appearance of no muffin top. I’m curious if they really work or not or if this is just another scam to get all of us haute moms to spend our precious money. Anyone have a pair? Are they fashionable? Do they do the trick? Or do they look like jeans your mom would wear because that is what I am afraid of. Those jean companies sure know how to draw us in don’t they?

And what about the Pajama Jean? Really?! I do love pajamas…

Thrifty Thursday

This week's Thrifty Thursday features a FABULOUS shopping site! The site Uptown Liz is another site that gives back to a good cause. Not just one good cause, but almost 30 great causes! The reason for its existence is even more special than the site itself.


Ramona Russell

The founder, Ramona Russell is a savvy, haute business woman with a mission. She lost her sister, Liz, to breast cancer in 2006. It was a harsh and painful loss for many reasons, one being that Liz was only 28 years old. Ramona used her talents to start a company in her sister Liz's memory that promotes products from companies whose proceeds directly give back to charitable organizations. She launched Uptown Liz on what would be her sister's 30th birthday, July 17, 2007. (The fact that Liz and i share the same birthdate and I was only born one year before her has made me very reflective.)

Uptown Liz supports almost 30 causes ranging from animal rights, women's health, children's rights, and of course, breast cacncer. You can shop by cause or by product and there is something for everyone. The site sells jewelry, bags, infant clothes, pet products, and even shoes! I found a darling pacifier clip for Stella and dontaed 10% of the amount to the American Cancer Society by purchasing it! 

Pacifier Clip

Be sure to stop by Uptown Liz the next time you need a special gift or the next time you just want to shop, like all us haute moms do!



And the Stars Align...

You know those moments where you are having a tough day and you wonder, "Why am I here?  What is my role in the grand scheme of things?"  I am sure you do, because we all have those moments.  As a teacher I have had many of those.  Correct me if I am wrong, but most teachers go into the profession for one of two reasons.  They either love kids or they want to make a difference in people's lives and being a doctor would just take too darn long.  Kidding about the doctor thing...sort of.  I knew that I wanted to make a difference with students and directly impact their immediate lives which is why I became a health teacher.  Even still, on tough days, I would wonder if I was truly making a difference.

I had a very interesting thing happen to me yesterday.  I can't go into too many details right now but it was the kind of thing that makes you look up at the sky ad say, "I understand now. This is my time to make a difference."  I apologize for the teaser but I want to make sure I have all the facts together so that I can really share this story in all its craziness. I can say that I got wind of a story about a young man who has gone through many hardships including the loss of both his parents.  He, as a friend put it, is a "modern day philanthropist."  He is a poet, a photographer, and a visionary.  This young man is about to partake on an amazing journey and I wanted to help before I even knew who he was.  Yesterday when I was told his name, I learned that he was one of my past students.  I spoke to him last night for the first time in almost seven years and I am committed to using all of my resources to help him.  That includes all you haute moms out there so get ready! I just had to write about this and share because my mind is still spinning from how the universe works sometimes.  Stand by haute moms...the best is yet to come and I hope you will all be a part of it.