Randoms

Posted on August 15, 2016 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Whoa, time flew by since my last check in! I feel like we have been so busy, and yet I don’t have too much to report. Stupid Calgary weather has our daily events all screwed up. Too much rain and hail and thunder and lightening AND I DON’T LIKE IT ONE BIT.

But, things could be worse so I can’t complain. I thought I’d start the week off by sharing some great [and random] goodies! In no particular order…

WeeNation. I’ve share past boxes we’ve received from them here and here. We got yet another one not too long ago and it was a good one!

It included a Love Child Organics bag of Love Ducks (Wes is obsessed), Barbeque Sauce after sun lotion, Jax & Lennon bloomies, and a couple of other great items! The box was a summer theme and did not disappoint. Wes has outgrown bibs and the stroller wraps aren’t his jam so I’ll be either gifting those or saving them for future babies.

I highly urge you to check our Wee Nation if you haven’t already. They curate some of the best monthly boxes depending on your babes age (and time of the year), plus they find some great small Canadian shops to incorporate in each box! I really love that. And I love that there is often a goodie for mom in it each month as well. This box had a bath bomb that I can’t wait to use.

^^Moccs from Posh Panda ^^

I love whenever we receive one of these boxes in the mail because it is something that Wes and I can open together and he will usually take each item out and run around with it….because he can haha.

Be sure to also check Wee Nation out on Instagram (they have a code to get `10% off!)

2. Love With Food. I hadn’t heard of this snack subscription box before, but was super excited to try it when we were offered a box!

Love With Food has a really great premise behind their subscription boxes: not only are they providing a variety of samples of good snacks, but they are also looking for quality ingredients AND donate a meal to feed a hungry child for every box purchased.

I was more than pleasantly surprised when I opened our box. We have had it for just under a week and I’ve already eaten just about everything in it! There’s a great variety of sweet/savory plus there are gluten free options (and a strictly gluten free box available as well!)

Love With Food’s promise with each box:

No artificial flavoring, coloring, or MSG
No trans fats and hydrogenated oils
No high fructose corn syrup
Snacks are natural, organic or gluten-free

Wes has even shared some of these snacks with me! I gotta admit, I loved them all and look forward to my next box.

The people at Love With Food are offering all of YOU a beyond sweet deal–> use code NUTCASE40 and receive 40% off your first box. WHAT A STEAL. Moral of the story: you get good snacks, help feed the hungry AND get a heck of a discount. Plus, they ship everywhere so this doesn’t exclude anyone!

3. Bubbles & Balms. Oh man, you guys. This is my GO TO shop for soaps. They offer a variety of other skin care products as well which I’ve reviewed here and here, but my consistent order is always at least a half dozen or so soaps. There is absolutely nothing better than an all natural product that smells amazing AND is made locally by a duo that love what they do.

I bought a ton of their bath bombs to gift my girlfriend at her bridal shower and already regret not snagging a couple for myself as well. Bath bombs are THE bomb.

4. Beachbody. I’ve been rotating through my programs lately and still loving the daily challenge. This month is a KILLER month as far as promotions go: two of my FAVES are on sale plus a bunch of others: Country Heat, Cize, PiYo, 21 Day Fix, 21 Day Fix Extreme, and 22 Minute Hard Corps. If you’re looking for some great home-workout programs to add to your workout routine, I’d love to chat with you more to see what would be the best fit for you.

Please message me if you’d like more info! I live by these workouts and I think my post-baby body is a pretty good testament to how effective these programs can be.

5. Invivo Wines. I got a bottle of their Pinot Noir a couple of weeks ago and was more than eager to pair it with a delicious dinner at home with Tyler.

There’s something about Pinot Noir that gets my juices flowing, because I almost *almost* want to swear off beer completely and just stick to the vino once I take a few sips of this stuff. It has the BEST aroma and pairs well with just about any dish. And I gotta admit, we polished off the bottle faster than we expected, which called for an early evening. But boy was it worth it!

I had never heard of Invivo, but was impressed with their fact sheet:

Untitled

Turns out, 4th Spot Kitchen and Bar carries Invivo too! It sparked my fancy so we headed out there for dinner the other day.

I got a beer…whoops!

6. VIANDJAX. This is a small shop for baby/littles clothing that’s based out of Strathmore, AB. Wes was lucky enough to become a brand rep for this shop and we received a pair of moccs for Wes to test out. He absolutely loved the laces (a little too much which prevented him from just leaving them alone and actually WALKING) and I’m excited to pair them with upcoming fall outfits for him.

Unfortunately, Wes took a nasty spill on the concrete just before these photos (hence the bribery of chocolate chip cookies) and you may notice the big ol’ bruise that was forming on his forehead.

^^Romper from Archer and Antlers^^

viandjax shop is currently closed, but make sure to follow them on Instagram for upcoming updates and their fall launch! PS: Aren’t the moccs just so darn adorable?! I can’t stand it.

Ok, that’s it for now. Thanks for making it through the whole post!

Weekender

Posted on February 29, 2016 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Yay, it’s Monday! (not.) Ugh, so not. I crave weekends so hard…and I don’t even know why! Maybe for the slightly extra time with Tyler? Or…yeah, probably that. Here’s to hoping for another good week in the books. Backtracking a few days:

Friday: Spinach pancakes. So yummy. Wes was up before I made them, so I ended up sharing some with him and he LOVED them. I think he mostly loved the maple syrup- which is pretty much my favorite part too.

It was really great weather out, so I opted to take Wes for a nice long morning walk. The fresh air felt pretty great and he enjoyed all the sights. Even if he doesn’t look overly pleased.

On a side note: If you have a front load washer, I recently found the best way for cleaning the dang thing! Mix 1/4c baking soda + 1/4 c water and pour where the liquid detergent container is. Throw 2c vinegar in the drum, then run a HOT normal cycle. Man oh man, the washer is clean as a whistle and the clothes come out actually smelling like the detergent now! No more mildewy smelling nastiness!

I gave up coffee *moms around the world gasp* because I was becoming way too dependent on it…BUT, I did splurge and have a New Grounds Food Coconut Mocha coffee bar as a pick me up while Wes had his lunch. (more on these bars later!)

We lounged around the house for a bit and Wes decided to practice a little magic with his rabbit and hat.

Around 1pm we FINALLY made it out of the house to run some errands. I returned some stuff and bought some small goodies for Wes’s Easter basket. But mostly, we just had fun walking around all the stores. Wes seems to really love being in the shopping cart, which makes for a much more pleasant shopping experience 🙂

Last week, Tyler had ordered a carpet shampooer and he messaged me saying he got the confirmation email that it was delivered to our house. I looked on the front porch (we have two doorbells on the front since previous owners used our downstairs space as a separate living suite and often delivery people press the wrong doorbell) and there was nothing. It’s a pretty big expense, so I took Wes around the block checking out our neighbor’s porches and still nothing. Lovely! A few hours later, a woman messaged Tyler on Facebook asking if we were expecting a package and it turns out it was delivered to her- in an entirely different neighborhood. Once Wes went to bed, I went to pick it up. Thank goodness for nice people!

I also picked up another package that arrived for us…from wee nation!

They totally killed it this month with more of a clothing theme. The beanie from Charlee Dee is super soft (even though it’s not really slouchy on Wes’s head haha), the bandana bib from MawdsleyLoves is super cute and I’m absolutely loving the tee from Vagabond babe– I’m hoping Wes will get to wear it more than once. I’ve used the Sauce for Skin balm on this one tiny little dry patch Wes has on his back, and it seems to be doing the trick! I love that it isn’t sticky either.

Tyler had brought home a new to us beer (good husband). I was excited to try it- but it was entirely too sweet to have with dinner. I think it would be perfect for an outdoor winter fire pit, but not mixed with leftover shepherds pie haha.

On a bit of a downer note, the button on the side of my Fitbit Charge HR broke off. I started hyperventilating since I seem to be really good at breaking technology lately. Luckily, I was covered under the warranty and they’re sending me a replacement. PHEW!

We watched Amazing Race and In the Heart of the Sea then called it a night. (Chris Hemsworth <—heartthrob).

Saturday: The day started just after 7am and Wes was a whiny mister. All day. Woof. It really is a good thing babies are cute to make up for the worlds most annoying sound!

We did our usual Saturday Costco trip. With all the wonderful crap that Costco has to offer, how come they don’t sell any bulk baby/toddler snacks? I don’t get it. Maybe it’s just the one we go to? That stuff would fly off the shelves if they carry it.

We tackled the rest of the afternoon with attempting to keep Wes happy. Thanks to the suggestion by Brie, I even put Wes in the back carry position in the Ergo. He really liked it…until he started pulling all of my hair out, so I had to call it quits. And snacks. Always snacks.

I lucked out and caught a happy baby moment!

Can we just stop for a moment and talk about how my 10 month old fits (barely) into size 2T pajamas? Granted, they’re Carter and everything from there runs small. But still!

PS: Tyler always does home projects/PAITING in his pj pants and pretty much every pair has crap all over them. Oof.

Wes helped Tyler make fajitas for dinner..

And then I was granted the pleasure of sitting down AT THE TABLE to eat my dinner in peace.

It was a really early night for me..I was in bed by 8:30pm and got just over 10 hours of sleep!

Sunday: Mornings are SO much better when you’re well rested. Can I get an amen?!

I sorta failed in the photo taking department. Boo. And without photos, I tend to forget what the heck happened. Let’s see…

There was breakfast. And laundry. And a workout. And a walk with the dogs. And we shampooed the carpet! Ahhh life is so exciting.

The dogs sure can do a number on carpet.

Wes took two naps- a 45 min one in the morning and a 2 hour one in the afternoon. He always has great afternoon naps after taking a bath!

We had skip-its for dinner (that’s what we call it when it’s every man for himself). I took some of the leftover fajita mixture and made it into a quesadilla. So delicious.

Just before Wes went down for the night, I threw together a batch of no bake protein bars. I’ll share those later this week…assuming they turn out to be tasty 🙂