From the Week

Posted on April 29, 2016 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Boom! It’s Friday….ALREADY! Another week in the books 🙂

Monday wasn’t so fun (for me). I woke up feeling super sick, so I headed to the doctor’s to get checked out. They said it was just a cold, but I definitely felt like death warmed over. Not to mention, the coffee pot was backed up when I tried to start it, so it was like a one two punch of crap right to the face. Not too much else happened….we grabbed some Tims (helllllllo caffeine!), some groceries and a couple of beers for Tyler. I was able to snap some pics of Wes in our bedroom!

He was getting super playful once grandma came in the room and all the giggles made me <3.

We had chili and THE BEST CORNBREAD I’VE EVER MADE for dinner. I had to eat it a bit early and super quick because I had to head out to work.

Tuesday was a better day. I still woke up feeling pretty yucky so my mom was able to help out with Wes until my meds kicked in. I have been SO lucky with my mom being here- thanks to FaceTime, Wes recognized her right off the bat and has been stuck to her like glue her whole time here. He wants to be with her no matter what and even though part of me gets jealous about their bond, I am so happy that they have it because they don’t get to see each other often. <– that makes me sad!

We drove down to Ikea in the afternoon and ended up getting all things for Wes. I don’t want to purchase any house items until Tyler is done with the renos..because you just never know how things turn out!

One of the goodies we picked up (rather, my mom bought. She has been on a buying spree while she’s been visiting!) was a tent with an attachable tunnel. Wes got the hang of it right off the bat, but my mom still wanted to demonstrate. Must’ve been the wine 😉

I had to throw together a random dinner of leftovers and again quickly head out the door for work. It was my first ‘real’ day (not training) and it was so nerve wracking! More hints as to my part-time gig: BEER + AMBASSADOR. A dream job for me because not only do I get to work with beer, but I get to do it part-time. So my days are spent with Wes and only a couple evenings a week I am out adulting! It ended up being a great shift.

I also posted about the Grapple Toy Tether. If you haven’t seen that post yet, check it out! I am giving away one Grapple and the giveaway is open until next Tuesday! If you don’t have a kiddo that could use it, it’s also a great gift option 🙂

Wednesday was pretty darn good. Actually, it was great. Wes woke up in a fantastic mood, I had fantastic pancakes for breakfast, and got in my workout while Wes napped. As soon as Wes woke up, we got in the car and headed out! First stop was to pick up some fabric and odds and ends at Walmart. By the time we finished, it was lunch time so we headed to National Westhills. I had never been to that location before, but I knew that it was similar to the other locations in that they offered an outstanding selection of craft beers PLUS it is very family friendly.

As soon as we got there, I was relieved to see that there were actually several other tables of babies there. PHEW! I didn’t want to risk being the annoying table. My mom ordered fish tacos and some wine while I opted for a flight of beers. Just my luck: I chose all new-to-me beers that were DELICIOUS! Wes was a saint the entire time. He was so happy just looking around and schmoozing the women around us. I kept telling my mom that I was so glad we checked the place out because I think Tyler and I (and Wes) will have to frequent it from now on. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

After lunch, we wandered over to the Carter’s that was nearby and my mom went nuts. Carters= grandma crack. We walked out of there with a ton of new clothes for Wes, lucky kid! The afternoon was so stimulating for Wes that he fell asleep in the car on the way home, so I was able to stop and pick up a couple of groceries and WINE before getting to the house.

Wes was a huge snuggle muffin with grandma AGAIN. Seriously, why don’t I get all those awesome snuggles? I need them. We had mucho burrito for dinner because it was quick and easy and paired well with the wine we bought.

Thursday was pretty good too even if it was a little more slow going. We had breakfast then watched Grandma make a cake.

I was so excited when the mail came because my latest order of Bubbles & Balms bar soaps arrived! I ordered a variety of scents and can’t wait to try out a couple of the new ones. I know they’ll be good, because all the ones I’ve tried so far have been THE BEST. Seriously, the scents are so nice. But what wins me over is that the soaps keep my skin soft even throughout the yucky dry winters.

I recently talked about their baby line of products which are equally great. My favorite is the bath and massage oil. It’s very relaxing for Wes AND I can even use it for my baths!

We hung around the house for a bit after Wes’s nap. His favorite activity these days is to crawl into his room and toss every diaper across the room. I know I could totally prevent this by putting the diapers elsewhere, but I actually don’t mind because it’s so darn cute.

I put him in the crocheted jacket my mom’s friend had made for him while he was in his room and it was just so funny. I can’t tell if it looks more like a bolero or a pimp jacket. Too cute 🙂

We headed up to Airdrie for the afternoon for something to do. Mostly, it was to drive around but we did end up at Bulk Barn and picked up some goodies. Then Superstore on the way back because the kiddo needed more snacks for his snack drawer!

He was happy to just go up and down the aisles and have mama bounce him around.

We had meatloaf for dinner and Wes fell asleep insanely early due to no afternoon nap. This made for a nice evening of adulting. Not productive, but adulting nonetheless.

Have a great weekend!

Small Shoppin’- Posh Panda

Posted on April 21, 2016 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Happy Thursday everyone! The week is almost to a close ALREADY. How does it happen so quickly?

Today I want to share with you an awesome small shop based out of Lethbridge, Alberta. Posh Panda is run by Kayla, a mother of two littles. She creates some of the cutest leather moccs and boots and I have been lusting for a pair ever since I started following her on Instagram. She locally sources all of her leathers and manages to find some of the best quality stuff!

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As luck would have it, I was able to get a pair of black moccs just in time for Wes’s first birthday! Not only did I get the pair so last minute, but I was also able to meet Kayla in person to pick up the moccs since she was in town to purchase more leather! Although our meeting was brief, I could tell how much care she put into each pair (poet?). Plus, she had one of her babes with her and she was dressed to the nines! So cute.

Kayla had just redesigned the fit to accommodate both skinny and chunky ankles, and my son being on of the latter, was able to perfectly fit into the size 5/6. They were snug- but not tight- around his ankles and had lots of wiggle room to grow into.

I love the new branding on the bottoms! PS: Wes dresses better than I do.

Most important factor: the stay on! He wriggled and crawled all over the house for hours and neither even came close to making their way off his feet. That’s such great reassurance for taking him out of the house because I’m pretty sure it would be the worst feeling ever to lose one while on an outing!

He only cried because Layla wasn’t coming in his room! 😉

Not only does she make these classic moccs, but she also creates the most adorable lace moccs, moccs with bows, and boot moccs! There’s a size chart listed on her brand new website, but if you’re ever unsure, Kayla is super quick to respond to inquiries and could accommodate for special sizing.

If I ever have a girl, I need a pair of these Light Grey Striped Bow Moccs.

I still can’t get over how incredibly soft the leather is for these! Like butter. Now if only my boy would stop growing so darn fast so he could wear these for a long, long time.

Cleaning is super easy- just use wipes!

I think our next purchase will be these Iron Gray Classic Moccs or these Red Moccs (great gender neutral colors and perfect for holiday outfits!)

I can’t stress enough how important it is to shop small- not only are you supporting your local economy, but you are getting a higher quality product! Kayla is no exception- I can tell she works her butt of for her brand. Her new website is gorgeous, the product is on point, and her service makes you feel like you’re not just a customer, but a friend.

Make sure to check her out on Facebook and Instagram too!

American friends, don’t forget! Your dollar goes farther in Canada, so these would be a bargain 🙂

Thanks again to Kayla!!

Shop Small- Bubbles & Balms

Posted on March 23, 2016 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Happy hump day! I’ve got a great small shop to share with you today- Bubbles & Balms.

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About the shop: All Bubbles & Balms products are 100% natural, which we define as organic and inorganic materials derived from nature without the addition of synthetics. We hand make all our products at our store in Claresholm, AB. We [Justin and Judith] are partners in business, but also in life and love. We opened our doors in December of 2014 and greatly enjoy meeting new people who are passionate about living life as naturally as they can.

I first came across Bubbles & Balms at the Spruce Meadows Christmas market this past year. Wes was getting antsy so I didn’t have much time to browse, but I did manage to snag a few bars of their soaps. I’m glad I did, because they’ve been the best soaps I’ve ever purchased (no joke). Even after showering, applying lotion and sometimes even walking the dogs, I can still smell the scent of whichever bar I’ve used lingering on my skin. It’s not overwhelming, but just gentle enough to remind me I’m clean (and cinnamon-y…depending on the bar).

Recently, B&B created their own website so you can have access to their products no matter where you are! I saw the launch online and got really excited. Not only because I have enjoyed the soaps so much, but also because they’re local!

In addition to soaps, they offer an extension of bath, body, baby, aromatherapy and men’s products. There’s even workshops you can attend and other DIY stuff! So basically, lots.

I was lucky enough to get in touch with Justin & Judith (basically praising their soaps and cheersing the new site) and before I knew it, a package of the entire baby line was on my doorstep!

Wes is a lucky little boy to be able to try these out…but he’s not the only one! I’ve also used some of the bath oil and I gotta say, it’s super soothing and leaves our skin nice and soft. I *almost* don’t need to put lotion on afterwards, but do out of habit. I really liked how the scent was extremely gentle so it went unnoticed by Wes, but I still felt indulgent during my own baths (now if only it came in bubble form, I’m sure Wes would lose his mind with glee!)

I’m not one to use baby powder (something about babies inhaling it?) but I tried this stuff out- you know, being all-natural and all- and I really loved how good of a job it did on diffusing the dirtiest of diaper smells. Ew, I know. It was nice as a little moisture absorber as well when I try to get him dressed as quickly as possible after a bath when he’s all shivery!

He’s also been pretty good in the butt department lately, so I almost thought I wouldn’t need to use the butt butter. But, (see what I did there?) he did have a reddish hiney last week so I broke some out! I was pleasantly surprised how quickly the solid turned into a creamy, smooth texture once it was applied to his skin.

I think he liked it, too.

Last up, the skin spray. We’ve still not used it, but it smells amazing! It’s good for not only diaper rash, but for sunburn relief so I will keep it handy if ever we get a bit too much sun 🙂

I’ve been really enjoying using these products because I know they’re not harmful on Wes’s skin and they smell so darn good! I’ll often just soak up the second-hand effects of it by sniffing on his head after bath time I love it so much. PS: It’s not weird to always sniff your kid, right??

Big thank you to Justin & Judith! Be sure to check out their site, visit their Facebook page, and follow them on Instagram too.. I’m sure you’ll find something that tickles your fancy 🙂