All moms MUST have.

I always feel like this is one of those things that goes without saying because it's such an obvious quick-fix to me, yet when I talk about it to other moms in my group, I'd say about half of them haven't ever used this.
OXYCLEAN, OXYCLEAN, OXYCLEAN

Puke, poop, pee, chocolate, marker, mildew, paint, red sucker, soda, ANYTHING. It takes it out. I go through 2-3 bottles of the spray, and 1-2 jars of the Baby powder a month. It's just such an easy way to treat stains (even dry ones) and wash, and problem solved.

All of my kid's clothes are higher end, cold washed and hung to dry as I resell and try to keep fading and shrinkage to a minimum. But she's a kid and I DO let her be a KID in her clothes. She no longer wears a bib because she's "too big" for such silly things, so every day there's at least some minor stains on whatever she has worn.

I swear by this stuff, it's $3 at Target or WalMart, and now you're in the know. ;)

The Bag on Diaper Bags

So now that we know what a stroller addict I am, it's time to confess my other necessity gone overboard since having my daughter - the Diaper Bag.

It started out innocently enough - I thought I should have a big one, and a small one. And since I worked at forementioned baby store, I was well versed in the world of diaper bags. Enough so to know that I didn't want the same asian print satin Petunia Pickle Bottom bag that EVERY hip mom had. I was already proud owner of the most coveted stroller on the market - I couldn't just sell out for the most popular bag. So I settled on the hip yet less available Fleurville Sling Tote bag. I debated on the color, but in the end decided to be nice and get something that was neutral enough for my husband to carry, and I didn't really like the shiny, laminated surface of most of the bags. So I settled on the denim grommet bag.

Perfect for the fall baby, great for either sex, and matched my fall jean jacket. :) Can't go wrong. It was a GREAT back. Versatile, being able to be worn as a tote bag, hooked on to the stroller, or with the tote straps tucked in, a messenger style sling bag. Lots of roomy inside pockets, an easy fold out changing mat, and a wipe case. It was a great size. Middle of the road. Maybe not big enough for a heavy day of travel with a newborn, but perfect for everyday. Fits into the under-storage basket of pretty much all strollers or hooks to the handlebars for easy access.

Then about a month after Lillian was born, I was at Nordstrom and their Juicy Couture Quick Change mini bag was on SALE for under $50. I decided to splurge on it, figuring it would be useful while traveling, and as she got older and needed less. And while it has useful stuff like the micro thin yet tough and large change pad, all clear inner pockets and compartments, I didn't end up using it much as I soon realized that my most vital toddler staples are SNACKS and DRINKS which just don't fit.

Then a few weeks after that, the fabulous Kalencom faux leather tote came in at the baby store and I just couldn't resist. It was about twice the size of my Fleurville bag, but soft and squishy and easy to stuff into the storage basket, and big enough for a FULL day out with toys, some books, a few changes of clothes... you get the picture. It also didn't look much like a diaper bag - a huge plus for me. Oh, and washable, dryable.... also learn this is a huge plus when your kid's bottle leaks all over the inside of the diaper bag and you notice 2 days later. Yuck. Most bags are NOT equipped for washing. This bag got WELL used in my house!

But, who can keep a bag for more than a few months, right? I made it almost a year with this one, and then when Lillian started potty training, I decided I was ready for something smaller again. Something that could hold a few emergency outfits, drink and snacks and wallet. I liked the unique look and solid construction of the Kalencom bag well enough, I went back for a second.

The silver midi tote bag is fabulous. It doesn't look like a diaper bag, is soft and pliable, goes with your fashionable wardrobe and adds a bit of flair. Comes with a drink insulator bag, change pad, and several internal and external pockets. Plus for potty training moms, the fabulous "oops" bag in matching fabric.

Now I was THRILLED with this bag. Reasonably priced, made by a company out of New Orleans, and nobody else had it. Then a couple of months later, I came across THE bag that said..... ME.

The $350 Petunia Pickle Bottom CAKE collection Cosmopolitan Carryall bag in Chocolate Cherry Cake. A mouthful? Perhaps. A wallet-ful? Oh, YES. My husband is HATING me by this time, let me tell you. But sometimes there's just things a girl HAS to have when she's willing to forego so many others for herself. I treated myself. And I get compliments everywhere I go. Plush velour tapestry, tweeds.... MMmmm! It was bigger than I was hoping, but I see fashionistas running around with bags twice this size all the time. And while it has the hidden zip-out changing mat (that my now potty trained kid hasn't once used) matching wipe case, internal bottle pockets, I'm constantly getting stopped by women of all ages asking where I got my purse. I love the look on their faces when I say "Well, I got this diaper bag....."

And while I can honestly admit that it does NOT have ALL of the conveniences I have loved in past bags, this is the LAST one I plan on buying. And maybe using well past kid toting time.

Some of my necessities (ok, stroller addiction)

Since I'm starting this blog so late into my mom shopping experience, I have to throw out a few things that have been life saving pieces of my world over the past two years.

I will just state now that I am a stroller whore, and I have purchased..... 8 different ones over the past 2 years for my one child (thank you world of resale). My first was the practical and most popular Graco Quattro with the SnugRide car seat. I HATED it. Everything about it. It was huge, cumbersome, and had no bells and whistles that in my opinion called for it to be either of those things. I never once used the actual stroller, as when I was about 7 months pregnant, Bob let me buy the almighty Bugaboo Frog.

Aaaahhhhhhh. Now THAT was what I was looking for. Stylish, easy to use, a bit on the large side, but hey - It was a stroller and bassinet all in one, and it allowed for easy use of my Graco SnugRide car seat with an attachment. It was just fabulous. It went everywhere with me. Shopping, the zoo, on airplanes, served as my main floor bassinet in the living room.... It had a $749 pricetag, but again we love resale. I got mine used for $550 and it was used DAILY.

When my daughter was a bit bigger, I wanted to invest in a lightweight stroller. Something that was NOT two pieces that my husband could handle opening/closing/using, etc... So away I went to consumerreports.com in search of the best and most recommended umbrella stroller. I came up with the Silver Cross Micro strolleras it had bigger wheels and bigger storage than the more popular Maclaren Volo plus it came PINK. Sold. And while I liked the stroller, I just loved my Frog so much that I tended to leave the $130 umbrella stroller in my husband's car for rare use. I had intended for it to be used when traveling, etc but realized that even though my growing girl was becoming a toddler, she still needed to be able to sleep in her stroller sometimes, and this didn't lay down.

Skip ahead a few months, and the new Bugaboo BEE was released on the market. It was everything the Frog was not - ONE PIECE, easy for my newly 1 year old to get in and out of, narrow enough to get through small spaces. So I begged for, and was granted permission to bring the new stroller into our lives. And it was great. I was very enthusiastic about it, but certain aspects of it kept me going back to my Frog. The hood was huge (and while great for protection) AWFUL for lillian who has to see EVERYTHING that is going on around her. My non-bugaboo but vital to my life attachments for the stroller bar and handle didn't fit. No snacks for her, no snacks or bevvies for me -BAD. And while this was almost half the weight and bulk of the frog, it still folded to fit exactly in the same travel bag as the Frog, so it was still obnoxious for me to fly with size-wise.

So it was a resale destiny for the Bee - it was a GOOD stroller and had some awesome features. It just wasn't for me. So having tried everything on the market I was interested in, I decided that I had proved myself worthy of an UPGRADE... ;) And sold the Frog to buy the Cameleon. Still with me here?

So WHY ON EARTH you ask me did you basically buy the same stroller OVER again but pay another $200??? Here again, I praise the resale Gods.... I got it on Craigs List for $650 and resold my Frog (plus a few cheap, easy upgrades) on eBay for a bit more than I actually spent on it. So it was almost a wash. The differences might seem small to some, but they were NOT for me, who used it daily. First off, the whole seat is 2 inches longer giving you 2 more inches of space in the bassinet for an infant (which of course I was past, but hey - maybe SOMEDAY I'll have another one, maybe) thus making the toddler seat more accomodating also. The underseat storage basket is 25% larger, and now USEABLE (love that, huh?), the handlebar extends to fit to your height, and most importantly (to me) was that these strollers work with interchangeable fabric covers in a variety of colors (hence the name) that come in super soft microfleece. They have since done them in canvas as well, but we stick to the fleece as I'm a sensory snob, and I want my baby on soft everything. It has served me well, and I don't now how I can ever part with it. I'm sure someday my grandkids will love it....

But I must also fast forward another year, to this past summer where we went on a vacation to see Bob's grandmother in Massachusets, and Bob vowed he'd never help me take the baby AND get the Bugaboo travel bag through airport security again. Plus with all the new luggage fees, etc, it was ridiculous to check it.

So I am on another mission.... my kid will FOR SURE need to nap in the stroller because that's the only place I have a prayer for a week, and I need to get it there and back easily. So we hit Babies R Us again to test drive the latest stuff (and I must say that in 2 years there was some fun and cute stuff out there for someone besides myself) and decided that our next purchase would be the Maclaren Quest Mod.

Had I thought about a reclining umbrella stroller back when I got the Micro, I would have gotten this one to begin with and as a result would never have ended up getting the Bee at all. Retailing at $229-299 (depending on design, etc) it is super lightweight, folds as an umbrella stroller, has 85% recline suitable from 3 months, and holds up to 65 pounds of kid. It also has an extendable leg rest (seat bottom) so it grows with your child. Our experience with this stroller has been awesome. It is super cute, got me in/out of the airport in a breeze, folded up with one hand at the gate, and the greatest part was that the extendable leg rest pulled out so that my very tall almost two year old hardly had to bend her legs to lay completely in the stroller for a nap. We got a good nap out of her in this almost every day and THAT is saying something.

As a whole I loved all of the strollers I have used, and had a great time picking them out and trying them out. I am now down to two (my husband rejoices) and that is where I'll stay. I have my everyday stroller, and my quickie travel stroller. I think we're good. Now if I could just get my kid to sit down......

The beginning...

I decided to start this blog because I thought it would be entertaining to some that I'm documenting and sharing my addiction. It all started harmlessly enough - I took a full time job at a super high end kids boutique about 10 years ago. While I was in and out of that store as an employee for all these years, it didn't start to affect my life until almost 3 years ago when that magical moment happened to me - I was having a baby. And not just any baby - a GIRL.
I think my body was genetically programmed to only accept a female egg because I had PINK on the brain. Suddenly all of these $100 items I sold other people for years were things that I had to have, whether I needed (or could afford) them or not.

I became eBay kid buying savvy real quick, let me tell you. The end result was a combo of the best current season items and favorites I've had over the years. That equals WAY more stuff than any girl could ever dream of wearing. We're talking 4-6 bins of clothing in every size.

I've gotten even smarter about it as Lili has gotten older - learned to appreciate the better price points (and resale value) of the more mainstream brands like Baby Gap, Gymboree, even Old Navy.

My goal for this blog is to share some of my favorite items and bargain finds for little girls - whether it's clothing, shoes, gear, WHATEVER! So enjoy!