Neiman Marcus 40% Off Designer Sale

In case you don’t feel like you’ve successfully accomplished your Cyber-Monday goals, here’s another sale to check out. I’m not normally a Neiman Marcus shopper, but as previously noted throughout my blog, I’m truly a sucker for a sale – especially a sale that involves designer things. I can’t help it. I have champagne taste. If you do too, check this one out (sale ends 12/8/11)!
(No, that doesn’t mean I’m going to buy this Valentino dress I’ve been eyeing that’s now on sale for $2,100 down from $3,500…but I can dream. And if I’m not going to get it, there’s one more left for you!)

 

 

Mom Deals

I cannot help it. I’m a sucker for a sale. There, I said it. I sometimes have the urge to buy something JUST because it’s a good deal. I know, sick right? My Amazon Prime membership is probably the bane of my existence according to my husband. No, now I’m just being dramatic. But in all seriousness, I love shopping and I love sales. It’s especially difficult to pass up a sale on anything kid-related. Luckily, thanks to family, friends, and perusing the interwebs, I’ve come across a number of websites with great kids deals. And because I’m not one to hoard information and holidays are fast approaching, I felt the need to share it with you all. Enjoy!

Zulily
Zulily has at least five daily deals for babies and kids each day (and sometimes for mom’s and pregnant moms as well).  The website updates at 8:00 a.m. CST daily.  Most of the items are usually high-end children’s clothing, but they also have furniture, accessories, outerwear, games, toys, diaper bags, hand bags, you name it. I have ordered from them and been happy with what I purchased. The only downside is that if you order at the beginning of the sale – meaning there are still a few days before that sales ends – then you might be waiting a couple of weeks to get your item. They don’t process your order until the end of the sale. They also don’t keep stock in a warehouse, so after each deal (they usually last 72 hours) that’s it. New brands move in and get their three days on the site. And if you join, there’s a $15 referral bonus for spreading the word.

Kids Woot
This is part of the woot.com collection of websites. What’s nice is that you don’t have to sign up to peruse the deals, so it’s easy to check everyday. Like the other Woot sites, a new deal is posted every night at midnight Central time, in limited quantities at a discounted price. Only one product is available at any given time. If you want one, you click that big orange button that says I WANT ONE. When it sells out, or the next midnight rolls around, that deal is gone. No ifs, ands or buts. Nice thing about it is that the shipping on any daily deal is just $5. 

Kid Steals
Kidsteals has two new deals each day from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. CST. The feature products for 50-80%. Like the other sites, once the quantity for the deals run out or once the time is up, they’re gone. I haven’t actually ordered from this site yet, but I can almost guarantee that I will once Noah is older.

 

Baby Steals
Babysteals is the same as kid steals…but for babies (same rules, same number of deals, same time). I haven’t gotten anything from them yet either, but I’ve had my eye on a few things. The one time I did talk myself into pulling the proverbial trigger, they were sold out. So, if you want something, act fast as quantities are limited!

Baby Half Off
Baby half off  has one deal each day (sometimes two around the holidays).  The deal changes at 9:00 a.m. CST and quantities are limited. Most of their products are for children ten years and younger, but they do have some deals for moms and moms to be as well.

 

Mamabargains
Mamabargains continuously updates their bargains when something runs out, so there can end up being multiple deals a day. It is very unplanned and mysterious as far as when the next deal will begin. It’s like a fun little game, except it could require some stalking if you’re a hardcore bargain hunter. I haven’t found anything to buy on here yet, but I know the time will come.  

Kid Crawl
KidCrawl is a tool to search baby and kid products, compare prices, read and share reviews, and find the best prices on the web. You type in what you want, they crawl the web for the best deals.
 

My one caveat: some of the sites do not accept returns, so make sure read the FAQ’s for each site. 

Have fun. Happy bargaining!

Fall Fashion: Faux Fur

I’ll be honest, I used to shy away from fur – real and faux, for no seemingly good reason – but I think I might embrace it this season. I don’t know; I kind of dig it.

I think I need to start sporting fur in moderation, though - a la this BB Dakota Leather Jacket or this French Connection army jacket:

     

Then again, there’s something badass and elegant about a full fur coat like this Tahari belted jacket, or this Shelli Segal flared coat:

           

 

What are your thoughts on this Fall trend?

Christian Louboutin’s Fall Collection

Like many women, I have a slightly unhealthy love for beautiful shoes. One of my good friends even has an entire closet devoted to her impressive shoe collection (and yes, I’m jealous of that). Even though I’m not really in a financial place to drop $1,500+ on a pair of stilettos, it sure is nice to look. Check out Christian Louboutin’s Fall Collection here.

How fun are these?!

Or these?! I would totally wear these to work…maybe…

Sophie Teether + Itzbeen = Must Haves (for babies)

 

At one of my baby showers, we played a Price Is Right game. My sister got a bunch of baby items together and people had to guess which item had the higher price. If they guessed correctly, they got a lovely floral centerpiece, and I got the cool baby item whether they guessed correctly or not. See? It was a win/win for me.

Anyway, there were a number of items that I admittedly scoffed at or simply had zero familiarity with. One item was a thermometer shaped like a turtle so you knew the temperature of your baby’s bath water. Good idea, in theory. But call me old-fashioned: couldn’t you just stick your finger in the water and determine whether it was too hot? Perhaps that’s not how you’re “supposed” to do it.

Two other items I didn’t know existed were the Sophie Teether (by Vulli) and the Itzbeen Baby Timer.

Apparently Sophie the giraffe is THE teether to have. Why? I have no idea. But recently I have learned that this $20 teether totally lives up to the hype. I don’t know what it is about this squeaky giraffe that makes babies fall in love, but it works. Every new parent I’ve talked to swears by it. (Just don’t put it in the dishwasher, or it won’t squeak anymore – advice from one of our friends). Maybe it’s the fact that there are soft and hard spots on Sophie that babies like to chew. Or maybe it’s the fact that it’s easy to make squeak and most babies (that I’ve seen anyway) are totally enamored by the squeaking sound, especially when they’re the ones that cause that sound.

The Itzbeen was a total lifesaver, especially in the first couple newborn months. All it is is a timer. Well, four timers in one: diaper changes, feeding, sleeping, and whatever you want. In the middle of the night when your baby is waking up every couple of hours and you can’t remember if you changed him, or how long it’s actually been since he ate, this device was a godsend. There’s also a switch on there to let you know which side you last nursed on. There’s also a flashlight button, which I swear has saved my life numerous times as I stumble to the nursery in the pitch black. Even now that Noah’s almost 5 months, I still use the Itzbeen. Life is getting crazier and we’re running every which direction on the weekends, so I do often forget when the last time he ate was, or when I changed him last. I’d be lost without this silly timer!

Flatform Shoes = Trend Fail

Who created the ‘flatform‘? It’s a platform flat. Though women often do wish to appear taller than they are – hence the demand for 4″ stilettos - I’m not sure strapping bricks to your feet is really the way to achieve such an illusion. I haven’t seen this “trend” in Chicago or surrounding burbs (thankfully!), but regardless of whether it makes its way here or not, I vote trend fail.

Picture: betterthanstyle.com

Every Mom Needs a Moby Wrap!

Being the first of my friends to have a baby means I have to figure out most of this parenting thing on my own. I’m a big fan of baby boards like Babycenter.com when it comes to the “is this normal?” questions that I constantly have. I guess I’m a product of my generation – always resorting to the interwebs for my answer. Well, it’s worked thus far.

OK, back to the subject at hand: babywearing. While I was pregnant, I never really stopped to think about whether I’d be one to wear my baby or not. In fact, I might have scoffed at the idea not understanding the reason behind it. I did register for an Ergo baby carrier because I just figured everyone was supposed to have one, and this one looked unisex enough for Mark to use (but would he ever need or want to? That’s questionable). I didn’t know when it was appropriate to use and why you wouldn’t just use a stroller. But alas, I registered for it and I got it. I’ve used it all of once, because I think Noah was too small for it. I’ll try it again now that he’s bigger, but I haven’t found the right time for it yet.

Anyway, I got the Moby Wrap in April because I thought the Ergo looked too outdoorsy and thought I might want something for when I’m at home, lounging around the house. (Haha, I thought I’d have time to lounge with a newborn. Silly me.) I didn’t actually give it a shot until sometime in June, at least a month after Noah was born. Part of the reason was that I couldn’t figure out how the heck to fold, wrap, or tie the 34′ piece of green fabric that I had just spent $30 on. A quick Facebook post to my “friends” and a search on YouTube did the trick. It took a good 15 minutes of practice and has been a breeze ever since.

Pros

• Great for babywearing around the house
• Once you get a hang of it, it’s quick and easy to wrap
• Calms my baby down almost instantly!
• Allows both Mom and Baby to catch a few ZZZZs

Cons

• Heavy! As in, not ideal for the summer unless you’re in some air conditioning
• I haven’t figured out a good way to use this while running errands – I imagine I’d have to keep it on me, wrapped, while driving. That wouldn’t be comfortable
• I think it’s good for babies up to 25 lbs or something, but my little guy can wiggle around pretty easily in it now. He’s 15 lbs and I feel like he could wiggle right out of it if I bent down a certain way. But maybe this is a result of user error…

In general, the Moby Wrap helped me learn that I am, in fact, a proponent of babywearing. Who knew?! It’s been a great help in getting Noah to calm down, especially in the second and third months. Nevermind that the Moby Wrap makes you look like a mummy. To be honest, I only wear him at home. When we go out, I still stick with the carseat/stroller getup, but feel like that might be changing now that he’s getting heavier and it’s a bulky process. I want to try my Ergo more now for running errands, and I’d also like to try a ring sling. I’m not sure I can justify buying a ring sling just because I want to try it out though. But, we’ll see.

Are there any mom’s out there who have suggestions on when and where to wear your baby? I’d love suggestions because I feel like the opportunities are there, but I’m just not thinking of them.

Apologies for the picture quality. You can thank my Blackberry