I love getting questions either here on the blog or over on my YouTube channel! Usually the questions are about something I haven’t even thought about yet. And it’s a fun spring board to discuss on the blog.
Although, sometimes I just answer a question in the comments section.
When a recent viewer asked if my Skip Hop Forma backpack could be used as a baby overnight bag, I wanted to quickly reply “sure! Why not?”. But the reality was I didn’t know for sure…
So I used it for a quick one night stay at my in-laws, just to see what I could cram in there for my then 10 month old baby.
And when I came back home, I was ready to report in!
Spoiler alert! It fit everything my kiddo needed! It would haven also fit some simple personal items of mine, like my wallet, phone and some lip balm. But overall, it fit clothes, sleeping stuff, and diaper things!
You still would realistically need a seperate purse or smaller diaper bag for the on-the-go items, but it worked just fine as a quick overnight bag. If you’re an even more minimalist packer than me, you could get away with just the backpack.
Babies aside, are you an over packer or minimal packer? I’d love to do a few videos on packing, since I became quite the minimal packer thanks to my several-year stint as a serious business traveler.
I have a few other posts about this particular diaper bag backpack, if you’re interested!
Welcome to High Five for Friday – hosted by me, Becky, Tif, and Della! Come, read up on what we’ve been up to this week and get to know some amazing bloggers down below!
Who had a great week??? I did! Let’s dive in.
1. Our weekend was SO busy! We had a full day at church on Saturday, and then a few events on Sunday. On Sunday morning, I took Elizabeth over to her preschool’s church for their Easter concert. It was so lovely! Our church service is contemporary, so it was delightful taking Elizabeth to a more traditional service. It made my heart so happy hearing the organ, singing good hymns. Guys – I left with such joy!
Sunday afternoon we met some friends at the North Carolina Museum of Art. I haven’t been through their outdoor area, but it was such fun. We found a sunny spot, had some food, and let the kids run around! Elizabeth spent a good chunk of the time doing her favorite activity – picking wild flowers!
2. Because we had such a busy weekend, I didn’t get a chance to head out for a day of shopping for my capsule wardrobe like I had hoped. I mentioned last week that I was looking forward to a day of trying on clothes… but alas, it didn’t get done. But I did make an online purchase! I ordered a few things from Everlane. I hadn’t heard of the brand before, but thanks to watching a few capsule wardrobe YouTubers, I was instantly intrigued by the brand’s reputation for high quality basic pieces at an affordable price point. I decided to order a few different tee shirt and button down styles just to see what suits me. I can always return if I don’t like it! I’m also VERY intrigued by their Trench Coat and a few of their shoes.
3. Elizabeth had her half birthday on Tuesday! When you’re little, why not celebrate the half birthday?? It was a day full of her favorite things. We went to Krispy Kreme for a birthday donut. We hunted for just the right books at the library. We had dinner at her favorite place!
And then we surprised her with a bit of an extravagant gift for a half birthday. She got a bike!
Here’s the reason. This kiddo asked for a bike at Christmas time. I wrote it off at the time because she had a few friends that got bikes and I just assumed it was top of mind… but she didn’t actually WANT one. A few weeks ago, though, my husband told me that she spontaneously said that she was sad she didn’t have a bike. She also said she asked Santa for a bike, and didn’t get one. So maybe he’ll bring her one NEXT Christmas. Ugh! Such a heart string tug!! So we both buckled instantly! We surprised her and took her to the bike shop. She got a bike that was a touch too big for her right now, but in a few months, it will be the perfect fit.
Her steering does need some work though.
4. William has been pushing things around, walking, for a week now! Yesterday we were shocked at how quick he was! I think he’ll be walking by his birthday next month. He also has been eating anything you put in front of him. It cracks me up.
5. What are you doing for Easter?? We are headed up to my in-laws tomorrow morning. Later today though we are headed back over to Elizabeth’s preschool’s church for their Stations of the Cross. We haven’t done that before, but apparently it is very hands on. So I think Elizabeth will really love it. She surprises me with how much she has absorbed this Easter season.
But since today is Good Friday, I plan on viewing this several times. Because even though the Cross, the events of today are brutal and sad…
Sunday is coming.
Featured Blogger of the Week!
Our featured Blogger this week is Amy from Love Amy Cotton! Amy is using her home on the internet as a place to share all things domestic and ALSO her love for Christ! She and her husband Cory are newlyweds, and they are just the cutest! Her husband, Cory, is part of the Dude Perfect Team, too so you get to see a small sneak peek at that world. Swing over and say hello to Amy!!
How was your week?? Can’t wait to hear all about it!
Today is a post + video around a topic that I have been asked about over and over again. It’s a little peek in to what we typically get on a Costco shopping trip!
Not to mention a sneak peek at my new haircut.
So back to Costco…
I used to be a twice a month shopper at Costco. I bought produce, dairy, bread and a few frozen things, but that was it. Now that I’m hauling in 2 kids into Costco, I found it to be MUCH more exhausting trying to go more than once a month.
When I go now, I have my usual grabs. It’s still mainly produce. But I also usually grab a box of diapers, some sort of cleaning product, as well as some other household item.
Do I think Costco is worth it?
Meh… maybe. I’m not a huge price checker. I don’t hunt and gather all of the best deals in town. So for me, Costco is a one stop shop to get most things at a reasonable deal, once. Maybe I could get a better deal on strawberries this week at Aldi… or Target has a better deal on toilet paper. But I’m just not in the season of life right now were I can spend my time going from store to store.
Now that we’ve set that ground work, here is what I bought on our most recent trip!
So much produce! I could go more often to Costco just for produce. I find that there are some produce items that are just better at Costco, like bell peppers, grape tomatoes and grapes. I also always have great luck with berries and apples. We eat a lot of fruit so it’s just cheaper at Costco! But do we usually go through a huge bag of salad? No… not right now.
And did you catch my food prep after I come back?
This is why I only go to Costco once a month these days. It’s a lot of work to go shopping at Costco, and perhaps even MORE work to come home from it. It takes a long time to get those groceries away.
When I come home, after putting away the other groceries, I spend about an hour “processing” the produce.
I figure if I give it a fancy name it feels special. HA!
I wash all the fruits and veggies and line the containers with paper towels. We eat it all so fast I’m usually not worried about spoilage.
And then I slice all of the bell peppers and cucumbers and place them in storage bags. I save one cucumber to slice into rounds for sandwiches. That way I’ve got plenty of raw veggies for either a quick snack or a side for lunch with hummus, OR bell pepper slices I can easily finish dicing for dinner prep.
If I don’t take the time to wash and chop that produce, it won’t be eaten in a timely manner.
This is what makes Costco worth it in the end. I get a large quantity of produce that’s cheaper than my usual store. And because I’m forced (because of that large quantity!) to prep it all so it doesn’t get wasted we are eating more fruits and veggies at every meal.
And finally, as promised, here’s what the items cost!
*Prices as of April 2017
Apples, Pink Lady (12) – $8.79
Asparagus (2.25 lb) – $4.99
Avocados (6) – $7.99
Bell Peppers (6) – $6.99
Blackberries (18 oz) – $5.49
Blueberries (18 oz) – $9.49
Craisins (64 oz) – $8.89
Cucumbers, seedless (3) – $3.99
Diapers, Kirkland (180) – $38.99
Eggs, Kirkland (24) – $3.59
Feta, Presidents (24 oz) – $7.39
Finish Dishwasher Tabs (115) – $14.89
Grapes (4 lbs) – $8.99
Guacamole, Good Foods (2.5 oz / 12 ct) – $10.79
Hummus, Kirkland (2.4 oz / 20 ct) – $6.49
Kiwi (4 lbs) – $6.49
Pirate’s Booty (18 oz) – $5.89
Pizzas, Palermo’s (4) – $14.39
Pull Ups (124) – $34.99
Sausage Patties, Morningstar Farms (32) – $13.99
Spinach, Organic (1 lb) – $3.99
Strawberries (2 lbs) – $4.99
Tampax (96) – $12.99
Toilet Paper, Kirkland (36) – $15.99
Tomatoes, Grape (2 lbs) – $5.89
So how often do you go to Costco? Or have you avoided it thus far?? Any favorite things you like to get?
Welcome to High Five for Friday – hosted by me, Tif, and Della! Come, read up on what we’ve been up to this week and get to know some amazing bloggers down below!
GUESS WHAT???
We have a new hostess joining Tif, Della and me!
Say a big welcome to Becky! She blogs over at byBMG and we are just so excited for her to join us! If you haven’t had a chance to meet Becky before, you should know that she has awesome style! Her pattern mixing is always on point. And she knows has to rock some Lularoe! She’s a wife, mommy to 3 boys, and is a teacher. She’s one busy lady!
Welcome Becky!
Who had a great week??? I did! Let’s dive in.
1. Last week’s Easter felt learning popped up over and over again…. in a not so pleasant way. Elizabeth squished a caterpillar and when I said “oh no! Now it won’t be a butterfly!”, she promptly replied “but then Jesus will wake him up, take him to heaven and THEN he can be a caterpillar!”.
So there.
And then she declared she “didn’t want to be put to death…”. What do you say to that??
2. There was a pretty big hair chop on Sunday! It went shorter than I asked for, but who cares. I’ve had my hair this short before and NEVER liked it. But this cut? I’m loving it!
3. I’ve been in the planning/day dreaming phase of a Capsule Wardrobe for at least a year. It really all started with my first and second 30×30 wardrobe challenges, but lately I’ve been serious. And this weekend I plan on heading to the mall, alone, for a few hours just to try on clothing. I’m not planning on restricting myself to a certain number of clothing, but I want a wardrobe that’s nice, fits my current life, and is mixable. And if I plan out what that “wardrobe” consists of, I can shop for those exact pieces and be done. I don’t expect my wardrobe to be complete for a LONG time! I want to prioritize which pieces I need to get first, and then save up for the rest. But it all really begins this weekend!
4. Another Date Night in the books! I just love that we’ve set aside Thursdays for our usual time together. And that it just so easily comes together. Last night we went to a new Indian restaurant. It was our second time there and we were excited to give it another whirl! We, unfortunately, didn’t listen to our server when he recommended going down a level in spice. Our medium was REALLY spicy! We’re regretting that decision this morning.
5. Here’s a story to restore your faith in humanity! I’ve been researching a double stroller for several weeks. You might remember that we borrowed one from a friend a few weeks ago, decided we needed a double stroller, and since then I was on the hunt for one. Last week on Thursday I bought a used one on FB Marketplace. I met her, looked at the stroller, and hauled it home. On Saturday we take it out for its maiden neighborhood walk. My husband almost instantly notices that one of the seat backs is broken!!! WHAT???!!! How did I miss this?
He says that we’ll just have to eat the money lost, or try to sell it ourselves. I figure it can’t hurt to text the seller! And she immediately replied back, apologized, and offered to give me my money back! How glorious! She didn’t HAVE to do that… after all, I missed the fact it was broken when I gave it the initial look over. But she offered to make it right. Isn’t that nice?? And what a relief for me!!
How was your week?? Can’t wait to hear all about it!
Welcome to High Five for Friday – hosted by me, Tif, and Della! Come, read up on what we’ve been up to this week and get to know some amazing bloggers down below!
Who had a great week??? I did! Let’s dive in.
1. Over the weekend we were struck down with yet another cold… at least, I think that’s what it was. Elizabeth declared on Friday that she was “too sick for school”, but an hour later she was bouncing off the walls… hmmm… William seems to have caught it too, now. Will we ever catch a break? We stayed home from church on Saturday, just to play it safe. While William had his morning nap, Elizabeth requested that we do our Bible lesson with our felt set. I gathered all the felts to tell the ENTIRE Easter story, from the Last Supper to Resurrection. Mercy! We even ad libbed the accession because Elizabeth went there haha! But that girl felt all the feels as we went through the whole story. There was even a gasp at the resurrection! I was surprised at how much she absorbed.
Also, a special shout out to our Jesus Storybook Bible who, throughout the stories, refers to Jesus as our “Rescuer”. That’s a word Elizabeth can wrap her mind around.
2. My husband was out of town Monday through Wednesday, so it was a cereal for dinner start to the week! Plus, when he’s gone, I stay up way too late. Not because I’m nervous. It’s mainly because I just get puttering around the house and loose track of time. Or stay up too late watching bullet journal videos.
3. One big project I tackled was sorting through all of our toys and books. I didn’t purge much, but I did realize we had duplicates of a lot of things. Multiple farm sets… 5 baby books about colors…. 10 teethers! So I made a quick stack of donatables. But actually there weren’t as many things to purge as I thought. Thanks to a little toy swapping around the house, the kiddos have been entertained for days now, playing with a curated collection of toys.
4. I finally got a chance to edit some videos! And one went live this week! Did you see it?
5. My new notebook arrived this week for my bullet journal! I started setting it up this week, and I’m already beginning to experiment with layouts. BUT if you’ve ever been curious about bullet journals, I recommend starting as basic as you can get! Think of the notebook as a place to keep a to do list, as well as any brainstorming/lists you may want to keep and reference later. For example, I have a page now dedicated to my favorite go-to recipes and where to find them. Start there, and make it more “complicated” as you go. But looking forward to an update after I’ve been using it for about a month or so.
How was your week?? Can’t wait to hear all about it!
Loading InLinkz ...
