Loves Jurn3

Matilda Jane Persnickety & Livie and Luca

2013-05-15T08:55:00.000-04:00

I have a deep dark secret. Ok. I will admit it. I've fallen. The girly clothing trap has consumed me. It's won. I will no longer live in denial. You have to admit, with so much cuteness out there I didn't really stand a chance!

The obsession started with Livie and Luca shoes. I did a blog review for them HERE and it was love at first sight! I wont lie, the night we found out we were having a girl I jumped online to buy her a pair of L&L's. I had been swooning over the girly pairs for years! I then started questioning what the models were wearing.
"That's so cute, where did they get it...?"

It was over from there on out! Gorgeous brands made their way into our lives, clothing that feels just as soft and sweet as your little princess. Persnickety and Matilda Jane.

Before you go searching, be ready for sticker shock!

What?! Are you crazy!?

Yes.

Well and No.

For starters I usually buy used. There are quite a few Facebook groups where mama's (not being sexist here, I've honestly never seen a dad in one of these groups, so weird right!?) gather to share their love for beautiful clothing. I am able to buy new, gently used, or even play condition at a discount! I am a bargain hunter so I find some great discounts! I will admit I do have the occasional splurge, nothing wrong with that!

The quality is beyond anything you will find in your local department store and the resale value is awesome! There are times where a piece resells for more than what someone paid for it! How's that for a great resale value?!

Not convinced yet? Check out these photos...

In. Love.

Thanks for letting me share my deep dark secret! I hope I can bring some more to the dark side! Come join me, let's be friends...you know you want to!

Yo Gabba Gabba LIVE in Detroit 2013

2013-01-08T10:07:00.001-05:00

Looking for something to do this weekend with the kiddos around the Detroit area!? Don't miss your kids' favorite friends LIVE at the Fox theater in Detroit January 12th at 2pm! We've been to the show before and it's a MUST see!! Check out http://www.yogabbagabbalive.com/ for more details and to order tickets!

WE'VE GOTTA JUMP, SHAKE & SHIMMY THEM OUT!

Is your family ready to GET THE SILLIES OUT? Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! is going back on the road with a new show, "Get the Sillies Out!" featuring the one and only DJ Lance Rock, plus Muno, Foofa, Brobee, Toodee, and Plex, and of course, hip hop legend Biz Markie.

Winner of Billboard’s Creative Content Award, Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! has performed in front of countless fans across the U.S. and Canada over the past three years, and the new show "Get the Sillies Out!" is sure to be one you won't want to miss. We've taken the fan favorites from the past two tours and combined them with some all-new music and other surprises that we can't tell you about… yet!

Buy tickets or Gabba Party Packages (including a meet & greet with the characters) right away and give your kids an experience they won't soon forget. Plus, you'll have just as much fun as they will!

Stompeez

2012-12-18T09:54:00.000-05:00

We have STOMPEEZ. Why is that all in caps you ask? Well because that is exactly how my 4 year old reacted. You would think that box was filled with a million bucks! I became the coolest mama on the block. I have to admit when I first saw the infomercial for Stompeez I was a bit skeptical. Would it really work with every 'stomp' of my little ones foot? After all he is just a little guy.

The only way to find out was to open up the box and try...

Someone is just a little excited!

We tried them on, the size small was a perfect fit!

Then he decided to start STOMPing....

and stomped some more!

He was pretty impressed, and as you can see so was his baby sister. Who I might add also enjoys trying to stomp around in her brothers Stompeez. Ok, ok, I will admit it I also tried them on and I have to admit they are pretty fun to stomp around in. I may or may not have added a pair of the unicorn stompeez to my Christmas list this year.

So Santa if you are reading this go HERE to purchase these super fun slippers!

Give back. It feels good.

2012-11-14T09:11:00.002-05:00

Times are tough. Everyone feels it. I have decided instead of dwelling on what I don't have, I'm going to share what I do. I went searching for the perfect organization, there are so many that I was certain to find at least one that I could donate to. I finally sat down one night and thought "please lead me to them, let me find the one that needs me most"...and I did. The most amazing and deserving family will be blessed this Christmas with help from me and a few friends.

It feels so great to know I will stop flowing tears on Christmas morning. It feels so great knowing I am easing the pain. It feels so great helping a sweet husband and wife get just a little more sleep at night.

I found them through an organization called Holiday Hands, on the Monkee See Monkee Do website. Something amazing is being done here. Something that the world needs to see. Please check them out. Please help if you can. If you don't see anyone you can help there, feel free to contact me about the needs of the family below. I will add the list and if you have something you'd like to donate I will pay shipping to have it sent here so that I can deliver the LoVe to this Oh so deserving family.

Read the need list HERE if you think you'd like to donate.

Contact me HERE with any questions, thank you!

“Love Wins” – Monkee mantra

Deal Websites

2012-11-05T12:30:00.000-05:00

Looking for a great deal? The best part about deal sites is that it's FREE to sign up and FREE to save a ton of money! You often get rewarded by referring your friends so please take the time to check them out and let me know how much you (and your pocket book) love them!

Coupons, cash back, and great deals!

Check out EBATES!

I love Mamabargains!

They are constantly switching the deals up and

always keeping you coming back for more!

Great assortment of products and they have some of the best 'deals' around! Check out Totsy!

Another favorite of mine! They always seem to have just what I'm looking for! Zulily is one you HAVE to sign up for!

I am new to this one, but so far the brands and deals have looked great. Sign up for sweetbabydealz!

I love how unique the products are at MYHABIT! Great deals and crazy cute!

Hautelook always has a great assortment of deals to check out!

Top brands and low prices! GILT never lets me down!

Never miss a deal with dealspl.us!

If you love boutique baby/kid clothes, The Mini Social always has them at the best prices!!

Top Toys for 2012

2012-11-05T11:50:00.003-05:00

The Holidays have finally arrived, and I am SO excited! We have our eyes set on some pretty awesome toys this year. My oldest (who just turned 4 years old) has been talking non stop about Stompeez, there is something about those cuddly little slippers that make him crack up every time he sees the commercial! This is also our first year being able to add girly toys into the mix! We still need ideas for those though, I'm not sure how to buy for a baby girl yet. She will be 1 in December! Little man #2 (who will be 2 in January) loves any type or pretend play, so we are thinking a play kitchen would really make his day! Of course if you buy the kitchen you have to find all of the extras that go along with it!

My Top Faves:

Growlin' Dragon Stompeez

Eco-Friendly Puffy Dragon Four-Wheeled Plush Ride-On

Eco Friendly Giraffe Walker 'N Shape Sorter

Smart Balance Bike

Eco-Friendly Jolly Walker Push Cart

Boutique Baby Clothes

2012-08-16T14:01:00.001-04:00

My newest obsession. High priced boutique clothing! The only problem, every time I go to buy something I tell myself "Seriously you could totally make that..." So it begins. I am going to revamp my shop and sell one of a kind boutique baby and children's clothing. What an adventure this shall be! My current shop is all punk and laid back, I am thinking about keeping it around to sell boy clothing and re-opening Loves Journey for the boutique clothing. I'd love a few new Facebook "Likes"!

Loves Journey

Johnson &Johnson Removing Chemicals

2012-08-15T20:38:00.001-04:00

This is the best e-mail I got in my inbox today! Read below from Healthy Child Healthy World:

Great news! Johnson & Johnson has announced plans to remove “chemicals of concern” from its baby products by 2013. The toxic chemicals include 1,4 dioxane and the formaldehyde-releasing preservative, quaternium-15. These along with triclosan, phthalates, parabens and fragrance will be phased out of all products by 2015.

Since the groundbreaking report, No More Toxic Tub in 2009, Healthy Child Healthy World has supported The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and their efforts to make Johnson & Johnson more accountable.

In October 2011, Healthy Child signed on to support the Campaign for Safer Chemicals shocking study that Johnson & Johnson had removed quaternium-15 from their baby shampoo in some countries, but their safer products were still not available in the United States and no progress was being made to ensure the safety of their other ingredients.

We are excited to be part of this coalition that has helped to make strides to create a safer world for our children and thankful to our community for your support.

Johnson & Johnson’s public commitment to safer products is a reminder that change is possible. This is a victory for the millions of parents who demand healthier and safer choices for their families.

We would also liked to extend a big thank you to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics for spearheading this coalition.

Warmly,

Gigi Lee Chang

CEO | Healthy Child Healthy World

I'm Back!

2012-07-28T11:03:00.001-04:00

Life with 3 little's is always going to be crazy, but at least now I have a handle on it all! Keep your eye out for new reviews and giveaways, my big event will be starting soon! Any suggestions on what you'd like to see?

Southeast Michigan Photographer

2012-06-23T15:05:00.005-04:00

Looking for a photographer in the southeast Michigan area? Check out Corinne Schwarz from Corinne Schwarz Photography! Amazing talent and a wonderful person all around!

http://www.schwarzphotography.net/

Add her on Facebook

ps. aren't my babies getting big?! *sigh*

Ebates

2012-05-17T11:39:00.000-04:00

Have you heard of Ebates? It's FREE to join and each time you shop online you earn FREE money back on each purchase. Who couldn't use FREE money??

Gender Neutral Baby Room

2012-02-29T17:12:00.000-05:00

I posted a while back about how I wanted Tater Tot's nursery to look and I forgot to update what it ended up looking like!

Click HERE for the old post.

Here's what it ended up as:

I am in love with it, it holds just the feel I was going for!

Gone are the days...

2012-02-29T16:43:00.000-05:00

Gone are the days of:

Just jumping into the car and going. We now have an entire 1/2 hour process of diaper changes, clothes, shoes, coats, sippys, snacks, paci's... etc before we go ANYwhere.

Eating a plate of food and not sharing a bite.

Going a day without vacuuming or doing dishes.

Wearing a clean shirt for longer than an hour.

Sleeping through the night.

Staying up late (on you own accord)

...oh I could go on forever!

Funny thing is, I can't imagine life any other way. I will be completely lost when my kids grow up!

Body by Vi 90 day challenege

2012-02-07T10:51:00.000-05:00

I started my challenge yesterday! I will be randomly posting my (hopefully successful) updates throughout the next 3 months! Wish me luck!

on a mission

2012-01-31T15:44:00.001-05:00

I have been desperately searching for these fabrics for quite some time. I figure maybe if I put it out there someone will magically pop up with some...right?!

Kaufman Batik Rainbow Circles Elemental Batik Series

Michael Miller Hot Picks

Kawaii Alice in Wonderland Fabric- I want ALL of the different colorways!

Project Nap Time- Car Seat Straps Tutorial

2012-01-31T13:28:00.001-05:00

Project Naptimes are the rough edged

“I only have a little time before the kids wake up”

kind of projects. No time for pins or tracing.

It’s work that only a mother could love!

With 3 under 3 I find myself with a small amount of sewing time and these are the projects I can get done in a jiffy! Enjoy!

~Padded Car Seat Straps~

What you will need:

Four pieces of 7” x 7” cotton woven or knit fabric

Two pieces of 7” by 7” Cotton Batting.

Sewing Machine.

Velcro

1. Layer your pieces like the photo. Two pieces of your print with the batting sandwiched in between.

2. Sew around your edges leaving about a ¼ inch edge.

It should look like this when you’re done.

3. Sew the female piece (the smooth non-rough stuff) of your Velcro along one side of your square.

4. Flip it and sew the male piece (the rough stuff) on the other half of your square. Onto the opposite side that you had sewn the female Velcro onto.

5. Repeat with your second square.

6. Admire your work!

I've been busy...

2012-01-31T11:57:00.002-05:00

Our sweet baby girl Malia Loumae arrived December 27th 2011, and WOW have I been busy!

8 lbs 4 oz Almost an entire lb more than both the boys were when they were born.

Here is her 1 month photo. Yes 1 month already!

Kingston has entered the wonderful world of ~~tearing the house apart~~ exploring. He is the sweetest new one year old in town and thankfully he is very easy going about the word No right now! Nothing like trying to parent a toddler while having a newborn attached to your chest 20+ hours out of the day. I wouldn't change it for the world though, she is the perfect completion to our sweet little family, we all love her to death.

Levi (my wonderful 3.5 going on 16 year old) has been the best big brother throughout this big time of change. He's handle everything so well and continues to amaze me with his kind spirit and helpful hands.

I have jumped back into sewing as both Malia and Kingston usually decide to nap at the same time for about an hour a day! Check out my newest project, a gift for a friend that is due next month! I can't wait to master the pattern and hopefully some day open up an Etsy shop. I also plan to whip up a YouTube tutorial to help those that are interested in making there own.

Posts will be coming from me regularly but I think I am taking a break on the giveaway's. I apologize if that's what you were sticking around for, but I simply don't have the time to keep up. I hope my post finds you all well and enjoying the New Year!

Cyber Monday

2011-11-28T09:48:00.000-05:00

My Favorite Deals:

On Sale-

~~$8.75~~ $5.75 USD a yard

~~$8.75~~ $6.99 USD a yard

Tons of discounted fabrics and $5 Flat Rate Shipping in the US!

TOTSY PRICE

$65.00

Original: $159.99

The Holidays are near! It's Giveaway time!

2011-11-15T12:36:00.003-05:00

It's about time I pick back up where I left off. How about a giveaway to start things off. I recently hosted an Xia Xia party and the kids were thrilled! I am going to take a little guess and say these are the next BIG thing for Christmas! Not only did all of the kids have a blast playing with them their parents had a hard time getting them out the door. Nothing like a toy that keeps them occupied long enough to get things done. Something I am going to need not too long from now. With a 3 year old, 10 month old, and newborn due in a few weeks I'm going to need all of the attention grabbing toys I can get my little hands on!

Ok, now onto the giveaway!

Check out these cute little critters HERE

Sunflower Slings

2011-09-23T14:00:00.000-04:00

Check out Sunflower Slings, she is having a referral contest on her Facebook page and I would love one of YOU to win. They are gorgeous, handmade, and very affordable!

Check out her Etsy HERE

Check out her Facebook HERE

Gender Reveal Party

2011-08-23T10:51:00.000-04:00

When walking into my 20 week ultrasounds I've never had a doubt in my mind that I would ask for the gender to be revealed right then and there! I felt waiting 20 weeks was long enough! We had no doubts about finding out with our first two, but since this is our last little bean we decided early on that it might be neat to wait it out this time. As week 20 neared closer I became far too anxious to wait and completely changed my mind. My husband however was pretty set on not finding out still.

We needed a compromise.

I had heard a little bit about Gender Reveal Parties from different people posting on Babycenter. I thought it was a great idea! We could still make the babies gender reveal fun and suspenseful and also not have to wait another 20 long weeks.

I found some ideas HERE. I loved the theme and kind of took it in my own direction as I started planning. The agenda stayed small and the party lasted from 2pm-5pm. Here are a few pictures of what went down:

Here is the main table.

Themed Snacks:

We played a Name Suggestion Game. Guests had to write mine and my husbands name at the top of the paper and create baby names only using those letters.

As guests came in they marked the chart according to what 'Team' they were on. They also dressed in either pink or blue.

The bottom tally's were marked as we went through what the baby should be according to old wives tales.

Right after our ultrasound the tech put the gender in an envelope and we drove it to a local baker. She then made the awesome cupcakes with either pink or blue frosting on the inside!

After the old wives tale game it was finally cupcake time!

Cupcakes revealed:

PINK!!!

Yep, we will be adding a sweet little princess to our family.

The boys will make great ~~bosses~~ big brothers.

If you are on the fence about having one, DO IT. We had such a great time and our family and friends really enjoyed themselves! There are some skeptics out there, "Why not just call and tell people the gender?" My answer- "What fun is that?!" I love any excuse to get together with loved ones and celebrate such an amazing blessing!

Vote for my cutie

2011-06-14T13:35:00.000-04:00

If you have a second could you head over and vote for my cutie for the Parenting Magazine cover contest?

You don't have to provide any personal information at all!

He's getting so big! I took this photo because it was his first time in the grass!

VOTE HERE

Thanks tons! <3

Novica Giveaway- Great Father's day gift ideas!

2011-06-14T13:01:00.001-04:00

Looking for that special Fathers Day Gift for the awesome men in your life!? It's tough finding a unique gift for the man that seemingly has it all. Novica is definitely my one stop shop for both by husband and my father. It's great to support such special artists and get an amazing gift for my loved ones! Even better, they have a great assortment of gifts under $50, everything is listed at great prices! I have purchased from Novica before and must say I highly recommend it. I am in love with their superb quality and amazing customer service! You can read my review Here. This is by far my favorite bag, and it still goes everywhere with me!!

What dad couldn't use a lazy break in the shade in this awesome hammock.

Or an Alpaca wool sweater!

This is my favorite, a leather travel bag.

A Bit about Novica:

We want to give artists and artisans around the world a global platform to express their true artistic talents and to spur their creativity. And, we want to provide you with access to unique, hard-to-find items at great values that only the Internet infrastructure can allow.

At the deepest essence of our philosophy, we want to create a bridge between you and the many talented artisans across the globe.

We want you to know about who you're buying from. We want you to feel that attachment to the product and to the hands that created it.

In the spirit of the Internet, let us bring you together.

NOVICA. The World is Your Market.

Connect with NOVICA:

Purchase the fabulous products HERE

$50 Gift Card to Novica

Please Retweet: WIN $50 to the @Novica store http://tinyurl.com/3w22r6m

Not sure how to enter blog giveaways? Read here for more information!

Giveaway ends Friday June 24th 2010 at 10:00 p.m.(E.S.T.) I will notify the winner via e-mail. Winner to be drawn by the random number generator at Random.org. Winner has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn.

Only open to US residents. Must be 18 years or older to win.

**Many thanks to Novica for sponsoring this Review and Giveaway. I was given a product to review (no compensation) and all opinions are my own**

Good Luck!

Click HERE to Enter the Giveaway using the Easy Entry Form!

Winners!

2011-06-13T14:36:00.000-04:00

A little late. Lame I know: putting myself in the corner. It wont happen again I promise!

Organically Grown

#120 Julie S.

Amber Teething Necklace

#474 Amanda L.

Bamboobino Giveaway

#23 Amber C.

All winners have 24 hrs to respond to my e-mail.

A little surprise!

2011-06-13T10:52:00.000-04:00

Our newest little surprise:

It's amazing how such a little thing can be such a BIG surprise!

EDD: 1.1.12

Yep that's right, Baby K and New Bean will be less than a year apart.

O boy will I soon have my hands FULL!