hi, baby.

upa-lala wet bag: review and giveaway!

2012-02-23T20:10:00.000-08:00

I was so excited when this opportunity hit my inbox the other day from upa-lala. You know what is crazy? We were actually on the prowl for the perfect wet bag, I think we found our new favorite one! You all know I love cloth diapering and any chance to get you excited about it too! This is such a nice addition to our cloth diapering stash; it is big, easy to clean, and the print is so adorable!

Upa-lala eco-bags are appealing to everyone, including the environmentally conscious. Your upa-lala eco-bag can replace the use of plastic bags as they are reusable and can be machine washed and dried. They are handmade from high-quality designer fabrics with a separate layer of water-resistant material on the inside.
The-bags come in three styles; zipper closure, drawstring and backpack. All drawstring styles can be made into backpacks (with reinforced grommets and a longer drawstring). They work extremely well for containing wet or dirty items, such as damp cloth diapers, swimsuits, worn gym clothes, beach towels, etc.
You can even take it to the beach, carry it to the gym, put it in your diaper bag, or, use it for an everyday accessory. You will feel wonderful knowing that you are using an eco-friendly product and own something that is handmade, unique, functional and beautiful.

More details:
Cleaning: Upa-lala eco-bags are machine washable and dryable. We suggest to wash the bags on a warm cycle with minimal detergent. Do NOT use bleach or fabric softener. Tumble dry in the dryer or hang to dry. Never dry on high heat.
Gift Box: Eco-bags ship inside a beautiful eco-friendly box that is made of recycled paper. The boxes are acid and lignin free. They are handmade here at the upa-lala shop.
Shipping: Upa-lala eco-bags ship within 1-2 business days.

1. Drawstring details: 12” x 12” or 14” x 17”
Construction: The two layers are stitched separately with a serger to prevent wicking and/or fraying. The seams are sewn together with a 4-threaded serger to promote durability. Eco-bags are closed with a drawstring that is pulled closed from two sides. All drawstrings bags have the option to be made into a backpack-style bag, reinforced with grommets and a longer string (+$5.00).

2. Zipper Style: 12” x 12” or 14” x 17”
Construction: The two layers are stitched separately with a serger to prevent wicking and/or fraying. The seams are sewn together with a 4-threaded serger to promote durability. The eco-bags are closed with a high-quality YKK zipper and have a long zipper pull for easy opening and closing. An 8 inch long handle, lined with interface for structural integrity, features a plastic snap for easy opening and closing.

3. Snack Style: 7" x 4" or 7” x 7”
Construction: The two layers are stitched separately with a serger to prevent wicking and/or fraying. The seams are sewn together with a 4-threaded serger to promote durability. The eco-bags are closed with a high-quality YKK zipper and have a long zipper pull for easy opening and closing. A 2-inch handle is attached for easy opening and closing.

Make sure and head over to check out their website to shop and for more info!

now for the giveaway!!
Upa-lala is giving one of my readers to win a 12x12 zipper style wet bag in the print of your choice - and entering is so easy, you have many different opportunities.
Please make sure you leave a individual comment (with your name and email!) for each entry you complete.

1. (Mandatory) Follow me on google friend connect.
2. 'Like' upa-lala on facebook
3. Leave them a comment on their facebook wall letting them know how much you love their products!
4. Tweet this: win a handmade upa-lala large wetbag from @olive_juiced at hibabyblog.com #clothdiaper

Giveaway will close on march 9, 2012 at 9pm PST - Good luck!

wordless wednesday: not too sure.

2012-02-22T06:05:00.001-08:00

linking up with the paper mama, 5 minutes for mom, parenting by dummies, project alicia, and then she snapped, jenni from the blog, and live and love outloud.

NYC or bust!

2012-02-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

friends! it is time - i am on my way to new york this summer to attend blogher 2012. i am so so super excited, i can hardly stand it. i had a huge smile, ear to ear as emily and i booked our hotel last night and made flight plans. but can we get serious for a second?
thanks to carter motors and their generous help with my sponsorship, i am already half way to my goal of getting to blogher, but i am not quite there yet. they way i have figured it out, i need around $1000-1200 to get my conference ticket, my plane ticket, my hotel, and keep me fed while i am in the big city. i still need roughly $600, so this is where you come in!
i write for you guys and i want to keep growing and learning and expanding and finding my voice here on hi, baby. that being said, i need your help! or your money, how ever you want to look at it, haha!

i have set up an easy way for you to donate, just head over to my go fund me page and check it out!

i would love to offer extended advertising to anyone who donates and is interested, on your terms - make a offer! i can't wait to work with any of you. thanks for hearing me out!

see you in new york!

chalked.

2012-02-20T15:59:00.000-08:00

i am sure you have seen these tutorials ALL over pinterest, but in the end we had to do it a little different. because a. i was going to work with what i had and save me a trip to the craft store and b. my kids must have weird hair, because nothing i read online worked for us.

supplies:
crayola sidewalk chalk
rubber gloves
comb
water
hairspray/ or i have heard a flat iron helps (but i wasn't about to chance dyeing my iron with the color)

1. comb, part, and separate out the sections you want to color.
2. wet down entire section, i used a spray bottle.
3. wet down chalk
4. twist section you want to work with.
5. vigorously rub chalk up and down the hair till you have a dark desirable color
(i eventually untwist, hold the hair taught, and run the chalk up and down width wise to color missed spots)
6. dry, i used hairdryer and half way done i spritzed some hairspray in. dry the rest of the way and voila!

rowan's didn't turn out super dark because she got antsy and this was a beta testing to see if it even worked. i had grabbed some cheap pastels at fred meyer's but when i tried them, they just made the hair goopy and stiff and when we brushed after drying, the color was basically non-existent.
i had seen someone mention 'art chalk', i had no idea what that was so we went with the big box of rich colored crayola sidewalk chalk i had out in the garage. so far so good! i mean, she is only four so subtle fun color is probably perfect for her!

another fun way we played with chalking, was i did a waterfall-ish braid in the front of zoe's hair, wet the chalk real good and used different colors on different areas of the braids 'bumps'. i didn't wet or hairspray the hair and it seemed to 'fall' out pretty fast, but it was really cute and pretty vibrant considering how dark her hair is!

steppin' out saturday - a much needed blogger girls night out

2012-02-19T16:02:00.000-08:00

as usual, this was another epic blogger meet up! new and old friends getting together at z'tejas in bellevue for a yummy dinner and even better conversation. it has been far too long since one of these, my smiling and laughing muscles were not prepared for what the night had in store for me!

random things happened, people threw there froyo, and i stayed out way past my bedtime in something other than sweats. i can't wait to do it again!

amanda, jill, chelsey, fiona, chelsea, me, mandy, amy, ashley, mandy, emily, sephanie, kiara

shirt: macy's, jeans: gap, shoes: buckle, and purse: uo

linking up with mandy from harper's happenings.

wordless wednesday: when the sun comes out.

2012-02-15T07:00:00.000-08:00

linking up with the paper mama, 5 minutes for mom, parenting by dummies, project alicia, and then she snapped, jenni from the blog, and live and love outloud.

love.

2012-02-14T13:00:00.000-08:00

happy valentine's day from one elk to another. love is in the air!

happy sunday.

2012-02-12T17:20:00.000-08:00

this was earlier at rowan's friend oliver's birthday party - all the kiddos got a swab of vasoline on their noses and then had to pick up as many cotton balls as possible off of a plate, with just their hands. rowan won.

our weeks in iphone photos.

2012-02-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

weekly rowan elk photo.

2012-02-10T12:00:00.000-08:00

the ceramic place.

2012-02-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

last week we met up with our favorite duo, tessa and lennox, to do some painting at a local, paint your own ceramics place. it was so much fun! i think next time though, i will for go trying to do my own piece - it got tricky trying to bounce between rowan and stella, trying to keep paint out of hair and mouths.
these places aren't cheap, but i think it is totally worth the experience and the end result. tim and i are already planning a date night there soon. i really should wait and give these to tim for valentine's day but, well i am so impatient and of course we'll show them off when he gets home tonight.

i always thought it would be so fun to have a whole collection of dishes done like this - you, know instead of store bought ones. how cute right? i am in no hurry to replace my new fiestaware set though!

high on thrifting thursdays with harper's happenings

2012-02-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

I don't usually post about my thirfting experiences here on the blog. if you follow me on twitter, ig, or facebook you know i have no shame showing of my hauls when they are amazing. remember that one time i brought home around ten pairs of like new/nwt tags semi-designer jeans for the girls and i for twenty dollars? well, i am so excited that mandy is hosting this link up for thrifting thursdays that i can't help but play along! so i will be playing catch up on this post with stuff i have scored in the last few months, it has been a good run...i may never buy retail again. ok, that is a lie...but, you guys - we almost bought stella that exact piano down there, with a $70 amazon price tag, for her birthday. that same week, tim scored it for ten dollars at goodwill.

i am no thrifting pro and i rarely score the amazing vintage pieces i am always on the hunt for, but i must be doing something right, so here are my tips and thrifting misadventures...

books are easily my favorite thing to go searching for, sometimes i shake my head and wonder if people realize the wonderful stories they are are just throwing out. like i talked about in a post a few days ago, we are on a mission to build a wonderful and good looking library for the girls. books they can enjoy now, can grow into, and can save for their children. amazon has been an amazing resource, but i just can't deny the amazing feeling when i find a book i have been after, and it is only seventy-nine cents. or like today, i literally had hesitated on buying this book, took rowan to school, got to goodwill and it was the very first book that caught my eye on the shelf - it was meant to be :)

quality control: bottom line, i am picky - i know i am only paying a dollar for something originally from old navy but i don't want thrifting to turn into inexpensive clothing hoarding. no stains, name brands, no rips in pages or broken corners on books, scratches on toys, and etc are things i look for obviously.
i have really hit the jack pot several times on a cart full of gap, it jeans, or gymboree kids jeans for three dollars or less - i love to stock up one these, with three adventurous daughters you can never have enough quality pairs of denim.

shop used first: for us thrifting hasn't just been about name brand clothes for pennies or pretty vintage books. when we got tired of paying for our comcast modem we almost headed straight to costco to pay their hundred dollar price tag - tim, wanted to check goodwill first and lucked out! he even found a comcast one and right there in the store called up the company to verify it wasn't one with a warrent for its return for an unpaid bill (cause you won't be able to hook it up). again, when i was getting ready to put my succulant pinning obsession to real life i headed straight to the vase/planter section and picked this 'so perfect' vase up for fifty cents.
when planning our wedding i knew i wanted a lot of used and vintage charm - one way i was going to accomplish that was with funky old silverware and canning jars of all shapes and sizes. i really lucked out on some amazingly awesome silverware that just oozed with vintage history. ok, maybe 'oozed' isn't the right word when talking about things we eat with, ha! i still have the whole blox of this stuff - i have plans to paint/color the ends of them like this or use them for crafts like this.

consistency: i try and go often, maybe about once a week to my favorite local goodwills. bellevue goodwill is a goldmine, but it is forty minutes away so we frequent one in our town where they are a little behind on the insane price tag raises lately. tim is always on the mad hunt for a old school nintendo system and thinks the only way to score is to be ahead of the game and constantly be on the lookout.
we can't keep rowan is puzzels to save our lives - she moves onto harder ones every week. i love the ease of buying one for ninety-nine cents and not feeling to bad if it doesn't have every last piece in the box. also, as huge game loving people - i love when i find fun games that beat the twenty-dollar plus retail prices.

i may or may not have started screaming when i spotted this dresser, as we pulled into the parking lot. they were having a big furniture deal outside and i knew it was meant to be the minute i saw it. it sealed the deal when i finally saw the price tag of fifteen dollars. screw you bookmarked craigslist one, this baby was coming home for me. perfect for our candy bar at the wedding and even more perfect for the girls vintage bedroom (we painted it, distressed it, and replaced the knobs). life is good.

stay tuned till next week!

wordless wednesday: a lazy ballerina.

2012-02-08T08:31:00.000-08:00

linking up with the paper mama, 5 minutes for mom, parenting by dummies, project alicia, and then she snapped, jenni from the blog, and live and love outloud.

zoku!

2012-02-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

i have been after this bad boy for awhile, but when i tried to talk tim into it while our wedding gift cards burned holes in our pockets, he turned me down cause of its daunting price. after tonight though, he is a believer!
drea posted about this wonderful contraption yesterday and it stirred up my desire to own one. i called up tim, and by the end of the convo he was convinced to stop at macy's on the way home and get me one. best husband ever. it also helped he was able to score it for ten dollars off when he used our macy's card, total cost was forty dollars. what does it do you ask? well, i makes awesome on a stick in minutes - you can check it out here.

once the standard refreeze time of twenty four hours had passed i went straight to the zoku blog to check out some recipes. once i figured out i didn't have all of the ingredients for any of these yet, i came up with my own mixture. i am sure this would work with regular popsicle mold too!

layer one:

3/4 c. organic raspberry yogurt

1 c. milk

1 tblsp. sugar
1/2 of a lemon, juiced.

layer two:

3/4 c. organic vanilla yogurt

1 c. milk

1 tblsp. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla flavor/extract

whisk together, then pour into layers as you like. yum!

i can't wait to try some more of these! pumpkin spice latte pops? um, yes. berry mojitto pops? please. and, mimosa pops? done.

a teepee for the littlest lady.

2012-02-06T10:15:00.000-08:00

when i saw jenloveskev's diy teepee awhile back, i knew stella had to have one for her upcoming 2nd birthday. i started pinning as many tutorials and photos as i could find to get started. as you can see above, i obviously couldn't make it five minutes before i folded and handed it over to her over a month early.

jen's instructions and links to the tutorials she found seemed really helpful, but i am mildly craft retarded and i respond well to LOTS of photos, instructions, and a pattern - yes, a pattern really helped! i enlisted my friend amy (she did most the work, haha) to help me, well, cause she is a crafty genius and makes beautiful things. we got to work early the morning of superbowl and finished just in time for the half time show. once we got going it seemed to come together really easy!

the pattern called for pvc pipes, but there was no way i was using that - i just didn't think it looked very good, and since this was going to be a inside thing i went for the upgraded 1x1 poles. we checked out dowel options but everywhere was carrying them for $7 a piece which would have put this project way over the top.

the pattern called for the poles to basically be sewn into the canvas - but since we opted for the square 1x1's, this wasn't a option. we also skipped adding ties to keep the poles connected to the material, but now that i see it slips around a bit, i am going to go back in and add some ribbon to secure it.

i wanted to change up the doors a little from the pattern, but poor planning and having to alter the door pattern piece led to the smaller than preferred entry, but i love it and think it makes it that much more quaint and "for the kids". i had fallen in love with this pom stuff the other day when hunting down supplies for jessica - it adds so much to the doors!

i would suggest picking up a bottle of fray stop - it really helped in keeping the canvas from totally falling apart on up. canvas = not the easiest stuff in the world to work with.

supplies and cost:

butterick teepee pattern ($10.00)

9x12 light weight canvas drop cloth (home depot $22)

6 1x1 posts, since i wasn't going to pay lowes $7 price per dowel ($1.20 each)

2 yards of door fabric, alexander henry from joann's ($12.99 per yard on sale for $9)

3 yards of pom garland ($3.49 a yard)

2 yards of cream, thin cording ($1.79 yard)

12 2mm wooden beads ($3.00)

total: $70

(does anyone else hate that it always cost double what pintrest says a diy will cost?)

i know, i know - that is a lot for a teepee, but if you look online that is a great price compared to some retail versions. and? it looks freaking amazing! i am now on the mad hunt for giant and fluffy pillows to fill the inside up with and christmas lights, those are a must too!

this was really so easy to make - and if you are questioning your ability at all...buy the pattern!

in love, with...

2012-02-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

eep, there are so many adorable valentines day card ideas floating around pinterest - i am so overwhelmed, rowan may or may not be giving two-in-one treats to her preschool friends this year, i just couldn't narrow it down! here are some of my favorites lately:

seriously? dead of the awesome that is happening here! via.

this is what zoe is making! the post even comes with a pdf to download and use! via.

i just ordered a pack of bugs to do this exact one! and, again the lovely dandee-designs offers up their pdf to download and use. so cute and creative! via.

great for the older crowd - and this one would be very affordable to create! via.

amy never ceases to amaze me with her creativity! make sure you read her WHOLE blog (nbd) and get inspired! via.

this, along with some other similar pins i have seen - have inspired the second part of rowan's valentines this year! stay tuned for our post about that, as the holiday nears! via.

you guys.

2012-02-03T16:50:00.000-08:00

dyeing over this post about the fuck yea! ryan gosling...hey girl craze. check out the video.

totally motivated to breast feed as long as i possibly can, thanks to this lovely gals story.

crying real tears of happiness, over this viral kristen bell-sloth clip.

happy friday!

hi, baby. reading list.

2012-02-03T14:14:00.000-08:00

as of late, we have been hard at work building a good, colorful, lasting library of books - it is time to move beyond board books with teeth marks in them! plus, i have dreams of a rainbow-color arranged books on a shelf with maps and globes.

it is slowly growing with a mix of books newer and (adorably) vintage books, found thrifting and a purchase here and there on amazon (ok, i have a serious problem and amazon books have seen a lot of my bank account lately, ha!) - i won't buy a book from amazon though, unless i really feel i am getting a good deal or it is a book that will for sure win over the girls.

zoe has always loved books, reading, and being read too - she is top of her class in this category and we can hardly keep her in books. rowan, has taken a little longer to grow into a love for reading - but we are hear now and sometimes she likes to hear her favorite book ten times a day. or sometimes, we make her read the ones she has memorized, for a good laugh.

instagram, twitter, and my favorite blogs have been a wealth of knowledge when looking for amazing books to add to our collection - i may or may not have even begged some of my favorite mama bloggers to share their little's daily reading list - then i though, maybe you would like to hear ours!

1. baby lit books, in most of your favorite classics! 2. stella and sam books, you'll see a theme here - i like to track down books that involve my kidlets names. any ideas for a book with a rowan? 3. the hungry caterpillar - of course we love the classics! you should see our copy of good night moon, it is very well loved. 4. leonard the terrible monster - love! 5. earth to stella, again with the name. 6. birdie's big girl shoes and birdie's big girl dresses - these are on repeat in our house, rowan is in love with birdie and her fashion adventures. 7. oliver jeffer's books - thanks to jenloveskev, we are now obsessed, i may or may not have broken amazon adding all of these books to my cart so fast. 8. bear in underwear - rowan's aunt got her this book as a little joke, rowan is easily offended when she sees anyone in their underwear. it was hilarious when she opened this christmas morning! 9. peet the cat: i love my white shoes - this is such a cute book, the girls always pick this are their before bed book, i can't wait to get more of these. 10. skippyjon jones - reading these book ten times a day makes my mouth muy muy dry, but it is so worth it as these books are adorable. 11. fancy nancy - we officially fell in love with these books when we realized, in posh puppy nancy's neighbor's name was "mrs. devine" (which is rowan's last name) then for christmas rowan got the stellar one, and i love how it gives real educational information in such a fancy way. 12. kipper's a to z - i love this one for stella, we are working on our letter recognition right now and this story keeps her interested and entertained. 13. on the night you were born - a special gift for christmas, this has been a zoe favorite for awhile. 14. sandra boynton books - doggies and belly button book are our favorites, but we love them all and their fun play with words.

so there you have it - the recent additions to our growing collection. we would love to hear your favorites!

felt masks!

2012-01-31T10:17:00.000-08:00

the possibilities are endless...

this weekend was our niece, vivian's 2nd birthday (her and stella are less then two months apart!) - it was zoo themed, and we were asked to come dressed as an animal if we wanted. even with bins and bins of dress up attire, unfortunately we didn't have anything that we could make a good animal out of, so i hit up pintrest of course.
i searched 'felt masks' because i knew i wanted felt as a material - it is so inexpensive and easy to work with. i found the fox right away - it was exactly what i was looking for! the bear i had to get a little more creative with, i found some links for etsy shops and combining a few looks of my favorites, i sketched out this guy - who kind of looks more like a ewok/koala/dog, but rowan was happy with it and everyone guessed she was a bear right away!
stella still wears her fox mask daily - she loves it! i can't wait to make them more to add to their dress-up collections. i have even been eyeing up this little diy, and even picked up some of the supplies the other day!
here is the pattern i used: fox mask, via http://feelincrafty.wordpress.com/tag/fox-mask-tutorial/
just a small tip, after having to throw away my first attempt. i sewed everything together before i traced and cut the eyes out - you don't have a ton of error room and it makes it hard navigating your stitches around the eye holes if you pre-cut them. also, you might want to play with the size - this mask was pretty small, and even stella had a hard time seeing out of the eye holes with her little bebe eyes.

dance!

2012-01-31T08:00:00.000-08:00

i had to steal this from amanda, stella and ellie have been taking a dance class together and since i always forget my camera, i asked amanda to snap a few last week. how cute is she?

self-portrait.

2012-01-31T07:22:00.000-08:00

new hairs, big zit, no make up, horrible eyebrows, little sleep, total self confidence - this is my real life, people.

Obsessing over…
organizing, cleaning, a system, a schedule, life.
Working on…
a 4.0 and stella's 2nd birthday party.
Thinking about…
our next house project - entry way makeover? painting the girls room?
Anticipating…
being pregnant again.
Listening to…
the littles giggle.
Eating…
chai tea latte
Wishing…
for a money tree to sprout in my backyard. wishing, hard.

linking up with the paper mama for her self-portrait challenge!

my town: in awe.

2012-01-30T20:20:00.000-08:00

there isn't anywhere else i would rather call home...

via

#dailyrowanprekphoto

2012-01-30T14:14:00.000-08:00

the daily preschool photo project is still going strong! i need to figure out what to do with them when the year wraps up in may - right now i am thinking of printing them out, laminating them, and putting them on a ring clip so she can flip through them to her hearts content!
here are some of my favorites lately:

these are in chronological order, starting with the newest - do you think she has changed any in the last five months of preschool?

kindergarten>kindergarten : weighing some options

2012-01-30T12:20:00.000-08:00

ok, i am getting way ahead of myself - but this week, we are registering rowan for her pre-k class at our beloved preschool and it has me thinking about registration the next year...
(pre-k? as in rowan only has a year of school left before kindergarten, or "people" school as she calls it. wait, when did this happen? #denial)
we have the opportunity to continue our relationship with bethlehem christian school, into kindergarten - they offer half and full day options at a very reasonable cost and let's be honest, we love this school - pajama day? yes! multiple productions put on by fidgety, nose picking 4 y/o's? um, sure! field trips and whacky wednesday? sign us up!
then there is the bottom line, this is a religion based education with class sizes in the fifteens - zoe, goes to public school where there is almost thirty kids in her class, this knots my stomach and makes me think - how can these kids possibly be getting the attention and time they need from their teachers at this age?

here is where i am torn down the middle though - do kids this age form important bonds the first year of elementary school? am i robbing rowan of an important step in making friends if she starts at public school a year later then the kids she will be with till high school? (she goes to preschool a city over, where virtually none of the kids there will go to her public school) or are they still so young that it isn't important?
this all being said - rowan is a very vibrant, heart on her sleeve gal who has no problem approaching kids and welcoming them into her life.

i would love to hear you weigh in on this - have you gone through a similar choice? pros? cons?

can we talk about how my kid can't get over christmas?

2012-01-28T12:00:00.000-08:00

i feel like i am in the middle of the movie santa clause, you know the one with tim allen, right after charlie finds out his dad is...you, know, the big guy and he is playing sleigh in his room in august or something?
that is rowan - she draws him, sings about him, talks about him, waits by the window for him, literally wants to grow up and be santa (ok, that hasn't come up yet, but...). it is equal parts hilarious, endearing, and totally frightening. ok, it is a little annoying too - constantly hearing about next christmas when i am just ready for it to be over forty degrees out.
is this a normal four year old shinanagin? zoe never was like this, this is new territory for me. i am not literally worried, but i can't help but laugh!