Fabulous Find

Today is garbage day and as I was driving down our street to go to the gym, I had to swerve to not hit some of the garbage that had been blown into the road. Now I wouldn't usually do what I did next - I turned the car around and I went back. I don't like to take things out of the garbage, but what I saw was too good to be true....

and it is in great condition. I have been wanting to get one for Arabella for a long time, but they are just so expensive! But hey, when it is free and all I had to do was wipe it down, I had to bring it home. I knew Arabella was going to love it. Within 15 minutes of setting it up in her playroom, she was already drawing on the chalkboard!


PS - I made it to the gym on time even after my little U-turn!

Fabulous Finds

I haven't done a Fabulous Finds post in awhile, but I have come across a few great things that I/we love!
I purchased this spread in NYC at the Natural Market when I was at my IIN conference in September. It was mainly for Jay, but I wanted to at least try it....he enjoyed it some much that it was gone in a couple days. Note to self - I need to try and find it the next time I am back in the States. There were less than 5 ingredients - Figs, Water, Hazelnuts, Lemon Juice, Grape Juice Concentrate, Lemon Zest.
For my birthday, I decided to get myself the Clarisonic Mia. I love how it makes my skin feel when I use it at night to wash my face. I noticed a difference after just one use. I love it and don't know how I got by without it. I won't go back to just cleanser and water at night ever again! It is small and compact and it is easy to use.
I also found these great cookie mixes from Cherrybrook Kitchens (http://www.cherrybrookkitchen.com/) We don't have any food allergies, but these products are dairy, egg, peanut and nut free. Cherrybrook Kitchen also makes wheat/gluten free mixes. They are a great all natural baking mix. They tend to be a little on the pricey side, but the taste is so much better than regular baking mixes. If I don't have time to make it from scratch, I will use these. I will be making a point on my next shopping trip to the States to pick some of these up so we have them in the cabinet.

Fabulous Find

This fabulous find is not something I recently found, but rather something that has been a source of discontent between Jay and I. You see, Jay hates "stuff" - if he hasn't used it in so long, he gets rid of it. He randomly will go through his things and discard items all the time. Sometimes, he will take it upon himself to even go through Arabella's toys and get rid of the broken items or used up markers since he thinks I am taking too long to do it. In my defense, I am usually running around with her and doing other more important things like schoolwork or household chores to get to her toys. I wish I had the time to do it more often, but sadly, it is not at the top of my list. I on the other hand, keep things. I am not a hoarder by a long shot (Jay might have a different take on this), but I keep things that I think will be useful in the future. This particular item (and another one like it) has been hanging around since we lived in Dublin. When we got the notice we were moving here, Jay even become more relentless in his pitching of things. He wanted to get rid of this item when we were given a larger replacement and then again when we moved. I found it in the recycling bin on multiple occasions and took it out. After doing this more times than I can count, Jay relented and let me win this one. Every so often, he asks if he can get rid of it, my answer is/was always "No". I knew that eventually we would find a use for it. Besides, it is not like it was going to take up a lot of room and it would stay in the garage. And last weekend when I finally figured out a use for it. At this point, you probably want to know what it is....

Yup, you are seeing right, it is the old recycling bin. When Dublin replaced the small bins with the large ones on wheels, I kept it. As much as Jay will say he has never used it, he has...I actually had to take some of his car cleaning supplies out of it last weekend to use it! Last weekend, I was cleaning up some of Arabella's outdoor toys and needed to find a places for the larges stacking blocks that our neighbors gave to her. The bin that they were in was all cracked and they were too large for the other bucket have for her sand toys, etc. Then it hit me, the green recycling bin! And sure enough, perfection! Big enough to hold all the blocks, holes in the bottom to let the water drain and not too obtrusive on the patio!

See I knew there was a good reason I was keeping it!

Fabulous Find

Arabella loves playing outside and one of the outdoor play items that I have been wanting to get her is a playhouse. A few of her friends have them and every time we have play dates at their houses, she gravitate towards the playhouse and it is hard to tear her away. She just loves them, Jay on the other hand, doesn't. He also doesn't think that we need "another yard ornament". So when he wouldn't budge on not getting one, I let it go. But when we were at Laura's house on Saturday, I made a comment about wanting one, and Cynthia told me there was a great one on the curb near her house. Seriously, was it in good condition, she said yes, just looked like it needed a good cleaning but was all in one piece. So Laura and I hopped in the car to go check it out while Cynthia and Carrie watched the kids. And sure enough, it was right where Cynthia said. We made sure that it was free for the taking and it was! So we started to take it apart and load it into my car, but it wouldn't all fit. We went back to Laura's and I had to call Jay and ask him to drive out, with the his company car and tie downs, to get it. I was surprised when he agreed, but really, why wouldn't he, it cost us NOTHING! It took me about 2 1/2 hours to clean up, and I did a little research, it looks like Little Tikes doesn't make the Victorian Cottage anymore, but people are selling them used for $175 to $200...so when it was new, I can only imagine that it cost about $250 or more! So needless to say, this a Fabulous Find and Arabella is on Cloud 9!

Following the company car and parts of the play house home!
And a very, very happy Arabella in her new play house!

Fabulous Finds

I have been meaning to blog about 2 Fabulous Finds that Arabella received from Grammie when she was visiting last month.

My favorite is a book entitled Fletcher and the Falling Leaves. It is a wonderful story about a little fox and the changing of the seasons. Arabella loves Fletcher and the storyline holds her attention and is just the right length. The illustrations are beautiful and help to explain the wonders of the world around us.





Our second Fabulous Find is ring flash cards by Mudpuppy. Grammie purchased the "N is for Nature" alphabet flash cards for Arabella. They are amazing. There are 26 cards and each card is double sided. One side has the both the upper and lowercase letter in addition to words beginning with the letter that are found in nature. The opposite side has the uppercase letter and an nature image. What is great about these flash cards is that they do not have the usual words that you would find on alphabet flash cards. For example, Uca is one of the words on the "U" card. What is a Uca...it is a type of crab, who knew?? Arabella loves the cards - she can tell you what letter is on each card, even if you ask her out of order, and she even knows that when you come to the kangaroo card, that a joey is in the mom's pouch! I don't think that I would have know to teach her that without the help of these cards. Since she has had so much fun with them and loves to look at them, I researched Mudpuppy and found that they have a handful of other flash cards and they are sold on Amazon. So I have ordered her 2 more sets - Opposites and Words in English and French (since we are supposed to be learning French, it might just help me too!). There is also an English/Spanish set, that would be more up my ally since I had so many years of Spanish, we might try that one at a later date. Anyway, if you are looking for a great gift or something fun to teach with, you need to check these flash cards out!

Fabulous Finds

I receive daily emails from Daily Candy (http://www.dailycandy.com/all-cities/) that gives me up-to-date information on what is going on in fashion, beauty, travel, food, kid-related things, and anything fun! If you don't already subscribe to Daily Candy, I highly recommend that you check it out and sign up for the updates.

Recently, they highlighted a product called the Ouch Pouch in an article regarding First Aid Essentials for Kids (http://www.dailycandy.com/kids/online/article/84800/First-Aid-Essentials-to-the-Rescue). It was a pretty timely article since I was thinking that I should put together a small first aid kit for Arabella's diaper bag for when we go to the park and pool. So I had to check the Ouch Pouch out. And as soon as I saw the patterns and the price, I knew I had to have one (or two). The Ouch Pouch is an Eco Friendly -Reusable First Aid Pouch with an Easy-to-View clear front pocket for your first aid essentials. What makes the Ouch Pouch great is that it is available in 4 different sizes and comes in a variety of patterns. The clear front pocket makes it easy to see exactly what you are looking for which is crucial for when you have a screaming toddler with a boo boo! I also liked the price, they start at $5.95 and shipping was reasonable ($2.00 to Canada and I received my Ouch Pouches in less than 10 days).





I was so excited that the 5 x 7 Ouch Pouch that I purchased holds everything that I need and still has some room left.



It also fits perfectly in both of my Petunia Pickle Bottom Diaper bags. And I was very happy since I have been carrying my Cross Town Clutch in stead of the Boxy Backpack since I don't have to carry as much with me anymore. It takes up hardly any room in the clutch and I still have room for the essentials of diapers and snacks!



I am thinking of ordering a the largest size for when we go on our cruise later this year since I need to bring a few other first aid supplies that I normally would carry with me in the diaper bag. So if you are looking for something to hold first aid essentials, head on over to the Ouch Pouch Boutique on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/PillowSewCute

Fabulous Finds

Do you remember the "jelly" shoes of the 80's?? I loved mine and used to wear them out. I was surprised when Arabella and I were in Florida in April and Baby Gap had jelly sandals. They couldn't possibly be making a come back, could they? Since they had rally cute colors and at the time Arabella was about to grow out of all the sandals that she had, I bought her a pair. Not only are they cute and perfect for the beach and pool, but they were reasonably prices ($12.50 or 2 for $18)and they have worn really well. She loves them and wears them with everything! And since she out grew the first pair, we have bought her some more! Don't you just love the perfect summer colors?



Now if only they made them in adult sizes...but no such luck. However, I did find these great sandals when Lori was visiting in July. They come pretty close to jelly sandals since the "thong" is jelly material. They are a perfect shade of pink and I love the medallion in the middle. It also doesn't hurt that they are Coach and they were on sale, you can't beat $39 for a pair of sandals! So here are my cute jelly sandals:

Fabulous Finds

When Lori was here we spent a lot of time outside and by the pool. And this led to using a lot of sunscreen and we had to laugh because we both had Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen, just in different SPF levels, that squeaked each time we sprayed it. For the life of us, we couldn't figure out why it would squeak. Anyway, this led to a discussion about sunscreen and sun tan lotion and how we both desperately miss a sun tan lotion of the past - Bain de Soleil Orange Gelee. You used to be able to buy it anywhere and then probably 10 -12 years ago it just vanished. You couldn't find it anywhere. Lori thought she might be able to to find it here in Canada, but I already looked for it and haven't been able to find it. You should have seen us, we were so sad thinking about this sun tan lotion and our Summers from high school and college. It was so funny that we were pining over sun tan lotion. This is where drugstore.com came to the rescue. First we googled it and it sent us to Bain de Soleil's website, we were definitely on to something, then their website connected us to drugstore.com. Lo and behold, it was there, just like we remember, nothing had changed. Could it be true?? Yes, it could and even better, drugstore.com ships to Canada, YIPPEE!! So last week, I ordered a tube (and a few other things) and I received it today (I couldn't believe how quickly it got here)! I couldn't tear into the shipping box fast enough. Arabella thought I had gone mad and then when I got the tube open, Aah, the wonderful smell came rushing out! I am in heaven and so happy to have found a old favorite. Welcome Back Bain de Soleil Orange Gelee!

Fabulous Finds

I guess what they say about May 24th being the unofficial start of Summer in Canada is true! We are in the midst of a heat wave in Montreal and it is only May 26th, Summer is still 2 1/2 weeks away! For the past few days temperatures have been in the low to mid 30's c (for those of you in the States, that is the low to mid 90's). So with the arrival of this warm weather, my thoughts have turned to all things Summer. I have come across a few things recently that I love for Summer....

A great moisturizer - AHAVA Mineral Suncare with SPF 50. I love this moisturizer and I mix it with a little bit of my tinted moisturizer so that I get a little bit of color on my face and I don't have to use a lot of bronzer to get that sun kissed glow. I also like that it has a bit of sparkle to it so it brightens up your complexion. It is also suitable for use on children.



Fun and comfy flip flops - UGG Australia 'Flare' Flip Flops. These flip flops are perfect for summer. I love the pattern in the sole, the color is neutral and they are so comfortable. I purchased them from Nordstrom and had Jonna bring them to me when she came up for her visit. They were a little on the pricey side, $29.95, but they are worth it since I live in flip flops in the summer!



Casual shorts - Tommy Hilfiger 100% Linen Low Rise Shorts. Now I am not a short person, I prefer capris, but since it has been so hot, I want a few for when I am playing with Arabella and doing things around the house. I found these shorts at the Tommy Hilfiger outlet. They were marked $39.99 with 30% off, which is a great deal for linen. I purchased them in navy and khaki, perfect neutrals for Summer.



And just for fun - Louis Vuitton Silk Scarf. I found this scarf today at a second hand store in Hudson, a small town off the island of Montreal. Arabella and I were in Hudson today for a Wee Wiggles event and a few of the mom's were talking about how great Nova was so I decided to stop and check it out since you never know what you might come across at a this type of store. I was shocked to see the price of $5 and I had to have it, I think the price was a typo, but that is OK with me! I don't know what I am going to do with it yet or how I am going to wear it, but Arabella has been having fun playing with it!