Since opening my own crafting business a few months ago, I’ve truly come to understand how incredibly important it is for small businesses to support each other.  I’ve discovered several small shops whose products I love and, because I know word of mouth is crucial and appreciated for my own business, I thought I’d take the time to do a little shout out to those shops.  If you all like this, maybe I’ll make it a monthly post!

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…Teas, that is!  I recently had the opportunity to partner with Birds & Bees Teas for a review and giveaway, and I’m excited to tell you guys about it!  Read on for the review, as well as a chance to win your very own tin of Birds & Bees Family Immunity Tea!
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Somehow, before delving into this crazy world of blogging, it never occurred to me to find new companies to love through Facebook.  Yes, I’d occasionally “like” a company’s page to be able to print a coupon (think big box, like Old Navy), but that’s about it.  Then, as I began trying to network and get to know some of the baby/child geared companies, a whole new world was opened up.  One day, I had to “like” the page of a company I’d never heard of before in order to enter a contest; this new entity was L’ovedbaby, LLC.  Read on for the sordid (ok. not really, but that sounds so saucy and exiting) details of our budding relationship.
Before I even get into the products, let’s talk a bit about the company.  L’ovedbaby, LLC is the brain-child of Sharon Oved, CEO, who began the company with her nursing shawl concept.  The company has now evolved to include a full clothing line.  You can read more here.

One of the things I love about this company is that they are so actively involved with their customers via social media.  Each Tuesday, you can visit their Facebook page and enter to win free stuff!  Their Free-for-All Tuesdays are a fun collaboration with other companies to provide some give away fun for customers (and it was, in fact, one such collaboration that led me to discover L’ovedbaby!).  On Big Find Thursday, they offer an item at a discounted rate of $5, usually with a limit of 3 per customer, but often with the opportunity to purchase a 4th surprise item for $5 as well.  All of these things add a bit of fun to the shopping experience and bring me back to their page at least twice a week!

Our first foray into L’ovedbaby clothing was the Gl’oved-Sleeve Overall.  Here’s a photo of Thing 2 enjoying them for the first time.

In general, I really love these jammies.  The cotton is thick, soft, and very obviously high-quality and, most importantly, the baby seems comfy!  There are, however, a couple of things I wasn’t completely satisfied with:

• My little cherub is…well, a bit cherubic.  These jammies are the snap up type, which is generally what I prefer.  However, although I ordered a size up, and they are plenty long enough, I found that my little chubby bunny was popping buttons (more in a “my boobs are too big and this shirt is gapping” kind of way than an, “I’m busting out and supremely uncomfortable” kind of way.  We did discover that, if you grab the jammies with your thumb on one side of the snaps and your fingers on the other side and gently lift the baby by the jammies, it stretches them out nicely.  Still (and I never thought I’d say this), I’d like to see a zippered option for those babies with a bit more chub.

• I have two sensitive-skinned kiddos, so when I opened the package and saw the brand label sewn on the outside of the garment, I was beyond excited.  However, I was pretty disappointed to see a regular label also sewn on the inside.  I’d love to see a tagless option!

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Move over Victoria’s Secret, there’s a new player in Panty Land!

I know, panties are taboo, and we’re not supposed to talk about them in public.  But, really?  We all wear underpants (well…ok, a large majority of people wear underpants), and we all know that everyone wears them, so why can’t we talk about them?  I don’t know either!  So I’m just going to go ahead and chat about knickers for a bit.  Please close this now if you’re offended by underpants (and then go sit in the corner and think about your silly behavior).

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My new logos are live!  A HUGE thanks to Binari Witanapatirana for the awesome design work.  Check her out at www.binariw.com!

*Note:  I received this product from Prince Lionheart in exchange for an honest review.*

When we began researching balance bikes for Thing 1, we decided that we liked the minimalistic appearance and lightweight design of the wooden type.  After digging into the specifics of several, we decided upon the Prince Lionheart Balance Bike for style, previous positive experience with the company, and price point. Read on for our review!
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We recently finished potty training Thing 1, and let me tell you — it was a bumpy road.  My original goal was to have him potty trained before the arrival of Thing 2 so as to avoid buying twice the diapers.  Yeah…that didn’t happen.  Apparently, Thing 1’s bottom has very refined taste and was not pleased by the freebie Diego potty adapter I’d presented him with.

Determined to ease the financial burden of diapers for two and entirely fed up with the unsavory task of changing a three year old’s “grown up” poop, I embarked upon a quest to find the perfect potty that would magically entice Thing 1 to poop in the toilet instead of his pants.  Read on for details of our potty training journey!
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