Best Store for Online Shopping...

#1) Old Navy / The Gap / Banana Republic (http://oldnavy.gapcanada.ca/)

Old Navy is one of my favourite stores to shop at.  I have subscribed to Old Navy’s email newsletter so I get the scoop on their weekly sales and deals.  Old Navy is great for purchasing kid’s clothes. They are very reasonably priced.  With shopping the sales and clearance pages, you can save your family a lot of money.

You can add items to your cart from all 3 stores: Old Navy, The Gap and Banana Republic.  Which is great, and saves time since you don’t have to make 3 different orders if you shop at the 3 stores.

I find shopping for clothes in stores while looking after children can be exhausting.  And good luck trying to get my kids to try on an item of clothing in a store to see if it fits!  So I may as well have been shopping at home!  So, shopping online from home is the best solution for me, and I get to enjoy a cup of coffee while I shop.

One of my favourite articles of clothing are the Old Navy kid’s pants and jeans. Most of the pants have adjustable waistbands using an elastic waistband and button.  Which works wonderfully to fit the pants to the child’s waist and they can be adjusted as the child grows.

Dark-Wash Bootcut Jeans for Baby

I’ve bought from Old Navy since the birth of our first son. Which makes shopping a little easier because I know what size my kids are using Old Navy sizes. Occasionally, I purchase something that is the incorrect size and they have a VERY good return program.  I have not had a issue with Old Navy so far!  Just put the item in a box, follow their return instructions, attach the provided shipping label, and take it to the post office.  Done, no fees or shipping costs to worry about.

I usually stock up on some essential clothes in the next size up when they are on sale (eg. t-shirts, jeans).  This worked well with my oldest boy this fall as he seemed to grow overnight.  One day his pants fit, and the next they were flood pants.  Luckily I had a few jeans and t-shirts stored and ready to use. Poor guy!

In case you missed it, here are the rest of my top 5 picks for online store shopping.

As Always,
Sandra

Shopping Online to Save Time

Since I live in Alberta, sometimes it is hard to find stores to ship to Canada.  If the stores ship to Canada, it is usually for a steep price.  But more and more, I’ve noticed stores are making an effort to reduce shipping costs to Canada. 

I have 2 little boys under 4 years and I find it hard to shop in stores sometimes with them.  I save time shopping online so it makes sense to shop from home. 

Counting down… Here are my top 5 retailers I LOVE to shop online at:


#5) Please Mum (www.pleasemum.com)

I love Please Mum’s winter coats and ski pants. They are warm and stand up well to lots of use. They are the best winter clothes I have found for Canadian winters for kids.

Blocked Deepwinter Parka - Geometric Print

This was my first year buying online from Please Mum, usually I buy in store. I decided to give it a try online. I waited for a 30% off sale, and a Buy One Get One 50% off sale. That way, I was able to buy a coat and ski pants at 30% off. I also got 2 hats and 2 pair of mitts 30% off, and using the Buy One Get One 50% off sale. I can never buy enough hats and mitts. It works out well to have multiples on hand in case they get wet from playing in the snow or get lost.

Shipping is usually free with orders over $50.  If you are able to wait, you can usually get the winter coats and accessories for at least 30% off.

#4) Walmart (www.walmart.ca)

Sadly, Walmart.ca does not offer many of their products online. But they do offer many baby items in their online store.

Pampers Diapers

I use Walmart.ca to purchase diapers. Reasonably priced and with free shipping I can purchase diapers for a decent price. Currently, a box of 160 Size 4 Pampers Cruisers costs $36.83 ($0.23 per diaper). I have seen a box of 160 for $33.88 ($0.21 per diaper).

Buying diapers online saves room in my shopping cart to grab other items when we are out shopping.  I have limited room once I stick my two kids in the cart, let alone room for huge boxes of diapers!

#3) Keurig (www.keurig.com)

With a Club Keurig discount you can get 10 – 15% off prices at Keurig.com.  To get the discount all you need to do is register.  You can also get one FREE 5-count K-Cup sample for every 6 K-Cup pack boxes you purchase.

When you register your brewer you are eligible to receive an offer for 2 free K-Cup (22, 24, 25 count) boxes with the purchase of 2 boxes.

Here are a few of my favourite coffees:

Van Houtte – Colombian Medium

Van Houtte – Mexico Dark

#2) Well.ca (www.well.ca)

Good for all your random purchases to prevent you from having to make trips to multiple stores with kids. I find it exhausting having to get the kids out of their car seats and into the store, pick up one item, only to put them back in their car seats in a few minutes. I also save on fuel money because I get the items shipped to me and I don’t have to drive all around the city to find them.

Well.ca does offer free shipping on qualifying orders in Canada. They also offer a “Baby Club” and you are eligible for preferred pricing on products.

Here are a couple of my favourite buys from Well.ca (both products work well for my son who has sensitive skin and is prone to rashes and skin irritation):

Green Sprouts Disposable Compressed Wipes

Seventh Generation Chlorine Free Baby Wipes

Check back tomorrow for my number 1 pick for online shopping stores.  Just in time to get prepared for Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales!

What are your favourite stores to shop at online?

As Always,
Sandra

Revealing My Mop…

{Drumroll} …



…Ta Da! 

I have been using my Rubbermaid Reveal Mop for about a year and it works great.  I love the fact I no longer have to buy refill cleaning pads.  (Just an FYI, Rubbermaid does not know me and I'm not getting anything from them to write this post.  I just want to share what makes sense for me and the cleaner I use).

Previously, I had a Swiffer Wet Jet.  I liked my Swiffer Wet Jet until it started to spray the cleaning solution all over the place.  But one thing I never liked about the Swiffer Wet Jet was the dependency on using their cleaning solution and pads.  Expensive!

In comparison, the Reveal Mop is much less expensive.  I make my own cleaning solution and the cleaning pads are reusable.  Just throw the cleaning pads in the washing machine.  I purchased 2 cleaning pads, so if one is in the wash I have another to use in case of spills and other cleaning emergencies (which happens a lot in our house).

The Reveal Mop's cleaning pad is larger than the Swiffer Wet Jet’s.  Which means… less time cleaning because I can cover more area with each sweep of the mop.

You can use a store bought cleaning solution or homemade solution with the Reveal Mop.

Here is the recipe for the cleaning solution I use:




1) Fill refill bottle to “water” line with water.
 

2) Add 1 to 3 Tbsp of White Vinegar to refill bottle - Vinegar helps prevent streaks and also has strong antibacterial properties (the vinegar smell disappears, but if the smell is too much just decrease the vinegar amount in your solution).



3) Add 1 Tbsp Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Soap to refill bottle.  I like the smell of Citrus Orange.  I bought online from Well.ca, but lots of stores carry it, including Amazon.ca.



4) Add about 10 drops Tea Tree Oil to refill bottle.  Tea Tree Oil is an antibacterial and antifungal agent.  I bought online from well.ca, but tea tree oil can be found in most stores, including Amazon.ca.



5) Put the lid on the refill bottle and give it a quick shake to combine the ingredients.  Place bottle on mop and you are ready to clean your floors!





Quick, easy and inexpensive.  Also much better for the environment, much less waste!



What mop do you use?  What are your floor cleaning solutions?

As Always,
Sandra

Contributor Post for Poofy Cheeks!

I’m over at Poofy Cheeks today!  Thanks Kelsey, for this great opportunity to be a returning contributor to your blog.  Check out my post, which includes a New FREE Printable!

As Always,
Sandra

A Quick Porch Update… Part 2

In case you missed it, here is A Quick Porch Update… Part 1.  And now, here is the conclusion of our Quick Porch Update!…

The bookcase in the corner is a new addition to the room.  Originally, the bookcase was in the living room behind our TV.  I needed a place to keep some of my houseplants, but I didn’t want the plants located where they could get knocked over or attacked by the kids.  So up on the bookshelf the plants made their home.  If needed, the bottom shelves of the bookcase will hold baskets of more winter accessories such as scarves and mitts and such.



On the other wall, the boys hang their coats.  They each get 3 hooks at a level they can reach, so they can hang up their own clothes.



I chose 3M hooks so I could reposition the hooks easily as the kids grow.  The hooks attach to the wall with the 3M adhesive sticker.  When you need to remove the hooks from the wall, they remove easily and with no damage to the wall.  I use them all over my house!  I also used a 3M hook to hang my boy’s backpack on the wall.



This quick little update to the entrance area makes the space more functional and gives us more space.  One of the biggest improvements… No more water bottles sitting in the corner!  To find out where my water bottles ended up, click here!




In addition to the IKEA Storage unit, the boys also use the 2 lower shelves of the dresser for storage.  Each boy gets a drawer to keep their mitts, toques and hats.  The dresser works really well and both my little boys can get out their own items.

Make sure to check out "A Quick Porch Update... Part 1"!

Thanks,


As Always,
Sandra

A Quick Porch Update… Part 1

Autumn is here and Winter is soon on it’s way.  I’ve unpacked the kid’s winter clothes and coats.  With the cold weather, the boys unfortunately have to put on lots of layers of clothes to keep warm when they go outside.  The winter clothes and coats needed some organization so I changed and improved our porch/entrance area to our house.  The current system was alright, but I added some more storage and hid the unsightly water bottles!

Here is a post on how our entrance used to look.  And here are some quick before pics…

Before

 

Before

I moved the lighter brown chest to the living room.  We keep our firewood for our wood burning fireplace in this chest.  Originally, we placed it near the front door so we could easily load it up with wood without tracking snow throughout the house. 

I decided to give the firewood chest a new home in the living room, which makes sense because this is where the fireplace is located.  To refill the chest, my husband brings the wood to the back door in tubs and I stay inside and grab the tubs from him and refill the firewood chest.  So far, our system is working well.  It is also cutting down on the mess.  No more snow and pieces of wood tracked throughout the house.  Why I did not think of this solution sooner I will never know!

Now that I freed up some space by removing the firewood chest from the entrance area, I could add a new storage solution.  I needed a place to keep the kid’s splash pants and winter ski pants.



I decided to move the toy storage unit that was in the living room to the entrance.  Not only would it give me more room in the living room, we would also benefit from the extra storage in the porch.



We can even use the storage unit as a bench to sit down and take our shoes off.  Each person in our family now has a basket to keep their winter belongings.  All I need to do now is add some labels to the baskets.



Under the storage unit, I’ve hidden a plastic shoe tray for the boy’s shoes.  A little extra storage and a place to keep the snowy, wet boots till they dry.

Stay tuned for the 2nd half of our Quick Porch Update!

Thanks,

As Always,
Sandra

OMG… Sewage Backup!

Yep, I said it… SEWAGE BACKUP!  One of my biggest fears and nightmares happened late last week.  Luckily, it happened in the afternoon when I was home so I could contain the disaster in the basement. 

We live on an acreage, so at first I thought the septic tank was full and backing up into the house.  When we discovered the septic tank wasn’t the issue, further investigation lead us to a clogged sewage line in between the house and the septic tank. 

After multiple calls to plumbers, we finally got someone out to the house late that night.  All day and evening we were without water because any amount of water down the line would cause a greater backup.  Being without water is really hard, especially when we have 2 kids and now-a-days we take the use of water for granted (eg. toilet flushing).

We are now in the clean up stage and have a crew coming out on Monday to start the demolition.  Let’s hope everything is completed before Christmas… Oh, I hope so, but I'm not holding my breath!

Has anyone gone through sewage or water damage clean up and rebuilding before?  What are some of your horror stories? 

As Always,
Sandra