Monday, June 21, 2010
Prego Fashionistas: This One's For You
Ok if you are looking for some high end maternity clothes, denim, or a really nice diaper bag--but can't bring yourself to spend the cash on something you're only going to wear for like 7 months (or use for like a year)--you might want to check out Gilt Groupe's sale today. Gilt Groupe is an online private sale club. You sign up (free) and each day you are sent the deals of the day/week. The prices are up to 70% off retail. I bring this up today because my friend alerted me to some awesome stuff going on sale starting at noon today.
Here's what they have going on sale today:
Paige Premium Denim - Maternity
Chaiken Maternity & Diaper Bags
Mia Bossi Diaper Bags
+ More
Here's the link: http://www.gilt.com/sale/children
Scroll down to the bottom to see today's sales
If you are a subscriber I already sent you an invite to join-just click through.
Also, today's VA Groupon is for The Denim Bar, a high end denim shop in Arlington. For $50 you get $125 credit toward jeans. They carry Paige, Citizen, Joe's, J Brand, Hudson, among others. I'm thinking I might gift myself this now and then I'll have some motivation to lose the baby weight since I have to use the credit by Dec 20!
http://www.groupon.com/washington-dc/
http://www.denimbaronline.com/
There are lots of great online private sales like Gilt Groupe, but for kids and moms! I'll talk about that another day!
Have a great day!
Yummy/Yucky Pregnancy Side Effect #6: Feet/Cankles
Yummy
Maybe your shoes were too big before and they fit now! Maybe your ankles were too thin?
Yucky
Fat, flat, feet. Your feet swell as your pregnancy advances and many women’s arches also fall during pregnancy making it necessary for some women to buy shoes that are a size larger or wider. I can’t say this one changes after you have the baby…I wore a 7.5 shoe before Sophie and I pretty much wear all 8’s now.
As for the cankles (calf/ankles). I have been ok in this department with only occasional ankle swelling. If your ankles swell up--talk to your doctor to make sure it isn't a sign of something more serious (preeclampsia). If it's not, then you'll probably be told to elevate your legs, drink more water, and move around more frequently if you sit at a desk all day.
As for the cankles (calf/ankles). I have been ok in this department with only occasional ankle swelling. If your ankles swell up--talk to your doctor to make sure it isn't a sign of something more serious (preeclampsia). If it's not, then you'll probably be told to elevate your legs, drink more water, and move around more frequently if you sit at a desk all day.
Past Yummy/Yuckys:
Yummy/Yucky Pregnancy Side Effect # 5: Nails
http://expectinginsidethebeltway.blogspot.com/2010/06/yummyyucky-pregnancy-side-effect-5.html
Yummy/Yucky Pregnancy Side Effect # 4: Skin Changes
Yummy/Yucky Pregnancy Side Effect # 4: Skin Changes
Yummy/Yucky Pregnancy Side Effects #2 & #3: Boobs & Back
Yummy/Yucky Pregnancy Side Effect #1: Hair
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Cameron Station Festival in the Park – This Saturday – June 19th!
Main Street, Cameron Station - Alexandria, VA
Just wanted to let you all know about Cameron Station’s Festival in the Park this Saturday from 9am-4pm.More than 52 Vendors will be at the festival selling jewelry, handbags, clothing, makeup, stationary, flowers, food, kids clothing, accessories, toys and more!
Expecting Inside the Beltway will have a booth near the Cameron Club along with Bean & Banana, and Body, Mind & Sole! We’ll have hand knit baby blankets and hand knit hats and scarves for children. Body, Mind & Sole will of course be offering chair massages and introducing Sozo, a new functional beverage with anti-oxidants, immune system support, anti-inflammation, adrenal & endocrine system support, and phytonutrinets from 8 veggies & 9 fruits! Oh, and 529 Kids Consign will be right next door! My Three Cuties (adorable burp cloths, blankets, and accessories) will be there as well! Come see us!
Just wanted to let you all know about Cameron Station’s Festival in the Park this Saturday from 9am-4pm.More than 52 Vendors will be at the festival selling jewelry, handbags, clothing, makeup, stationary, flowers, food, kids clothing, accessories, toys and more!
Expecting Inside the Beltway will have a booth near the Cameron Club along with Bean & Banana, and Body, Mind & Sole! We’ll have hand knit baby blankets and hand knit hats and scarves for children. Body, Mind & Sole will of course be offering chair massages and introducing Sozo, a new functional beverage with anti-oxidants, immune system support, anti-inflammation, adrenal & endocrine system support, and phytonutrinets from 8 veggies & 9 fruits! Oh, and 529 Kids Consign will be right next door! My Three Cuties (adorable burp cloths, blankets, and accessories) will be there as well! Come see us!
Come early! Beat the crowd and the heat!
Ok so the link I included didn't give much info! Sorry! Here's a list of vendors:
1. Armine’s Designs (Ribbon Base Hand Knitted Scarves & Beaded Accessories)
2. Pam Glascock (Mary Kay Cosmetics)
3. Mystic Lines (Beaded Jewelry)
4. Bijouterie RL (Handcrafted Native Jewelry)
5. My Three Cuties, LLC (Baby Items and Displays)
6. Lily Dog and Wolf Run Studios (Breed RelatedGifts/Note Cards&
Collars & Leads)
7. Hemstitching forYou (Hemstitched Baby & Doll Blankets)
8. Crafted Elegance (Holiday/Seasonal Wreaths & Decorations)
9.Lisas Pieces (Handmade Jewelry & Magnets)
10. Silpada Designs (Sterling Silver Jewelry)
11. Yelling Moon Designs (Children’s Clothing)
12. C. Rainey’s Jewelry (Hand-made Jewelry)
13. As if Bags (Handmade Cotton Tote bags, & Cosmetic Bags)
14. Sovereign Treasures (Hand PaintedGlass, Wood, Leather, & Silver Jewelry)
15. Amy Joseph (Photography-Black & White and Color Event &Portrait)
16. Close to My Heart (Paper Crafting Supplies& Handmade Crafts)
17. Baubles and Bottles (Jewelry & Bottle Lamps)
18. Crepe Deli Catering (Crepes & Lemonade; German Food)
19. Zenpawz.LLC (Aromatherapy Pet Products)
20. Sideways Lady (Hairclips & etc.)/Dove Chocolate (Chocolates)
21. Guata Java, LLC (Coffee, Coffee Gift Baskets)
22. J*Lux “The Mobile Boutique” (Jewelry/Accessories)
23. Arbonne International (Skin Care, Cosmetics, & Treating Wellness)
24. My Daddy Puzzles (Handcrafted Wooden Puzzles)
25. Premier Designs (Jewelry)
26.Classic Caters (Chicken and Veggie Wraps & CookieBags)
27.Pebbles (Flowers & Limited Fresh Vegetables)
28. Fast Snail (Fine Stationary, Greeting Cards, Prints, & Pillows)
29. Fun Flower (Handmade Flowers, Butterflies, & Small Accessories)
30. Beading Buddies (Handmade Beaded Jewelry)
31. Scentsy (WicklessCandles, Ceramic Warmers & Home-Fragrance Products)
32.Jockey Person to Person of Jockey Int. (Women’s Clothing)
33. Flamboyan Designs
34. Beijo Handbags
35. Up Town Bakery (Fresh Pastries and Breads)
36. Old Smokey &Hole Schmear (BBQ)
37. Pearl Fine Teas (Organic Teas& Honey)
38. Wayqi Craft Peruvian Arts (Peruvian Handicraft)
39. Usborne Booksand More (Children’s Educational Books)
40. Ceramic Crafts (Hanging Lanterns, Wind Chimes, Goblets, & Night Lights)
41. Avon (Bath & Body Fragrances
42. Kayvee International, Inc. (Scarves & Tunics)
43. Lydibug Designs (Baby Bibs, Wallets, Lanyards, & Scrabble Tile Pendants)
44. Peruvian trend Co. (Handcrafted Accessories)
45. Soul Cakes by Tanya (Cakes)
46. 529 Kids Consign (Kids Clothing)
47. Kalyan (Fashion Accessories for all Ages (Children’s Shoes/Dresses)
48. Bliss Jewelry and Gifts (Mobil Showroom) Bliss-to-you.com & Bliss-
49. Expecting inside the Beltway/Kristi’s Creations/Bean & Banana/Body, Mind & Sole (Hand knit baby blankets, massage)
50. Woof 4 Walks (Dog Walking & Pet Sitting Service)
51. Democrats
Hope to see you there!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
The Skinny On: Baby Wipes
If you’ve got a baby in diapers, you no doubt need baby wipes (or a whole lot of wash cloths). If you have a baby shower, you will inevitably get some wipes, which will help you in your quest for the perfect paper to touch your baby’s tushy. It shouldn’t be this confusing to choose wipes, but alas, it is. Both Pampers and Huggies offer at least four different types of wipes with a few variations in name/ingredients (Sensitive, Fresh Scent, Refreshing, and Extra Thick/Soft). Luvs (god love em) only offers one.
I would recommend using a sensitive non-scented wipe for the first few months until you’ve figured out whether baby has allergies. I preferred the Pampers Sensitive wipes because they were very soft/gentle and unscented. But they are definitely not the cheapest. I have used the Huggies non-scented before but I found them to be very rough and wound up using them as hand wipes and kept them in the car for emergency blow outs. But to be fair to Huggies, there’s a good chance they were just regular unscented Huggies wipes and not the sensitive kind.
Once your little one is a couple months old and you know he/she isn’t allergic to the scented kind, there are a plethora of options based on scent and soothing ingredient (aloe, shea, baby fresh scent, etc). You’ll also notice that some wipes are bigger than others. Size mattered to me more than scent . Basically you want to find one that works on baby’s bottom and doesn’t make you gag or leave your hand covered in poo. I have become fond of Luvs wipes. They are big, they work well and they don’t have an overpowering scent. Oh, and they are a great price! My husband recently bought Pampers Swipers when we were at the beach and while they were big, I found the smell way overpowering and sweet. (I didn’t include in the chart b/c they aren’t sold everywhere and are for older babies…I think).
So I checked out the cost of wipes at 7 local stores – 3 wholesale clubs (BJs, Costco, & Sams Club), 2 Baby superstores (Babies R Us and Buy Buy Baby), and 2 discount stores (Target, Walmart). In addition, I also looked at the cost of wipes online at Diapers.com and Amazon.com. I tried to compare apples to apples as often as I could, but you know how hard the companies make it to do this. I highlighted the best-priced wipe in each category.
(Again if this doesn't open for you just e-mail me at momblogva@gmail.com and I will e-mail you the spreadsheet)
Best prices overall: BJs & Target
Is it better to purchase wipes at the store or online?
Wholesale Clubs (BJ’s*, Costco, Sam’s Club)
Well if you have the time to do the shopping then buying in bulk from a wholesale club, like BJ’s is very cost effective for wipes as well. I say BJ’s because they definitely have the largest and best priced selection in Northern VA. Costco’s selection was awful- they had two types of Huggies wipes in addition to their brand. However, you have to decide if it’s cost effective for you to join a wholesale club. Annual fees range from $35-$50 so if you are just buying diapers there – it might not be cost effective. I get my diapers, wipes, formula, coffee, paper products, etc there so it works out for me. The wholesale clubs also offer $3-$4 wipes coupons every few months.
Babies R Us & Buy Buy Baby
I really don’t like buying my wipes here. They don’t have the best prices and they only occasionally have coupons that make it worthwhile. Buy Buy Baby doesn’t even really try to corner the market on wipes—they too have very few offerings. Babies R Us does have sales and offers coupons pretty regularly, but in general the cost less elsewhere.
Target* & Walmart
Target and Walmart also have good prices, but the Target’s in our area had a larger selection. Target’s wipes came out to be a great value (comparable to BJs prices) Target also puts their wipes/diapers on sale pretty frequently and offer coupons every 3 or so months.
Online (Diapers.com/Amazon.com)
I’d usually say that if you’re working and totally pinched for time, it’s probably easier and more cost effective for you to order online--BUT not when it comes to wipes. Diapers.com and Amazon.com prices were awful compared to the other stores. For example, Pampers 770 count wipes cost $17 at BJs and $26 on Amazon. Huggies Soft Skin 600 count wipes cost $15 at BJs and $30 on Amazon!
However, both Diapers.com & Amazon.com deliver to your door and you can set up an automatic delivery schedule. Very convenient. Diapers.com often has an offer going on and has free delivery on orders over $49 (so just order your wipes and diapers together). I’ve found that the prices and selection on Amazon are not as stable as Diapers.com, however if you subscribe you save 15% on your orders and get free delivery—which would make their prices a bit better.
Supermarkets/Convenience Stores
While both put diapers/wipes on sale from time to time, the packages are very small and usually don’t compare to the savings you get at the discount and wholesale stores. Only buy diapers, wipes and formula at the supermarket if you are in a pinch or if they go on great sale—otherwise you are wasting your money. You’ll pay a lot more
Where to buy wipes in the DC area:
BJ’s Locations
Alexandria, Fairfax, Woodbridge, Fredricksburg
Waldorf, Columbia, Bowie
Costco Locations
Arlington, Springfield, Fairfax, Potomac Mills, Chantilly, Manassas
Beltsville, Gaithersburg
Target Locations
Columbia Heights
Alexandria (2), Falls Church, Skyline, Springfield, Fairfax, Manassas, and a whole lotta other places
Rockville, Columbia, Gaithersburg, etc
Babies R Us
Alexandria, Falls Church, Woodbridge, Waldorf, Chantilly, Silver Spring, Sterling
Buy Buy Baby
Rockville, MD
Springfield, VA
Walmart
Alexandria, Burke, Fairfax, Woodbridge, Manassas
Waldorf, Columbia, Germantown, Landover Hills, and more
Sam’s Club
Woodbridge, Sterling
Waldorf, Gaithersburg, Laurel, etc
Friday, June 11, 2010
On Vaca With My Family...
...I've got nothing good for you today.
Just a couple of random thoughts:
1- If you're pregnant with your first -- enjoy what alone time you have left with your husband -- Things really do change with kids. Read a book, go for a walk, have a nice dinner together, go on a long weekend, etc. Do something for yourselves before the baby comes.
2-Entered my third trimester this week and I am officially uncomfortable. Baby girl has been kicking me non-stop for the past few days as well. I should probably also cut back on the Dot's Donuts and Shriver's fudge. My eating tour of the Jersey Shore isn't helping the situation.
Will be back next week with a post on Wipe comparisons in the area, and a new Yummy/Yucky.
Just a couple of random thoughts:
1- If you're pregnant with your first -- enjoy what alone time you have left with your husband -- Things really do change with kids. Read a book, go for a walk, have a nice dinner together, go on a long weekend, etc. Do something for yourselves before the baby comes.
2-Entered my third trimester this week and I am officially uncomfortable. Baby girl has been kicking me non-stop for the past few days as well. I should probably also cut back on the Dot's Donuts and Shriver's fudge. My eating tour of the Jersey Shore isn't helping the situation.
Will be back next week with a post on Wipe comparisons in the area, and a new Yummy/Yucky.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Yummy/Yucky Pregnancy Side Effect #5: Nails
Yummy
My nails grow fast and I actually have adult looking nails.
Yucky
My nails grow fast and if I don’t cut them constantly I look like Wolverine.
A few other issues with nails – they sometimes break/split easily and sometimes your nail bed changes. Oh and manis and pedis don't last but a week or two because your nails grow so fast!
Past Yummy/Yuckys:
Yummy/Yucky Pregnancy Side Effect # 4: Skin Changes
http://expectinginsidethebeltway.blogspot.com/2010/06/yummyyucky-pregnancy-side-effect-4-skin.html
Yummy/Yucky Pregnancy Side Effects #2 & #3: Boobs & Back
Yummy/Yucky Pregnancy Side Effect #1: Hair
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