Favorite Things Link Up

I have been following Danielle at Butler, Party of 2 for a while now.  She is very inspiring, both for getting me in physical shape and spiritual shape.  I am linking up with her to let you know my favorite things!  These are totally random and all over the place, but that is where my brain is these days.  So without further ado, these are a few of my favorite things :)

1 - Face wash:  St. Ives Apricot Scrub
      This is an oldie but a goodie.  I remember my sister using this when I was in middle school and it came in a little apricot colored tub.  They have updated the packaging and I have renewed my love affair with this product!  It makes your skin feel so soft and smooth after just the first use and it really does cut down on my blackheads and acne outbreaks.  I used to work for a dermatologist (and man did I have great skin then!) so I have tried tons different kinds of acne washes and regimens but this works just as well as the really expensive face washes.  

2 - Accessories: Any kind of "mom" necklace

       For Christmas I bought myself one of these super cute nest necklaces with two little eggs for my babies.  I have seen on Pinterest you can DIY, but I think I paid $13 for this one.  

Eli was recently out of town for a while so when he got back I treated myself to this necklace stamped with the kids' names.

I have this one pinned to my wishlist.

I am clearly seeing a trend with birds and kids.  

3 - Girl's Room Decor - The bird thing must have been the gateway to owls.  I am currently obsessed with owls.  This is the bedding in Averie's room from Pottery Barn Kids.

And this is the decal over her bed.

I have several blank canvases that I am just dying to turn in to owl themed art, but I'm still waiting on the time to do all these fantastic projects.

4. - Boy's Nursery Decorating - Somehow I made the leap from owls to alligators for the baby boy.  I am in love with alligators for all things little boys.  Here is his bedding:

Those tiny green things are alligators and his mobile has alligators on it.  It is adorable!  He also has tons of alligator clothing and toys.  Once I started looking for alligators I found them everywhere.  

5. Color - I am loving the color navy.  Reid's nursery is navy and green.  We had our pictures done last fall and we all wore some shade of navy.

Navy and polka dots, with ruffles.  I die!!

This is the dress I wore to Reid's baptism.  The color is Russian Navy.

6 - This purse.  I have had the same purse since Mother's Day 2010.  It just feel so frivolous to buy a purse at this stage of my life because 99% of the time I carry a diaper bag.  I do love this purse, it is the Oil Cloth Slouchy Bag from Boden.  And at $68 (not including the coupon code and free shipping I found), it's a good deal!

7 - Speaking of shopping online, I am loving Ebates.  The checks I get aren't really huge, but I did earn close to $100 last year just for going there first before I bought anything online.  They have really great deals sometimes, like 25% cash back on magazines, or recently when I did our taxes I got like $15 cash back just by clicking on TurboTax on their website.  When I am shopping online, I usually find what I'm going to buy, then go to ebates to search for the store.  If the store offers cash back, I click through ebates to get credit for my purchase.  You can check your tracking tickets to make sure you'll get credit, and a couple of times when something hasn't shown up they have credited it to my account literally minutes after I sent the email.  If you are shopping online anyway, you might as well get a little cash back from your purchase.

8 - MAM Pacifiers.  Averie never did take a pacifier but I was determined to turn baby Reid into a passy boy.  There were so many times (church, restaurants, public places...) that a pacifier would have been a great quick fix way to comfort my screaming baby.  I tried only one kind with Averie, but for Christmas Eli picked out these MAM pacifiers to go in Reid's stocking.  I like them because there is no "wrong" way to put them in, they come in super cute designs, and they make teething and glow in the dark versions.  Now they are the only ones he will take.  My kids also have small mouths - shocker - and these seem to fit their mouths better.  Fun fact, the dentist told me that if we had used a pacifier with Averie she might not have such a crowding problem with her teeth.  Great to know after it's too late.......

9 - Playtex Drop-In Bottles.  Someone had given me a tip on these bottles before Averie was born and I love them because the clean up is super easy.  You don't have any smelly bottles sitting in the sink and all you have to is wash the nipples.  I would highly recommend these to any new moms.

10 - Covergirl Outlast Lip Color.  This stuff rocks!!  It really does stay on all day, and even in to the next day.  It doesn't dry out your lips, crack or peel, and it really looks good all day long.  You re-apply the clear gloss during the day if you feel the need for more shine. 

11 - This recipe for Alice Spring Chicken.  Usually when I made a restaurant inspired meal at home it never even tastes remotely close to what you get in the actual restaurant.  But this was so close I actually felt like we were eating take out.  I bake my bacon in the oven (I don't know how to do it any other way without smoking up the house) and I sauteed the mushrooms in butter.  This website is also my new favorite for recipes because they are yummy looking, easy to follow, and use stuff I can pronounce.  

12 - My diaper bag.  I had a Vera Bradley one for Averie but I sold it at the children's sale because I wanted a more boy-ish looking one.  I got this one from Babies-R-Us and I love it.  I actually had a friend (who must not know I hate to spend money) ask me if it was a Coach bag.  I love that it has tons of pockets, the side bottle pockets are insulated, it has an anti-microbrial pocket for clean pacis and nipples, and clips to go on the stroller handle.  

13 - Car seats.  As cheap as I am I do not believe in skimping on car seats because your child does spend a lot of time in them.  According to the CDC:  

- In the United States during 2009, 1,314 children ages 14 years and younger died as occupants in motor vehicle crashes, and approximately 179,000 were injured.

- Child restraint systems are often used incorrectly. One study found that 72% of nearly 3,500 observed car and booster seats were misused in a way that could be expected to increase a child’s risk of injury during a crash.

For our infant seat we used the Chicco Discovery and for our toddler seat we use the Britax Boulevard.  The reason we chose to use a Britax is because of this article 

http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/48090667.html  

Not that we cross train tracks frequently, but the fact that this car seat could withstand the impact of a train and leave the child unharmed was enough to convince me to shell out the extra bucks.  It is also very important to make sure your child restraint is properly installed and used.  We had a state trooper install both of our seats and we make sure to use them correctly every time we are in the car (straps positioned tightly and at the right level, carrying handle locked in the down position, no toys or toys bar in use while we are rolling)

So, that concludes my list of favorite things.  I can't wait to read all the others!