Audrey Baby, Family, Shopping & Finances

Tiny Human Recommendations (6 Months+)

This is with double motive. First and foremost, lots of blog friends and internet friends and irl friends are having babies or have recently had babies. These are beyond-newborn-stage products that have been awesome for M. We still use and love the majority of them. (She’s a quarter past 2 y.o.)

I did a post like this once before and it was incredibly unpopular, but I don’t learn from my mistakes so fingers crossed this one does better.

Now for my second reason making this post… 90 days ago I was approved to be an Amazon affiliate and given an 180 day trial period to prove people wanted to buy my recs. Well so far I’ve had 0/3 people purchase anything- and that is for lack of trying. Oops. So this is my pathetic but honest plea to encourage you to use the links below if you do plan to buy any of these awesome products.

Ok. That was long winded. Let’s do this.

Sippy Cups

When you are a Type-A Enneagram 5 mom, you research the hell out of things. Like cups.

18 months and 4 days ago experts said it’s best for babies to learn to drink from a cup or from a straw- not tradition sippy cups. Why? I don’t know. They’ve likely changed their minds by now.

But regardless, M loves doing things on her own and this cups allowed her to consume a little water and create a terrible mess at the age of 8 months. The slightly less messy option, that we still use today, is this straw cup.

Why We Love It: The blue cup is shaped for small mouths, weighted at the bottom, and silicon for easy gripping. The straw cup is great because it’s easy to use, spill-proof, and the straw is weighted, so even if M turns it uptown drink it, the bottom of the straw shifts to the liquid and it works.
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No. 1 Stuffy

You know what’s weird? A baby who loves a stuffed octopus. But he’s cute. We named him Cal. He’s dropped a few ranks in recent months. Right now her favorite is actually a stuffed unicorn that was made to be a dog toy but now lives life as a two-year-old’s sleep buddy. Fortunately, we removed the squeaker so it’s less enticing to the dogs.

Why We Love It: Cal is easy to grab, easy to chew, and easy to wash.

Shopping Cart Cover

I registered for this before C*VID was a thing but holy cow has it been helpful since the plague began.

Why We Love It: It definitely gives me peace of mind in the store AND it catches all the crumbs/toys/sippy cups M drops while we’re shopping. Plus, it’s cute.
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Wet Bags

Originally purchased because we did cloth diapering, they’ve since been invaluable for many reasons. The big pocket is water-proofed and there is a smaller front pocket for other items. Plus the patterns are so dang adorable.

Why We Love It: These are great for dirty or wet clothes and bathing suits. They’re awesome to carry around while potty training. (I put extra clothes in the front zipper and anything that has been spoiled in the w.p. pouch.) They’re cute and they wash up so well!
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*I do not put mine in the dryer and they look like new. We started using them back in M’s newborn days.

Little Lamb Hat

First of all, my child actual kills me with how cute she is in this hat. That alone is reason to buy it for the child in your life.

Why We Love It: But really… there’s nothing cuter. And also it’s comfy and warm, easy to slide over their heads, and semi-difficult for them to remove while you’re turned away for 0.03 seconds.
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Closet Sorter

This item is 100% unnecessary but my eyes and brain loved them so much. Plus, you have a TON of baby clothes to sort through in those first two years and these help.

Why We Love It: They’re easy to hang in the closet, they keep clothes organized, and they’re cute. If you’re obsessed with order and organization, they’re fantastic.
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Admittedly, this is not my most exciting blog post, but I do swear by these items. And when I go to baby showers or recommend items to friends, these are always on my list.

Like I said, if you decide to get something from the list, pretty please use the links up there 😊 But if you don’t, I’ll forgive you and we can still be friends.

Do you have any must-haves for toddlerhood? I’m deep in the trenches and always looking for ways to keep my sour patch kid happy and safe.

-Aud

Audrey Shopping & Finances

Amazoning in the New Year

Hello all. I love shopping small & local, but the convenience of Amazon wins out pretty often in my life. And I’ve finally stopped being lazy and registered for an affiliated link (woo!), so I will earn a penny or two for M’s piggy bank*.

*her piggy bank is actually a fox

Most of these items are Christmas gifts, but some after post-holiday purchases and some are things I ordered for myself. As I mentioned, I make a tiny profit from sales through these links 🖤

New Books for M

Olya shared a bunch of marked down books on her IG last week. So naturally I stocked up for trips, holidays, birthdays, and just-becauses.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas | Home for the Holidays | Decorate A Christmas Tree | The Monster at the End of This Book | The Nutcracker

Gifts for the Critters

We like to spoil our pets and other people’s pets during the holidays. The vegetable squeaky toys were a big hit with our neighbors’ 6 month old puppy!

Automatic feeder | Doorbuddy | Buddy Biscuits | Chew Toys

Stuff for M

Both M’s big birthday gift and big Christmas gift came from Amazon. She got these awesome stepping stones for her b-day and this kitchen for Christmas. Both have provided hours of entertainment!

Stepping Stones | Step2 Kitchen | Sesame Street buddies

Stuff for Me

I decided to stop scrolling in bed and the easiest way to do that was to charge my phone across the room at night. But my phone was my alarm clock… so I needed a new one. I opted for this sunrise-simulating one. Way less $$ than a Hatch, but it’s actually been really nice.

The blue light glasses & cheetah flats were practical and beneficial purchases. The bag was purchased as a snack/toy travel bag for M. I actually keep it in my car right now, but it’s a great bag! Big, sturdy, tons of pockets!

Alarm clock | blue light glasses | cheetah flats | travel bag

We still have one more Christmas to go to, so I didn’t want to share ALL the things I’ve purchased. I’m linking up with Tanya for Prime Purchases.

What did you buy this month from Amazon? (Or Etsy! Or your local store!)

-Aud

Audrey Shopping & Finances

Amazoning

Like so many, I’ve been trying to shop small and shop local, but sometimes I need it fast and cheap… and there’s Amazon for that.

Before I share all these unaffiliated Amazon links, let me share a few small businesses on Etsy that I’ve been loving lately:

And now for some Amazon purchases…

Kirkland Signature Shampoo & Conditioner | ELEVEN Australia Sea Salt Texture Spray
When I was last at Aubrey’s house I used her shampoo, conditioner, and sea salt spray. And I loved the smell and feel of them… so I came back home and order some.

Dreambaby Pouch Pal | Simple Modern Reusable Food Pouches
Moo gets the majority of her fruit nutrition from pouches. She doesn’t like fruit but she’ll eat these… but only if I’m holding it. She will squeeze it out if I give it to her. To prevent that I got the Pouch Pal and to lessen waste with the throwaway pouches I got some reusable one. We’re still adjusting to both of these items.

Baby Girl WILD ONE Outfit
M’s First (Zoom) Birthday Party outfit. It fit so nicely, the pants are super soft and silky, and I feel like I can match the pieces with other tops and bottoms.

The Home Edit Workbook
Sometimes I make very spontaneous purchases. *face palm* Hopefully I love this, but it’s a pre-order so time will tell. Lol

These were a few Christmas gifts for others:

Cathedral | Burrito Blanket | The Great Gatsby | Cat Sweatshirt
My brother asked for Cathedral and then beat me in two games on Christmas morning. K’s uncle got Moo a burrito swaddle when she was a baby so she returned the favor at Christmas and got him an adult burrito blanket. My sister loves The Great Gatsby so I got her this graphic novel. She also loves her kitties.

I made a few other purchases but they’re not-yet-gifted gifts… so I’m keeping them under wraps.

What have you recently bought from Amazon? (Or, better yet, Etsy?)

Audrey Shopping & Finances

Amazoning

Happy Almost Weekend! We have another Saturday/Sunday of zero plans ahead of us. I’m attending a virtual baby shower on Saturday afternoon & I’m sure we’ll go grocery shopping at some point, but beyond that we’re homebound. What a time to be alive.

Since we’re home A LOT more than we used to be and I can’t mindlessly wander Target and we have a child that grows 125% every other week… we’ve been amazoning. (I promise I shop small business sites very often, too!)

Here are some of our latest things (and why):

Replacement Cord

Bristol is an asshole.
I was lent a baby swing weeks after M was born, but we hadn’t used it in a while. Since she was getting too big for it I contacted my friend & said I’d return it to her. When I went to break down the swing and load the parts into my car I found that Bristol had chewed through the cord. So $25 later I was able to return the swing, good as new.

Get a dog, they said. It’ll be fun, they said.

Changing Table & Accessories

We needed a changing table in the living room. The small one across the playpen was getting too small & I needed the playpen up in our bedroom so M can play while I get dressed in the mornings.

I didn’t realize the table came with a pad- I might return the extra one I got. The covers are so soft and match our room decor. The bamboo liners are a necessity for cloth diapering 😉

Swimsuit

We started swim lessons with M once some pandemic restrictions were lifted. Our facility is very clean & I am the only one who comes in contact with M during the entire lesson. (Kaity wrote about the swim school here!)
ANYWAY- after a week of lessons I realized I had ZERO appropriate suits for swimming with a handsy baby (I had a strapless one, a lace one, and a keyhole-boob one… lol). So I got a slightly more conservative, nip-slip-free swimsuit. HAHAHA.

Father’s Day Grilling Gifts

Along with a matching daddy-daughter apron set, we got K some dredge shakers, a griddle cook book, and his own hibachi peeing-man squirt toy. We wanted him to feel legit.

Check out that picture quality ^^ Very nice, Amazon.

My purchases are so dull. My apologies if you’ve made it this far.

I also got M some spoons & myself some cotton gloves and moisturizing treatments because the skin on my hand is nothing short of dry & disgusting. (I’m seeing a dermatologist for it this month- it’s that bad.)

And that about sums it up. Please share what you’ve been buying or doing or dreaming about so that we can switch off my incredibly boring life 😬

I’m going to link up with Kristen for What’s New With You? (obviously nothing here) and Tanya for Prime Purchases.

 

What's New With You
Audrey Food & Drink, Shopping & Finances

Awesome Aldi Finds

Happy May, my friends. How are you holding up? Ohio is under a weird stay at home order but also manufacturing is allowed to resume and you can take your dog to the groomers but your children can’t go to school for the rest of the year… Anyway, manufacturing is allowed to resume if rules are followed so K has decided to bring back a few employees. He has masks and gloves for everyone and it will be 4 people working in a 23,000 sqft warehouse… so we’re alright.

On top of that, the disaster loan requirements state that you have to have your employees rehired by a certain date and your funds have to go to payroll/health insurance if you want to qualify for forgivingness and.. and.. and.. which doesn’t align with ANY of the stay at home orders but whatever. Our government doesn’t know up from down right now.

That train derailed rather quickly… That’s what happens when I’m stressed and angry and worried and exhausted. I know, I know- join the club.

I’m actually here to talk about my recent Aldi finds! Since we’re all instacart-ing or taking our one trip out of the house to the grocery store I thought it might be helpful and interesting to share these items:

London Fog Tea Latte (Simply Nature) This was SO yummy. I mixed mine with oat milk & microwaved it for an afternoon pick-me-up!

Moscato (Winking Owl) These are the best sweet wines from Aldi!

Red Pepper Hummas (Simply Nature) with Sea Salt Pita Chips (Specially Selected)

Caesar salad Kit (Little Salad Bar) The absolute best Caesar dressing ever.

Fresh Cut Salsa (Park Street Deli) Slightly sweet, very yummy, fresh salsa.

Thick Sliced Peppercorn Bacon (Appleton Farms) Inexpensive and delicious bacon!

Pork Egg Rolls (Fusia) A perfect snack. You gotta cook them in oven, though. The microwave makes them soggy.

Grain Bowls (Whole & Simple) They have several of these bowls… some breakfast foods, some more like lunch or dinner. They’re usually pretty healthy and full of protein.

Whipped Cream Cheese Spread (Happy Farms) It’s literally whipped Philadelphia c.c.

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cups (Specially Selected) I think these might’ve been a Valentine’s Day special… *sigh*

Frozen California Rolls & Shrimp Rolls (Fusia) Listen… I know it’s weird buying frozen rolls from Aldi but these are actually pretty dang good for what they are. Lol

Aldi has great breads, vegetables, grains (including quinoa!), and frozen items. If you’ve never been in the store it can be a little overwhelming, but I’d urge you to check it out! (Take a quarter & some reusable bags.) This is NOT an Aldi sponsored post, lol.

Did I convince you to eat Aldi sushi? Lol. What are your favorite things to get from Aldi?? (I wish we had a Trader Joe’s but Aldi is closest thing we’ll ever have, ha.)