so many sales...

So there's just too many sales/deals to keep up with this time of year... and I'm pretty sure it will continue through the holidays... so here's a few I've checked out:

First... Zulily - I LOVE Zulily. Literally. And they have Spanx right now! not to mention the hubs and I are awaiting on new Keens to arrive Friday... I have received so many fantastic compliments on things I've bought for the little guy on Zulily... You'll LOVE all the great stuff you can find.



Children's Place -
 
Chez Ami - Daily Dealies - these are SUPER cute... but don't start until size 12m... so I'm refraining


The Sterling Shop - a little off topic... but LOVE this shop... always good deals on sterling as well as other name brand flatware. We love our Lennox flatware and realized we needed more than 12 settings... and through deals like this I've upped our settings to 16



 Happy Shopping!

The Fall Line is Here!

So... Chez Ami's fall line is finally out... AND... it's predictable... perhaps because little man is outgrowing shortalls, longalls, and the like... I'm not as high on the lines. The baggies just aren't that cute. But I still love the quality of the clothing... and the thickness! It lasts... and keeps its value if you want to see it online or at consignment after your little ones are done with them. I also like the little girl stuff... not as big a fan as ruffled pants as everyone else these days (seriously! we don't live in the 60 anymore!!!!)... but all in all... I'll probably get some stuff for the boy and the girl when the fall sales start in a couple months :-)

That being said... there is some cute stuff on here... and if you spend $250 or more (which is pretty likely if you plan to purchase anything)... you'll get 20% off... so... happy shopping (or waiting for the sales)!!

Pizza Sundays are BACK!

Annually we host a BYOT Pizza Christmas Party... and... Prior to parenthood... we had a Sunday evening tradition of creating homemade pizzas... since we still love pizza... and our little guy does too... last night we continued with the tradition... and it did not disappoint.

A little background... The more years I am removed from my time living in Italy... the harder it is for me to stay true to the Italian way of cooking... some for the better and some not... add to that being a full-time working preggers mom of a toddler... and not only am I looking for shortcuts... but I'm out of practice!

So... after buying some pre-made publix pizza dough (b/c it's the best when you don't have time to make your own!)... we made a fabulous pizza last night...

While I LOVE my kitchen... I've been struggling with cooking the pizza on a rack to the right crust consistency... so last night I decided to pre-cook the crust on a perforated non-stick pizza pan... while I sauteed the veggies. DING DING DING... We have a winner!  Literally... you can do this in 30 min flat.

What I used:
Publix Fresh Pizza Dough
EVOO
Pesto
Wright applewood smoked bacon
fresh garlic
spanish onion
baby bellas
Organic Girl baby spinach
Publix Fresh mozzarella (side-note - Publix has great dairy practices... hence they tend to have great dairy products)
Publix Shredded Italian 6 cheese
Feta
S&P to taste
Pizza Pan

Preheat oven to 440 deg F (I use conv bake)

First I prepared the veggies - crushed the garlic, chopped the onions, washed & sliced the baby bellas, then cut up the bacon into small pieces.

Next... spray the pizza pan, roll the dough, and place on pizza pan, baste with a very light coating of EVOO... and sprinkle some garlic powder and salt... place in oven and set timer for 10 min

While the crust is pre-cooking - saute the veggies... get the olive oil, salt, & pepper warm... then add the garlic and onions... saute until the garlic is toasted and the onions relatively translucent... then add the shrooms and bacon.  When fully cooked I like to strain the veggies... mainly b/c the shroom have SO much water... and that just makes for a soggy pizza!

In Parallel... while veggies are sauteing and crust is pre-cooking... slice up the fresh mozzarella into half-moons and rip up some fresh baby spinach.

Next pull the crust out...  and TOP IT!  spread some pesto on the crust (very light and doesn't need to cover entire pizza...). I like to use the back of the spoon to spread the sauce. Was tempted to use no sauce... but had the pesto so thought why not! 

Next comes the sauteed veggies and bacon... I use my hands to do this... I squeeze out the water when I grab a fistful, then spread evenly around the crust.

Then some Italian 6 cheese blend... about 1/3 of a 1 lb bag... then the spinach... I don't go overboard... if my 18m old sees too much green... he'll pull it off... this is also why I place it on the shredded cheese but under the FRESH Mozzarella...

Place the mozzarella evenly around the pizza to not only make each piece taste divine... but look great too. Last... we get shakers of feta from costco... so I shake the heck out of the feta until the pizza is covered... in both mozzarella and feta.

Then throw in the oven for 10 min... and it's done! Literally... this takes 30 min from start to finish... and it is super yummy. It helps my little man LOVES pizza... AND feta... and as long as the shrooms are underneath the cheese, he'll eat them too.

Forgot to get a pic when I pulled it out of the oven... so here's the 1/2 eaten Za...

*another great option would be to throw some tomato slices on top at the end... mmm...

Another week... another deal...

This time it's Crazy 8! Everything is 12.99 or less! Of course, if you wait until their semi-annual sales... you'll get stuff for $2-$5... but it all depends on what you need now... am I right!?!

Warning... Crazy 8 clothing tends to run a little big... similar to Gymboree... Andy has some great outfits from them... not as sturdy as Gymboree or Chez Ami... but it's cheap and cute and does the job.

Chez Ami... again

This is one of my favorite kids brands... and they always have great end of season sales. Here's the newest one you should check out... I think I have most of what they're selling for the little man and little gal to be... so instead of partaking in the sale... I'll share it with you!

Click HERE

Note - the jersey stretch and the seer sucker don't.. now... I understand the nature of the fabric should suggest that... however some people just don't get it. 

Also - Chez Ami leaves plenty of room for you to move buttons in the short/longalls... in case you have a tall & skinny little guy like me!


Enjoy the high quality Made in the USA children's clothes!

My Weakness for Sales

So... when it comes to online shopping for kids/baby clothing... I love certain brands... Chez Ami, Gymboree, Stride Rite, and to some extent Children's Place (for their sleepers, boy's hats, & some shoes). I also find myself on Zulily all too often buying up some cute boutique and organic clothing. I also just recently tried out Crazy 8 and will let you know what I think (I've received a few pieces as gifts and they are stylish and wear well). 

I pretty much get everything I NEED from the first few and fill it out w/ in-store shopping for basics with coupons at our local Carters and Babies R Us.

So when I get an email like this... I can't help but share it... (don't forget the web code)

and...

So this time we're back... not as the wandering cyclist... but the wandering mom!

A lot has changed and I'm going to try this whole blogging thing again in the midst of all the time I have as a full-time employee, mom, wife, and incubator.

Soon to come...
Reviews on gadgets/gear I think are totally worth it... and ones that I abhor
Recipes I found and love
Deals I run across to which I can't help but take advantage
Articles I come across that I find helpful in this world of mom, working mom, and wanna be performance athlete
and other news I find interesting and think you would too...

so welcome to my blog... and check back soon for updates!