Book Of The Week and What I Wore

It's been a busy week so please excuse my combining posts.  To start, here was our favorite book this week:

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What: The Train To Glasgow

Who: Wilma Horsbrugh and Paul Cox

Why: My kids love books about trains.  And they love books that rhyme.  And they really love books that build on the same rhyme so they can recite right along by the time the book ends.  This book combines all three elements with fun paintings of trains (and chickens, and passengers).  Also, the Scottish names are fun to pronounce.

What I Wore: Garage Sale-ing

I love to go to garage sales.  So do my kids.  This weekend, I wore this ensemble while hitting the sales.  I also happened to have purchased this shirt for a steal ($1!) at a garage sale a few weeks back.

Shirt: Maurices (garage sale)

Shorts: Old Navy (ancient)

Glasses: Converse

Shoes: Akaishi (yes, I need orthotic shoes *sigh*)

Watch: Skagen

Rings: 1saleaday, heirloom, Helzberg Diamonds

What I Wore: Pizza Place

Grandma took the family out for pizza tonight.  She was surprised to see me wearing a dress that had once been hers.  It had been handed down to me from my sister-in-law - so now all three ladies in the family have worn this dress.  I had it taken in a size, but it still looks great, even after all these years!

Dress: Old Navy (15+ years old)

Accessories: same as above

Garage Sale Tips

  

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So you've got too much "stuff" in your house and it's time to unload.  You'd like to make a little money in the process.  It's garage sale time!!  Garage sales always seem like a great idea - but sometimes it's the little things that decide whether a garage sale is a success or a bust.  I've spent a lot of time browsing garage sales and almost as much time preparing for my own.  Here are a few things that I've learned along the way:

Check The Weather

If you are blessed to live in an area where the weather is balmy year round, you can schedule your garage sale almost any time.  However, most of us encounter prohibitive weather at least occasionally through the spring and summer.  Clearly, you don't want to schedule a garage sale during hurricane season.  But living in Kansas, I'd never given a second thought to the weather when I started gathering my junk to sell.  We marked our calendars for the middle of July, scheduled vacation days to man the tables - and no one came.  Why?  Because by 10am it had reached 95 degrees and no one wanted to be outside - not even us.  We hardly sold a thing because of the heat.  If you do decide to sell during a heat wave, be sure to set up a booth with cold water (you can charge for this, people will pay) and make sure to have lots of fans blowing cool breezes on your shoppers.  If the forecast predicts showers, either reschedule or make sure your items are easy to drag inside in a hurry.  

Signage Is Key

If people don't know you're having a garage sale, they won't come.  If they have to hunt through winding neighborhoods, they'll give up and leave.  Make sure you put up plenty of signs.  One in front of your house, one at each end of your street, and one at every bend in every road between your home and the closest major streets.  If someone hits an intersection or a T and there's no sign, they'll probably go home.  Don't forget to check your signs occasionally, as they are easily carried off by wind, rogue cars, and roving teenagers.  Signs don't need to be expensive - I've seen everything from painted diaper boxes to old t-shirts marked in Sharpie - but big, bold and colorful will get the most attention.  Bunting in front of the house is a huge plus - people can spot your sale from the end of the street and don't have to hunt.  You might even draw in people who missed the signs at the street corner but want to know what all those little flags are about.

 

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Low Prices

I hate to say it, but start your prices low.  If someone can buy a similar item brand new at Walmart for the price you've put on your used item, they're going to walk away.  Similarly, if I arrive at a garage sale and clothing items are 25-50 cents each, I'll likely spend $10 and buy a big stack.  You make money, you move stuff.  If shirts are $3 each, I'll walk away without spending anything. You'll probably end up giving these clothes away.  Of course there are exceptions.  A worn-once prom dress that cost $95 new will sell for a lot more than the t-shirts your son wore every single day.  Adult clothes in excellent condition can sell for more than baby items.  And if you're super at Ebay and are just trying to save shipping costs, start the prices wherever you like.  Just remember that the lower your prices, the more likely people are to hang around and fill their arms with items.  And in general - brand names don't make that much of a difference.  I'm still not willing to pay $5 for a used Abercrombie shirt if I can buy my kids a new shirt at Target for the same price.  Call me cheap, but that's why I'm at a garage sale in the first place.  Haven't sold anything in a while?  Put up a % off sign.  We often moved the most stuff and made the biggest sales on Saturday mornings when we simply said "make an offer."

Label Things Clearly

Make sure that items are clearly marked with prices and (if applicable) sizes or other important information.   Usually, I'm too lazy (or too busy chasing my kids) to bother to ask the price of something unlabeled.   It's also great not to have to peer into all the clothes to find out the size. If several like items (clothes, books, etc) are all the same price/size, one big sign is fine as long as it's clearly marked and located near the items it describes. 

 

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Group Like Items

This one's a bit of a no-brainer, but I have actually attended sales where the items were distributed with almost no thought to category.  Make sure the clothes are in one area (sorted by size and gender please), the toys in another, the books in another, kitchen items together, etc.  I usually go to a garage sale with an agenda and if I can't spot what I'm looking for quickly, I'll leave.

Place Items On Driveway

It might be a pain to drag items in and out of a garage, but items on a driveway are a dead giveaway that you're having a garage sale.  In fact, my kids now assume that every house that has an open garage and/or stuff in the driveway is a sale - even if it's only trash day.  If you can't get the signs, bunting, balloons, etc outside your house, then you definitely want lots of large items right out front.  Big furniture, large toys, tables full of items - anything that will catch the eye from far away will bring people in. 

Offer Incentives

Just like some of the most successful retail stores, some of the best garage sales I've been to offered little incentives to endear us to them.  Free cookies while we shop.  A box of freebies for the kids to rifle through (think Happy Meal toys) while Mama looked around.  Buy-two-get-one-free books.  Rounding down the last quarter so I didn't have to hunt for change.  I even attended one estate sale where I bought two items and took home three for free! (They were stacked to the brim and really wanted to get rid of things).  A couple of times I've left a sale, gotten more cash, and come back to continue shopping.  Did they have better "stuff" than the next guy?  Not really.  But their customer service was fantastic.

So, are you ready to have your sale and turn your trash into someone else's treasure (and some much needed cash for yourself)? 

Stuff I Love: The Honest Company

Having three kids in three years means I've changed a lot of diapers. I've tried generic diapers, Pampers, Huggies, natural, synthetic, and even had a brief stint with cloth (which I loved, but just couldn't keep up with on all 3).  I've run to the store at midnight to pick up a package of diapers.  I've used paper towels to wipe bottoms when we ran out of wipes.  I've grown entirely bored with traditional Sesame Street and Disney characters emblazoned on my babies' tushies. I've scheduled entire mornings around making it to Target (the only store in town that sells Huggies Naturals in a size 3).  But no more.

Enter The Honest Company.  Founded by Jessica Alba and Christopher Gavigan, this company is dedicated to providing family essentials at an affordable rate.  The company is very transparent in their goals and their materials.  And the Honest Company gives back!  Plus, there are SO many reasons to love these diapers.  Here are a few:

1) The diapers are natural.  

They are healthy for baby and as healthy as possible for the environment.  They are made from renewable/recyclable materials.  They are largely naturally sourced.  They are manufactured with sustainability in mind. They aren't 100% plant based yet, but it's a goal they are moving toward.

2) The diapers are comfortable.

So many 'natural'  diaper brands we'd tried chafed and left sores on my babies as they ran and crawled around.  These diapers haven't made a mark and my kids seem so comfy in them.  They aren't any bulkier than a regular disposable - in fact they are made long and lean so they are nice and slim, even when wet.  Baby doesn't waddle in this diaper.

3) They come in fun designs.

 Everything from ice-cream cones, to flowers, plaid to skull-and-crossbones - and of course, plain old white.  And you have the option to choose!   Want pink and girly this month?  Done!  Want something blue next month?  Great!  Need all white for those summer dresses?  You got it!  You can update your 'nursery' any time between shipments to get just the right size and design.  

 

4) They ship right to your door.

A whole month's supply of diapers and wipes shows up on your doorstep all at once.  No more running to the store to pick up a package in the middle of the night.  Need more diapers than they typically ship?  Don't use quite as many as they send?  Give them a call, they're willing to work with you to make your order just right.  

And they don't just offer diapers.  Along with a diaper bundle, they also offer a Home Essentials bundle which you can customize with eco-friendly baby shampoos, lotions, soaps, body washes, laundry detergent and more.  

Best of all, you can get a free trial of one or both bundles (just pay shipping).  The service is so affordable!  You can find a price and material comparison here.  Give them a try and see if you aren't convinced - The Honest Company really is a diapering parent's dream come true.  

*Note: I am not an affiliate of this company and was not compensated for this post in any way.

Mom's Monday Mingle

Welcome to Mom's Monday Mingle. Last week we had over 150 moms ready to mingle! Can't wait to see what round 11 brings!  If you could help promote Mom's Monday Mingle through facebook and twitter that would really help. Thanks for helping promote. It really does help make this hop a success!

  Return next week to see if you are the next, "Mystery Host!"

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Let's get ready to mingle. Hope everyone had a great weekend! Now, it's time to show off what you did last week. You can link up a post or your blog. Whatever goes!  Please return on Wednesday for Like Me on Facebook.  Also, if you like to shop and like to review products return on Friday for Favorite Product Fridays. I found some great products to feature!

RULES:

1. Please follow each hostess. They are 1-4 in the list!Naptime Review-HostessAt Home Take 2- HostessLittle Becky Homecky-HostessMystery Host 2. Please comment on each blog. We do FOLLOW back and we really love all the comments! 3. Try to visit at least 4 blogs that interest you. Just don't throw your name into the link up, hoping to gain followers. Participate, make friends, and have fun! I know I have made a lot of great blog friends ;) 4. Grab our button and share with others. The more the merrier!5. If you are the selected "Mystery Host." Please grab the code at the bottom and host this hop on your blog as well.  Thanks! Let's get ready to mingle....

The OFL Challenge

If you've been following this blog long, you may have seen me posting about Operation Feed The Lambs or even the Operation Feed The Lambs 6 Week Challenge.  

 Well guys, the challenge has been a bust.  I literally had no one link up.  No one sent me any stats.  I've seen the button around the bloggy world and that means a lot to me - but buttons don't feed babies. 

 I'll be honest - I haven't really gotten my act together either.  I've raised a total of $28.  And all but $7 of those have come from me donating the profit equivalent of a giveaway item from my Hunger Line.  Why nothing more?  Because summer is tough.  Summer is busy. 

And I figure, if summer is rough for me - it's probably rough for everyone.  Also, children don't just starve for 6 weeks.  They starve every single day of every year.  So why put an end to the challenge?

 Therefore guys, I'm extending the deadline for the Operation Feed The Lambs Challenge  - indefinitely.  I'll never take that ticker down.  I'll never stop reminding you all about OFL and what we're trying to do.  So if you missed the first 6 weeks, now is the time to get on board!  Once again, here are the details:

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The most helpless feeling in the world, for a parent, is being unable to relieve the suffering of a child.  Fortunately, America is a country of vast resources.  True, even in our privileged society children go hungry and fall prey to terrible illnesses.  But these tragedies are magnified tenfold in countries that are overrun with poverty.

Not long ago stories and images flooded the news channels about parents in the Horn of Africa having to leave behind children who were too weak to walk as they made long voyages seeking food and aid after a famine.  I can't begin to fathom how difficult that decision must have been.  I'd like to think that this was an isolated incident due to unpredictable circumstances.   Unfortunately, that isn't the case.

According to Thinkquest*, 15 million children die each year from hunger.

Bread.org estimates that 925 million people suffer from hunger and malnutrition worldwide.

The World Food Project claims that hunger kills more people each year than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined!

And the most tragic of all - Thinkquest claims that most of the world's hunger and sanitation problems could be solved for the cost of what people in developed countries spend on perfume in just one year. 

But it isn't enough to think "oh, sure, I could give up this perfume bottle to feed a kid."  Someone has to match the willing donors to the need.  Someone has to inform people that there is a need in the first place.  I'm sure we're all aware of hunger.  But in a society where many of us are relatively well fed, it's hard to really comprehend the level of starvation occurring in the world.

I have a "Cause" section in my menu that highlights many great causes that are worth fighting for.  I've been posting lately that I don't have the time or resources to take on every cause as my own, so I share them with you there.  But this one - hunger, starvation, malnourished children - this is MY cause.

And I want to invite you to join me in the fight to bring food to children in need.  If we can ease the suffering of even a few children - if we can abate the heartache of a few parents - that is my goal.  So, I am officially issuing the

Operation Feed The Lambs Challenge

How much money can we in the bloggerverse raise to help end child starvation?  Will you join me in raising some funds?  Here are the details

1) Plan out a fundraiser.  It can be as simple as hitting up your friends for spare change, or as complicated as organizing a 5K.  Whatever you're good at, start there.

2) Start a Hunger Line.  Are you an etsy shop owner?  Consider starting a Hunger Line.  Choose one item (or type of item) and donate 100% of profits from that one item to fighting hunger.  Be sure to tag your item with Hunger Line - lets see if we can start an etsy trend!

3) Be a media maven! Tweet about the OFL challenge, post on your facebook page, write up a blog post or grab this button for your side bar

<div align="center"><a href="http://babystuffilove.blogspot.com/search/label/Operation%20Feed%20The%20Lambs" title="Operation Feed The Lambs"><img src="http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee435/mrscat206/EndHungerbutton-1.jpg" alt="Operation Feed The Lambs" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

4) Link up.  We have a linky for your Hunger Line here, and another linky for your project posts here.  I'll be sure to keep the linky active so we can all check out each other's projects!

5) Donate.  Then take those dollars you've raised and donate them. Any charity that turns that money into food will do. Already have a favorite organization? Great! If not, you might want to consider some of these:

Feed The Children
Children's Hunger Relief Fund
Children's Hunger Fund
Heifer International
World Food Programme
World Vision

Do a little research, pick the one that's right for you, and help feed those babies! Once you've donated your funds, if you feel comfortable, send me your total and I'll add it to the ticker.  Let's make that mercury rise!!

Are you in?  Do you have any questions?  Have a project idea, charity, or story you really want to share?  Feel free to comment below, or email me at stuffilove.and.mimibaby@gmail.com!



*Facts as of 1997
 

Scripture Sunday: Proverbs 31 - Pt II

This week we are continuing our discussion of Proverbs 31.  You can find part I here. 

Proverbs 31: A Wife Of Noble Character

1) She Is Prepared

²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
    for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
²² She makes coverings for her bed;
    she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
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²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
    and supplies the merchants with sashes.

^{Not only does the noble wife work diligently to make sure that her family has plenty, but she also has enough to share.  She also understands the adage of "quality over quantity."  Her family is well dressed, warmly dressed, and well provided for.  She plans ahead for the future so that she is not caught off guard but unexpected circumstances.  How often have I been snowed in for days watching my pantry grow bare and my children grow restless.  With some forethought, I'd have been armed with a full freezer and a big box of activities - whether I needed them or not!}

^{2) She Is Wise} 

 ²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.
²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.

The noble wife is filled with the word of the Lord.  She has asked Him for wisdom, and He has provided.  She does not wag her tongue in gossip, but uses her words to guide and uplift others.  She is not shy, but neither is she haughty.  She has sought the Lord's purpose for her life, and she has made a plan for her days.  I often forget that silence is often the most constructive choice.  I forget that planning and organization can alleviate so much of the stress that I allow to creep into my life.   I need to seek my purpose from the Lord, then weed out the excess in my life - the chatter, the 'stuff', the activities that are draining instead of uplifting. 

3) She Is Praised
²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
²⁹ “Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”

The woman who is hard-working and wise, who seeks to build up others and run an organized home - she is praised by those with whom she comes into contact. 

4) She Is Humble
³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
³¹ Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Isn't it ironic that often the more we try to garner laud for ourselves, the less we endear ourselves to others.  It is in humbling ourselves, before God, before our families, before everyone we meet - in thinking of others before ourselves - that we gain respect in their eyes.  The noble wife knows where her value lies.  She knows that her beauty and glory are found in the Lord, not in her own worth.  And it is this knowledge that makes her truly beautiful.   

Saturday Shop Hop: Summer

Welcome to another Saturday Shop Hop!  Last week's theme was Silver.


Here are a couple of the fabulous items that linked up!

Bonn Bonn Boutique

 Cloud Nine Designz

 My Cents Of Style

The Rogue Baby


This week's theme:  Summer

Link up any and all of your summery items!  Nothing summery in your shop?  Link up anyway.  

Next week I'll be choosing a couple of submissions to display!

Be sure to visit each other's shops, and if you have a spot on your blog, be sure to post our button!  The more we share the hop, the more visitors we all get :)  Thanks all!

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Want to co-host a hop?  Email stuffilove.and.mimibaby@gmail.com!