Review and Giveaway: Littlest Prince Couture

I am so excited December is here. It's been a crazy year and December always manages to snap me back into reality and into remembering what's important. Where it's better to give than to receive and how AMAZING that warm, fuzzy, feeling is when you know you've done something to help another person. 

I wanted to wait until the beginning of December to share this next company with you because the mama behind it truly embodies the giving spirit and is so unbelievably sweet and generous that I know you will love supporting her mission. The company is Littlest Prince Couture. It is a clothing line made just for boys size 0-18 months and primarily "little man" clothes. Button-down shirts, trouser pants, ties and vests. Such adorable little outfits that scream Little Prince and not a pastel or puppy dog in sight. As a mom of a little man, sure the baby blues and greens are cute, and the puppies, monkeys, and trains are fun for a little bit, but let's be honest, sometimes it gets old, and sometimes you want your little charmer to dress up! With the holidays approaching, the outfits at Littlest Prince are a shoe-in for dinners, church, and parties. 

If that's not enough to get you excited, here's my favorite part about the company. 100%, yes ONE HUNDRED PERCENT of net profits are donated "to charities that are dedicated to improving the chances of life for the millions of infants worldwide that are born prematurely with little chance of survival.". The three charities that Littlest Prince donates to are: Newborns in Need, Embrace, and Neonatal Resuscitation Training Fund. You can learn more about each of these charities here. When I met with Tamara, the mother behind Littlest Prince, I asked her why. Why pour all your time, energy, and financial resources into a company that you will not receive financial gain from. Her answer was simple. She was inspired by a philanthropic doctor n a book she read "Mountains Beyond Mountains" and wanted to help others.(You can learn more about her motivations here) She didn't have the financial means available to give as much as she wanted, so she created a company that would allow her to donate any income she received to charities that help infants. When she told me that I got goosebumps, matter of fact, as I'm writing this I'm getting goosebumps. You tend to see people become friendlier and more generous around the holidays, but this is year round. This is Tamara's passion; helping you find a cute outfit for your little one, and in turn help an infant somewhere in the world. Compassion like that is beyond inspiring.

B got to model! He's wearing 9m pants, 12 m shirt and vest

Showing off his dance moves

The clothes are machine washable and for the most part are pretty true to size. I did notice the pants tend to run a little big (which is a great plus if you have a cloth bootie to cover!) and the shirts are a bodysuit so they stay tucked in and work with or without and undershirt. B is about 14.5 months, 21lbs and around 31 inches give or take. When I selected sizes for us to review. I went with 12m pants. They fit well at the waist and were just a touch long. The shirt and vest are both 18m. I was worried that once I washed the shirt (cold/medium heat tumble dry) that it would shrink and it didn't! The vest is also 18m and they both fit quite well.  The clothes are soft and well-made and the vests and ties actually look like mini versions of the adult ones. So adorable! 

So when you're thinking about the holidays, and what ways you can give back. Reward yourself. Get a great outfit for your child, and know that the money you spend on that outfit is going to help another child somewhere and not pad the pockets of some CEO. Know that every time you button that shirt, fasten those pants, or put on that tie that you helped contribute to something so much bigger than yourself. The holiday spirit certainly doesn't begin any better way! 

You can check out the entire Littlest Prince Couture line here and pick out what you'd like to dress  your little guy in this year. Tamara is so generous she's giving everyone 15% off their total order with the code KRAZY. Local mamas can even select FREE local pickup! What's even better, ONE lucky reader will win a $25 giftcard to help get their little one ready for the holidays! All items are ready to ship so you should have them for your holiday celebrations!

Fill out the PromoSimple form below for your chance to win and have fun imagining the style possibilities for your little cutie!

*Disclaimer: Thank you you Littlest Prince for providing the items for review. The opinions reflected are entirely my own and may be different than yours*

B's First Birthday

It finally came. B's first birthday. I want to make sure this post doesn't get too weepy about my little man turning one, so let's keep it straight to business and I'll show you how we threw an awesome pirate-themed party on a budget. I gathered most of my ideas through my board on Pinterest (you can see the whole board here), so I'll give credit to each of the sites as we get to them. Also, I had plenty of help from my family members that were visiting so when I say "I" going forward it usually means "we" :)

Our homemade, pieced-together pirate costumes

Let's start with invites. We wanted to do something fun an memorable and knew the majorty of people that were being invited lived nearby, so we opted for a hand-delivered option rather than standard invites. We were came up with a message in a bottle concept. Now, keep in mind, the bottles alone were $1 a piece from the dollar store, but initial plans were to have them double as favors later. I'll get to that part in a bit...Anyway, so we had the bottles, a little chalkboard paint covered up the oil/vinegar labels Then I wrapped some twine around the top, threw in some "play" sand from Wal-mart and some sea glass and jewels that were on sale at Michaels. I also got the paper for the invite at Michaels. They had decorative scrapbook paper 6 sheets for $1.00. I printed them and then we burned the edges to give it that "rustic" look.

Total invite: $2.13.

Just painted over the label with chalkboard paint

Found some catchy pirate lingo online

 

 

All of our guests were going to come through the front door, so we had to do somethign fun. I saw this wreath and thought it would be perfect! I had to re-create it! Once again, I hit the Halloween section at Michaels and supplemented with the wooden crafts at Hobby Lobby to make this wreath. Total cost about $15. 

 

 

 Then came time to decorate the house!

 

 

The birthday banner was made with 2 large posterboard pieces, $.97 each, from Wal-Mart and twine from Hobby Lobby (A large spool that was originally about $5.00, but I had a 40% off coupon that you can print off their website). The sticks on either side were taken off the trees from the backyard and the black webbing was on sale at Michaels in their Halloween department. This was also used for the wreath. The red and white material you'll see throughout, I also got that at Hobby Lobby with a 40% off coupon and the jars and vases on this table I already owned. The banner stringing was loosly based on this site.

I didn't want to go overboard on a cake, and trust me, there are TONS of cute pirate cakes, but none that I would have been able to make myself, so this one solved that problem! I got the recipe here. Instead of chocolate cake, I used marble instead.  The ring pops were four for $1 and candy necklaces were at the dollar store as well. Rolos were used for "gold". 

Whoppers, Sweedish Fish, and Kisses. The red skull is a borrowed vodka bottle with water and food coloring.

Many of my clever names came from here.

 This was the main table. Since it was an afternoon party, we went with snack foods rather than a "meal" of sorts. We used fruit, pasta salad, chips/salsa/guacamole, goldfish crackers, bread sticks and cheese cubes. The treasure chest in the upper left was a wine case that was on clearance for $1.49 at Michales that I just painted with acrylic paint. The candlesticks I already owned. 

  Another closeup of the decorations. I used the leftover seaglass from the invitations, soem party beads and plastic gold coins. Again, giving credit here for the awesome name suggestions!

 So these "cannon balls" came from this recipe and were a HUGE hit! They were honestly the first thing to go. We also grilled chicken wings (below) and served those with dipping sauces. The picture I took of the other dish didn't turn out so well, it was cocktail weenies and meatballs. We put them in one crockpot and labeled them Dead Man's Fingers and Eyes. Those went quickly too!

























After all that food, you must be wondering what we had to drink. I borrowed two beverage jars from friends. One had cucumber water and the other had sangria. I didn't like the recipes I found for grog, so I made "sangroga" instead. The cups were mason jars wrapped in the red and white scrap fabric, the twine from earlier, and a plastic gold coin. All of it was secured with the magic of hot glue, and the coins functioned as a place to write your name so you didn't mix up glasses!

The next part was a fun one for me. We had 7 little ones at the party, all around the age of 1, with one older boy who was all of 3 years old! I found little wooden pirate dolls at Hobby Lobby for $1.49 each and placed them in ziploc bags. Each bag had a couple squirts of paint and then they were taped to a card table on the floor. The kids were able to "paint" their dolls through the bag without getting paint everywhere!

Since the paint took longer than expected to dry, it was all kept in the bag and then put into their goodie bags.

The goodie bags has temporary tattoos, a bag of Pirates Booty popcorn, the dolls, and these fun bananas!

These bananas were irresistible! The idea for them came from here. Notice that red and white fabric, showing up everywhere!

Lastly came the man of honor himself, his little outfit. What to wear, what to wear. Well, when you cloth diaper, a birthday party is the perfect venue to go without pants and show off some cute fluff!!

This pirate diaper was made by an awesome, local, WAHM. She owns My Goodness Creations and made this cute pocket diaper. I stuffed it with a MF insert and and hemp doubler just to make sure he lasted teh whole party in it, and he did! Not one leak! The fit was amazing, and the snaps held up fantastically. Little B has been known to be a diaper houdini and I'm happy to say, this diaper stayed on him the whole party long! It was easily 4 hours, not one snap was removed! This has since been a favorite diaper of mine and after a few washes, I'm happily shocked that the color hasn't faded at all! You know how much I love a great WAHM diaper and this one is definitely a great indication of a well made diaper, plus her prices are awesome as well! Check out her Etsy and facebook pages for more info!

So, after seeing that picture, you must be wondering what B is wearing. He rocked a customized, white t-shirt to go with his fluff. Remember the car seat cooler pads I reviewed? Well that mama, Heather, also makes custom clothes, so I contacted her to help me out with a shirt for B. I apologize for the crummy picture, that kid wouldn't stay still! It has a skull patch, and a little pirate ship in the bottom right. It also says "ARRRR! It's me 1st Birthday!" I gathered the initial idea from here and Heather helped me come up with the final plan. Plus, she added the name patch on back (above) which I thought was a cute touch!















So there it is, the whole party! Our sweet little boy is already one. It has been a memorable year and I can't wait to see the changes life has in store for us going forward.

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish

-Rascal Flatts "My Wish"

WAHM Wednesday: Kalypso Twist

WAHM Wednesday is back ladies and gentlemen, after a brief one-week hiatus, I'm back with a new mama made cloth diaper, and ONE for a lucky reader too! 

This next business, Kalypso Twist is a new favorite of mine for a few reasons:

• She's local. The lady behind this business is just around the corner, so to speak, from me, and I always love working with and supporting local business. 
• She has a great product. There's way more than just the "cute" factor going into these lovely diapers
• She is an absolute gem to work with! Ms. Kalypso Twist, or Amber to her friends, is always quick to answer an email about her diapers and products, and is even able to do repairs on other diapers! (Like certain sized diapers that seem to have elastic that loosens up too quickly :) ) 

 WAHM's never cease to amaze me with their talent and ability to multi-task, but when I started learning more about Amber and her business, I was shocked to find out she had never sewn before making diapers! This is coming from someone who struggles with making napkins, to meet someone who never sewed a stitch and now makes a fantastic diaper, call me awe-struck! And diapers aren't her only interest! She's also working on developing another new product in her "free-time"! I love her entrepreneurial spirit!

Ok, ok, I get it, enough with the "behind the scenes", let's get to the diaper! When you place an order from Kalypso Twist, you can do it directly from Hyena cart. She has some ready to go diapers, but she also conducts a lot of her business through custom orders. She starts her custom orders by having you choose your fabric, any fabric you want through Fabric.com. She will make your choice of a pocket or an AI2 diaper. Each diaper has your fabric on the outer, a hidden PUL, and a stay-dry inner. Each diaper also comes with a handmade bamboo fleece insert. Super absorbent and super versatile!! Since there are so many options for customization, pricing is based on what you choose! What a great way to make sure you stay in budget!

Amber graciously offered up my choice of a pocket or AI2 diaper for review. I chose to review the pocket and giveaway the AI2. Although, when I saw the two diapers side by side, I almost had to rethink my choice! Both diapers were so stunning to look at, it was so hard to pick just one! That's saying a lot for someone who has yet to find an AI2 that I like! 

So let's chat about the pocket diaper. The guitar fabric is one I've been lusting over for a while now, and I was so glad to see how Amber put it together on this diaper. The colors are great and really stand out! (On a side note, I posted a picture of my "stash" to a local CD meetup group and a couple people picked out the guitar diaper right away as a favorite, and I like to think I have a very colorful/pattern heavy stash!). The diaper came with the insert laid out and wash/care instructions. This is always the worst part for me, the waiting to have this puppy washed and ready to wear! 

Can you see the "ruffle"?

Alas, the day came and I got to try this on my little man! I was surprised at how easily I was able to stuff the tri-fold insert into the back of the pocket. There was no maneuvering, special folding, or tucking. Just a simple tri-fold and it popped right in. Once I got B all locked and loaded, I noticed the leg holes almost seemed to "ruffle" . I really don't have any other word to describe it and since he was such a wiggle-worm when taking pictures the one I managed to get is still a little blurry, but anyway. The "ruffle" actually worked to my advantage--as I believe it's supposed to. It gave him room to move his chunky thighs without seeing those redmarks we've all come to notice on cloth babies!

What's even better is that there were no leaks at all with this diaper, ruffles and all, everything stayed right in place! I loved it because it made me feel like he was more comfortable in this diaper, since his legs had a bit more breathing room, and I didn't have to worry about outfit changes! :) The overlapping waist snaps gave him a great fit up top and still plenty of room to grow! This has also proven to be a new go-to for Polish Prince. He loves the print and likes that there are only one row of snaps to worry about when getting him changed. I think I'm going to have to make a stamp or something that says "Daddy approved" because let's face it, sometimes what daddy wants in a diaper and what mommy wants can be two very different things!! :) Overall, I'm very impressed with the quality of this diaper/insert combo. I may even have to give the AI2 a whirl since I may be falling in love over here and it just looks so pretty. I can only imagine the quality and fit are just as amazing as this pocket!

Fits like a glove!

No pants necessary!

Just to get you all even more excited, I've taken pictures of the lovely diaper that one of you lucky ducks will get to win! It's an AI2, complete with snapping insert, in a bright, fun, gender-neutral gecko print. The only request I will make to the winner is that you let me know how much you love it when you get it! Deal? Ok, enter on the Rafflecopter below!! 

Look at those great colors!

Behind this insert is a snap at the top to keep it in place!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

WAHM Wednesday: generationMe

I'm so excited to tell you about this next company! Not only is the owner super sweet and handy, but she's based out of my hometown! It's not like I'm from Manhattan or something, where the odds are high that someone shares my zipcode, I'm from a small-ish town in southern Wisconsin. Janesville, WI is now known as the City of Parks AND the residence of my latest WAHM business, generationMe!

Meg, is the brains behind the reusable products from generationMe. I was referred to Meg for her cloth wipes. I was told they were "buttery soft, durable, and very cute". I'm pretty hard to win over when it comes to cloth wipes. I've tried 3 different brands as well as another WAHM product and keep going back to one particular brand. So, I accepted the challenge and Meg was awesome enough to provide me with a set of her wipes to try out. I'm not going to say "love at first sight" because that's a bit cheesy, but my heart did skip a beat when I tore open the package. The first thing I noticed were the bright colors and super soft fabric! I almost didn't want to have to wait to wash them, I wanted to use them right away! But alas, I did wash them, and wouldn't you know, they came out JUST AS SOFT and still brightly colored! 

Dinosaurs!

Some of the wipes I've used on B have had a soft side and a "rougher" side for the...well..."dirty work". I always felt the rougher side was too rough, and the soft side just smeared things around. These do not have a rough side and both sides of the cloth are absorbent! No more needing multiple wipes for the messy jobs, one and done!! Each set contains 8 wipes, they are made from flannel and fleece and are roughly 8"x5". Perfect hand size! 

I love the contrasting fabric on the back! Just as soft as the patterned side!

I know the majority of you are cloth diapering families, but for those of you that aren't these would make great wipes for makeup removal (tried them, so soft on my eyes!), for wiping baby's face/hands after eating (much softer than a paper towel and way more eco-friendly), or even as wash cloths! They are not rough like terry cloth can be and they still get the job done! I love having products that can be used in multiple ways! 

Because Meg makes such an awesome product, she is sponsoring a giveaway! One of you lucky readers will get your own set of cloth wipes in the pattern of your choice from her Etsy shop! But wait, there's more! EVERYONE gets 15% off your order whether you win the wipes or not! AND the 15% off can be used towards ANYTHING in her shop! (I've personally been eying up the reusable paper towels, swiffer pads, and produce bags!) You can shop here and make sure to use the code "kloth15"


Make sure you fill out all the Rafflecopter entries and come back for daily entries!!

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**This is not a paid posting. Thank you to generationMe for providing the items for review and giveaway**

WAHM Wednesday: Custom Cloth by Denise

I've been anxiously waiting to post this review! It's for my very first-ever WAHM cloth diaper! The cloth community is so full of talented people, and a lot of "big-name" diaper companies started with WAHM's! It was through the tight-knit cloth community that I was "virtually introduced" to my next mama-made company.

Custom Cloth by Denise was founded by a lovely WAHM who not only has 15 month old twins, but two older children as well. Yes, Denise and her hubby have FOUR children, all under the age of 10, all cloth-diapered from birth. If that doesn't exhaust you just thinking about it, she is also the brains, creativity, and labor behind Custom Cloth by Denise. I fell in love with her pocket diapers with just one look. First of all, they're pockets, a quick way to my heart. Secondly, she has whimsical twist on prints, and lastly they fit B like a glove. I rarely get the opportunity to say that (especially with sized diapers), but this one is the real deal. Denise so graciously provided a diaper of my choice for this review.

Let's start with her design: A pocket. Each diaper comes in your choice of hook and loop, or snaps. I chose snaps since B is quite the Houdini when it comes to hook and loops. You then get to choose your choice of colors for the PUL (outer) layer and the inner. You also get the choice of flannel or fleece for your inner. I've never had a flannel inner and was interested to see how it held up. So I went with the flannel. Each diaper also comes with a soaker insert. The soaker is comprised of 6 layers of terry cloth inside a flannel cover. It doesn't get much more soft or absorbent than that! 

Look at those colors! This was after MULTIPLE washes

So there I had it, my diaper picked out, all I had to do was wait. If you're a true cloth addict, you know the waiting for the fluff mail is the hardest part!! :) When my diaper arrived I couldn't wait to try it out! 

I guess now is as good a time as any to let you in on my favorite part. The "fun" part of the diaper, the pattern part, is on the INSIDE!! From the outside, it looks like most other modern cloth diapers. A very bright, fun, orange. But the second those snaps are undone, BAM! The super heroes hit you and you have a very soft inner with a beautiful bold pattern! The soaker insert is also made of the same material as the inner. Sheer genius for people like me who are obsessively making sure the right insert goes with the right diaper (oh the plight of the pocket diaper...).

Snug fit, no red marks!

Nice trim waist!

 

I can't say enough fabulous things about this diaper or the mama behind it. The diaper is such a great fit on my little B that I have yet to worry about a leak, either #1 or #2. I even had a couple non-cloth diapering mama's admiring this beautiful gem! The diaper itself is trim and fits easily under B's shorts without having to go up a size or more just to fit his fluffy bum. Also, the waist snaps have my favorite "wing drop" snap to make sure the diaper stays where it's supposed to. It's safe to say this diaper has shaken up the ranks of "first-grabbed diapers" in my house! It's definitely one of my new go-to's! 

Denise has been an absolute pleasure to work with, always fast to answer an email and clarify any questions. Denise is also an Army wife, so supporting Custom Cloth by Denise also supports the "Buy Veteran" initiative and each diaper is proudly MADE IN THE USA! :) 

Now that I've got you hooked, let me tell you how you can purchase your very own custom diaper from Custom Cloth by Denise. You can go here and select your styles and colors and provide shipping information. 

But here's the best news!! Denise is so fantastic, she is giving one of you lucky readers your very own custom diaper, for FREE! Make sure you fill out the Rafflecopter form below for your chance to win!

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**This is not a paid posting. Thank you to Custom Cloth by Denise for providing the items for review and giveaway**

WAHM Wednesday: Brie Brie Blooms

I still consider myself "new" to Arizona. But having a baby somehow made it easier to make friends! Suddenly, there was something we immediately had in common, something to talk about, someone to share/compare ideas with, and the list could go on. I wanted to immerse myself in activities and events to meet and learn from other moms. I found the Arizona Mom's Network through Facebook, and it was there that I heard about National Mom's Night Out. I had to go. I'm so glad I did, it was at Mom's Night Out that I had the pleasure of meeting my next featured WAHM business: Brie Brie Blooms. 

Heather, is a young, fun, and extremely creative mommy who makes (what I consider to be) a MUST-HAVE for Arizona summers. She created, makes, and sells the Car Seat Cooler Pad. Hmm, what is a car seat cooler pad? Well, it's just what you'd think it is. It's a fabric pad, that contains six 5x7 ice packs contained in velcro pockets. When you are out and about with your little one and the temperature starts creeping over 90 degrees, it gets rather warm and uncomfortable once that air shuts off. The car seat cooler pad goes in the car seat when you (and the baby) leave the car. The ice packs keep the seat and buckles cool, so when you come back and strap your baby in, no hot sweaty seat, and no blistering, burn-inducing metal buckles! Heather explains it all in her instructions that come with each one:

1. Keep cooler pad stashed in your freezer (yes, the whole thing fits!)

I purposely didn't crop the picture so you could get a size idea for how little space this takes  up!

2. Carry it in an insulated lunch bag when you go out (I use one of those thermal bags from the grocery store)

Nothing fancy, but fits perfectly!

3. Put it on your car seat when you leave the car parked

4. Return to a nice cool seat

5. Remove cooler pad from car seat and strap in your happy child! 

**DO NOT SIT YOUR CHILD ON THE COOLER PAD**

These cooler pads are meant as "place holders" when your child is NOT in the seat. It is not safe to place your child on the cooler pad and strap them in. 

Heather graciously provided a Car Seat Cooler Pad for me to review and I must say I was a little skeptical at first. B is a super sweater, in a carrier, his stroller, his car seat, at home, the kid just sweats. Whenever we're out and about, and the car starts to heat up, I dread putting him in his car seat. I start the car to try and cool it down knowing full well it's going to take a bit to reach to the back seat. Not to mention he's still rear-facing so I can't place a vent directly on his seat to cool it down any quicker, so when I actually put him in the car seat, it's inevitably still hot. This leads to a (naturally) cranky baby who's hot and uncomfortable. I tried a "home-made" remedy of freezing a milk jug full of water and then placing that in the car seat when we were at the beach (this was during a family vacation to Florida). Yup, came back, the car seat was cool all right, and SOAKING wet! Seems the condensation from the thawing milk jug leaked all over the seat. Cue a (naturally) cranky baby who's now hot, uncomfortable, and soaking wet on his bum and back. I've seen other car seat coolers for sale, but they were so expensive that I didn't want to spend the money on something I wasn't convinced would work. I also could never find them on sale. Anywhere. It was just a few weeks later that I met Heather, I'm convinced it was fate. :) 

I followed the instructions to the letter. I froze the cooler pad, put it in my thermal bag and out the door we went. The first "test" was a play date at a pool. A couple solid  hours baking in the sun. (The car, not B :))It would be the perfect test.  I get out of the car, place the Car Seat Cooler Pad in the seat and cross my fingers. We came back a couple hours later, removed the pad, and wouldn't you know, NOT A DROP of condensation anywhere in the seat. Some of the ice-packs were still somewhat frozen! The seat itself was nice and cold, the metal, plastic and rubber on the buckles were equally cool! I put B in his carseat strapped him in and NOT A PEEP! I climbed int he front seat, started the car and the a/c and before we left the parking lot, he was asleep! I found myself actually feeling a little jealous of his carseat considering my seat was still quite toasty. Perhaps full-sized seat covers one day Heather? :) I've since tested this product for a full week. The results are continually the same. No wet seat, no cranky baby, no complaints! I've also been showing it off as much as I can and the reactions are generally the same. "What a great idea!", "I can't believe how thick the fabric is", "That makes so much sense!" 

Now, I know all of you don't have the 100+ degree temps that we have, and wonder about the Car Seat Cooler Pad in the "off-summer" months. Well, problem solved. Simply use microwaveable heat packs in place of ice packs and you will be able to keep the seat nice and toasty! The fabric itself is stain resistant and machine washable, which in my opinion, is an absolute necessity with anything relating to children, and the Car Seat Cooler Pad comes in 4 different patterns! You can see the Car Seat Cooler Pads here to pick out your favorite one. If you're local, Heather will work with you to schedule a pick up time rather than paying for shipping! SCORE :)

Be sure to thank her on facebook  for this great deal and check out her blog. She has tons of great DIY craft ideas as well! 

WAHM Wednesday: Three Little Birds Design Company

Part of my initial blog focus was on local (budget-friendly) activities here in Phoenix. I soon realized that there are not only great activities around the valley, but great local business as well! 

I stumbled upon Three Little Birds Design Company (3LBDC) on Facebook. The more I looked into their company, the more I just had to try their products. This mom-owned small business began as a solution to the ever-present waste production of a small family on the go. Think about it, reusable shopping bags are becoming so common these days, it just makes sense to consider other reusable everyday bags. 3LBDC not only designs and produces reusable shopping bags but totes, lunch bags, sandwich bags and snack bags. What I love about this company and what makes them standout in the world of reusable bags to me, is the quality of their product. 3LBDC uses Certified Organic Cotton, grown and manufactured in the United States. They source U.S. produced materials and hand-dye the fabrics with low impact dyes. Yes, I said it. U.S. produced materials, organic cotton, AND hand-dyed fabrics.  Talk about sustainability! 

I had the opportunity to review one of their reusable sandwich bags. Being a SAHM, it's important to me to get out of the house. We do play dates, group meetings, run errands, you name it, we do it. Now that B is eating solids, having food on the go is a necessity. Since we do baby-led weaning, see here for a refresher, traveling with kid-snacks is a must. I loved the idea of this sandwich bag because of it's perceived versatility. 

Quick summary: Perception = reality in this case! 

How beautiful is this luxurious orange!

My first impressions of this bag were that it was so thick! I couldn't believe how sturdy this little bag was! The second thing I noticed was there was no liner-something that was present in the other reusable bags I owned. According to 3LBDC :

"Our products are made with 2 layers of high-quality densely woven cotton that keeps food fresh without the need for waterproof liners! Snacks and sandwiches of all types can be safely packed in our baggies (the only items we do not recommend are pears or strawberries). Our densely woven fabric also prevents outside leakage and absorbs any condensation from ice packs without exposing the interior contents to moisture"

The inner organic cotton lining

Whaaa? I had to try it out! I packed a sandwich with lettuce, tomato, and mustard and set out on my day. Apart from a little lettuce water leakage (which stayed in the bag),the sandwich was perfect and the bag unharmed! The even better part, is these bags are totally machine washable! Any food residue, staining, "leakage" comes right out in the wash! (Washing instructions are included with each bag). One of my other favorite features of these bags compared to others I have purchased, is that they're sealed on 3 sides with a super heavy "velcro-like" closure on the 4th side. No folding a certain way, making sure the edges are tucked so nothing sneaks out, just simply stuff and seal! SO EASY!

Stuffed the bag with a sandwich AND an apple!

Testing the velcro-like closure. Not budging at all!

Overall, I love this product and can't wait to try more. Since my  transition to using less "throw-away" products, I've already noticed a slight dip in my grocery bill from not having to continue buying plastic baggies, but I feel like I'm doing my small part to help the environment with less waste.  With the summer coming up and plenty of road-trips, barbeques, beach days, reusable products are an absolute MUST for traveling!

All of you local mama's have the chance to check out 3LBDC products in town at:

Cameo Candles, Bath & Gifts (Glendale, AZ)

Ecocentricity! (Phoenix, AZ)

Food Conspiracy Co-op (Tucson, AZ)

Phoenix Public Market (Saturdays 8am-1pm, Phoenix, AZ)

And all of you out-of-towners get some love too! 3LBDC is available in select shops in California and New Mexico AND online! Yes, online!

Because 3LBDC is so generous and fantastic, they are offering EVERYONE 15% off at their online store! Simply use the code Kloth2012 and start grabbing some deals! Also, be sure to "like" them on facebook to stay up to date on new products and colors!

**Thank you to 3LBDC for providing the product for review purposes. The experience and opinion is entirely my own and not influenced by 3LBDC**