A Little Gussy Love {giveaway closed}

December 3, 2012 By 49 Comments

I love Miss Gus. I love her heart and following along on her adventures in owning a small business and soon in new motherhood!

Her shop is full of ruffly goodness in sweet fun prints. When I got an iPad for Christmas 2011, I was almost as excited about the Gussy Sews case I was then able to order as I was about the iPad!

This summer I picked up a large zip pouch at her garage sale (before she moved all the way to California,  sob!), and no exaggeration, I receive compliments on it almost every day.

If you’re like me and are constantly switching between a diaper bag and a work bag, it’s the perfect solution. It holds all the things I always need (magic wallet, ear buds, lip balm, pens, change), and I just swap it back and forth between bags. Plus since it’s cute on its own and sizeable enough, I often just grab it on the way out to lunch or on a coffee run.

But that’s not what I want to share with you today.

What I really want to tell you about is how excited I am that the Gussy Sews shop is now selling cowls!

(Isn’t she adorable with that bump?)

And Miss Maggie was sweet enough to send me a cowl of my very own. It showed up in our mailbox on the day Posey was born, and Aaron brought it to me in the hospital. It was the perfect item to wear to make myself feel less schluby with my yoga pants and slip-on shoes.

It’s super soft, and I love the chunkiness of it. I’ve worn it just about every day since it arrived.

And guess what? Maggie was kind enough to provide one of you with a $50 gift card to her shop! So you can get a cowl of your very own. (Or any other piece of cute ruffled fun. Yeow!)

Leave a comment below and use the Rafflecopter widget to let me know, and you’ll be entered to win a $50 gift card to shop Gussy Sews. (You can get extra entries if you like These Prices or Gussy Sews on Facebook.)

(If you want to gift a Gussy Sews cowl for yourself or someone you love this Christmas, hurry! The holiday ordering deadline is Dec. 12. Giveaway ends at 12:00 am, Saturday, Dec. 8.)

Disclosure: Gussy Sews provided me with a cowl and is providing the gift card for the giveaway winner. But my opinions are “price”less and my own.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
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All Things Diapers — Review & Giveaway

January 16, 2012 By

This giveaway is now closed. Winner listed below.

When we first started cloth diapering, the only local store option I knew of was way over in St. Paul. Not a terrible drive, but not terribly convenient either. But then I discovered All Things Diapers, right here in the NW metro.

I love this place!

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Not only do they have a brick and mortar store in Blaine (at 12064 Central Ave NE), but for those of you outside the Twin Cities, they also have an online option at allthingsdiapers.com.

Two things I love about ATD.

1. The selection. They have every brand that we use (bumGenius, GroVia, Thirsties, Rumparooz) and lots lots more. They recently just started carrying Kawaii, for example. And if they don’t have what you’re looking for? They’ll order it for you.

Which brings me to the second thing I love about them:

2. The customer service. There is just something about a locally-owned business, isn’t there? And Martin and Patti are awesome. They do this because they believe in cloth diapers, and they want every CDing family to succeed. Questions? They’ll answer them. Problems with your system? They’ll help you figure it out. Their mission is to make cloth diapering convenient and cost effective. They post a lot of great CD tips and tricks to their blog too.

Aside from the brick and mortar store, and the online store, they also offer a diaper service. We have never used a diaper service, but I think they can be the right fit for many families, and ATD is the service that covers the most of the metro area and beyond. All the way up to almost St. Cloud! (If you have any specific questions about their diaper service, click here.)

Are you a local mom? ATD offers workshops on everything from an introduction to cloth diapers to babywearing basics. They have a weekly coffee get together every Wednesday that I would love to attend someday (/insert working mom lament here).

And in a very exciting development, ATD recently announced the formation of Minnesota’s ONLY cloth diaper donation bank.

This is a program to help families who want to use cloth diapers but can not afford them. All you need to do is bring in your WIC card and valid MN ID into the store and they will give you two days worth of cloth diapers for FREE! The donations come from ATD themselves and donations from you and me. Want to help? Drop off or mail cloth diapers and accessory donations to their store.

A couple other great things to note:

1. ATD’s Rewards Program. Get 1 point for every dollar you spend. 200 points gets you a $20 gift certificiate. 350 = $40. 500 = $60. I can personally tell you that this pretty handy.
2. Shipping is free everywhere in Minnesota and is free on orders more than $49 outside Minnesota.

And something even cooler?

If you spend $60 or more in ATD’s online store and mention These Prices in the comments section at check out, they’ll send you a FREE pocket diaper.

Who doesn’t love a free diaper? I know you do … so keep reading.

In exchange for reviewing the store, ATD offered me my choice of a cloth diaper. I chose a brand I’d never tried before — Rumparooz. I loved it so much that I went back almost immediately and bought another one.

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There are many things to love about it, but for starters, how great is it that they make fun prints for boys? More boy prints, please, cloth diaper makers!

But one of the great bonuses of the RAR is the inner leg gussets. Not a leak yet.

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The inside is 100% hypo-allergenic soft micro-chamois. It’s so so soft and 100% Harry approved.

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He’s like, hey, fire trucks!

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Come on, is there a cuter fluffy butt?

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Want to win a Rumpraooz of your very own from All Things Diapers?

It’s easy to enter. Just leave a comment below telling me your favorite Rumparooz print or color, and you’re entered! (Check them all out here.) Comments are now closed.

Want more chances to win?

• Like All Things Diapers on Facebook. {And then come back here and leave a comment. Or if you’re already a fan, leave a comment stating that you’re a fan.}

• Like These Prices on Facebook. {And then come back here and leave a comment. Or if you’re already a fan, leave a comment stating that you’re a fan.}

Tweet the following and then come back here and post a comment with a link to your tweet:

Love ALL things #clothdiapers? Win a @rumparooz pocket diaper from All Things Diapers & @johannaprice at http://theseprices.net/?p=2914

Note: When leaving a comment, be sure you are not replying to existing comments. Reply comments are NOT logged in the overall count.

This giveaway closes on Thursday, Jan. 19, at 10 pm Minnesota time. Comments are now closed.

Winner will be picked via random number generator on random.org. Winner will be announced Thursday, Jan. 20.

Congratulations to commenter #2 —- Heather Brandt! Email allthingsdiapers@yahoo.com with your diaper color choice and address!

Disclosure: All Things Diapers provided the diaper for the review and for the giveaway. My opinions, however, are “price”less.

The contest is open to US residents only.

 
Filed Under: Raising Prices Tagged With: ,

The Little Bee Co. Giveaway Winner!

September 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Congratulations to Olivia, who was comment #68!

I will send The Little Bee Co. your e-mail address & color choice, and they will be in touch. I hope you love yours as much as we love ours!

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Filed Under: Raising Prices Tagged With: ,

Bee Changed & Change the World — Diaper Review & Giveaway

August 24, 2011 By

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Chances are, you’re heard of the one-for-one business model that TOMS Shoes pioneered several years ago. Basically, for every item a consumer purchases, the company gives an identical item to an individual or organization in need of said item.

It’s a model that works, because rather than relying on donations or fund raising, they’re a for-profit company, able to grow operation through investment, increasing the ability to give away more product. I heard Blake Mycoskie (founder and CEO of TOMS Shoes) speak at The Global Leadership Summit in 2010. He said that if he’d taken his original investment and purchased shoes for kids in Argentina, he would’ve been able to buy 40,000. But by taking that investment and starting TOMS Shoes, they’ve now been able to give away more than 1 million pairs of shoes.

That is a good idea at work.

For TOMS, it’s shoes.

But for the The Little Bee Co.? It’s diapers.

For each diaper purchased, The Little Bee Co. will donate one diaper to an orphan in need.

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How wonderful is that?

As soon as I read about their mission, I e-mailed them to ask how I could be involved. (You can read more about their mission and the “diaper drops” on their website.)

So, I was super excited to get a diaper to review.

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I picked the Bamboo Diaper (in American Meadow), because as I mentioned in my last post, I am trying to move to more natural fibers. This diaper does come with microfiber inserts, but you can get hemp/organic cotton inserts as well. Every diaper includes two inserts, a full-size adjustable insert as well as a contoured newborn insert that can snap together or be worn separately. Their OS diapers fit most babies 8-35lbs

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First of all, the bamboo is super soft. Like, I-want-to-rub-this-on-my-cheek soft. It is a little more work to prep natural fibers, but they’re worth it. (I had to wash the shell five times in hot.)

I was also impressed with the amount of elastic in the waistband and legs, which makes for a much snugger, more-custom fit. I’ve never used a diaper that has elastic on the front before, and it’s a bit of a learning curve, but I think it fits well once it’s on.

On my almost-21 pound baby, I still snapped down the rise one button, and it fits him well. We only had the one insert in, but I think this would make a great overnight diaper with both inserts, or with a hemp doubler stuffed in there as well.

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I really love this diaper, and I’m even more excited to be able to offer one of YOU the chance to win a one-size Bamboo Diaper from The Little Bee Co. in your choice of nine beautiful colors. The list of colors and the countries they’re named for are listed here.

(And what’s even more exciting, every review and giveaway diaper is included in their one-for-one program.)

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I think my little chunky monkey likes his new diaper!

Want to buy one for yourself? (Which also means buying one for a kid in need!) Visit their online store now. You can get a newborn size for $12.95, a microsuede with microfiber inserts for $17.95 or the bamboo for $19.95.

It’s easy to enter. Just leave a comment below telling me what color you would pick if you won, and you’re entered!

Want more chances to win?

• Like The Little Be Co. on Facebook. {And then come back here and leave a comment. Or if you’re already a fan, leave a comment stating that you’re a fan.}

•  Like These Prices on Facebook. {And then come back here and leave a comment. Or if you’re already a fan, leave a comment stating that you’re a fan.}

Tweet the following and then come back here and post a comment with a link to your tweet:

Bee changed and change the world. Win a one-size pocket diaper from The Little Bee Co. & @johannaprice at http://bit.ly/nowA5d #clothdiapers

Note: When leaving a comment, be sure you are not replying to existing comments. Reply comments are NOT logged in the overall count.

This giveaway closes on Wednesday, Aug. 31, at 10 pm Minnesota time. Comments are now closed.

Winner will be picked via random number generator on random.org. Winner will be announced Thursday, Sept. 1.

Disclosure: The Little Bee Co. provided the diaper for the review and for the giveaway. However, my opinions are “price”less.

The contest is open to US residents only.

 
Filed Under: Raising Prices Tagged With: , ,

Wrap Your Baby Up

May 20, 2011 By

I have said it before, and I’ll say it again, the Sleepy Wrap has been hands down our most-used, most-loved baby item.

When I packed up Harry’s suitcase that night we heard he was ours, I laid the Sleepy Wrap right on top, knowing it was going to be a key item for a who-knew-how-long hotel stay.

I had been practicing with it (using my friend’s toddler and a stuffed giraffe), so the first thing I did when we got back to the Residence Inn after picking Harry up at the agency, was to put him in the wrap.

Hands Free baby!

He snuggled right in, and it was just … natural.

I wrote before that babywearing as an adoptive mother has been especially beneficial, because it gave us an opportunity for a closeness we didn’t get to share by biology.

I’m not exaggerating when I say those first few days that the wrap was invaluable. There was a night on the road, at some Fairfield Inn in the middle of Nebraska, when he just would not settle. It was 3 am, and I put him in the wrap, and I walked up and down and up and down the halls of that hotel. And once he was finally settled and asleep, I propped myself up in the bed to catch some sleep myself. It was a method I employed many more times over the course of Harry’s newborn days.

10|365: Wearing my Baby

When I was on maternity leave, he took at least (at least) one of his daily naps in the wrap, and sometimes those naps would last 3+ hours. I remember when my mom was here, she said, “Oh he’s never going to learn to sleep in a crib if you wear him so much,” and I can tell you assuredly that has not come to pass. (If I may brag here for a minute, my infant took two crib naps at daycare yesterday totaling four hours. Go Harry.)

Before he was even a month old, he  was holding his head up and looking around while in the wrap:

Neck control!

I believe that babywearing benefited his great early head control, because he was in an upright position so much.

There are so many benefits to babywearing. All I know is that my baby and I both loved it. Even when nothing else worked, the wrap always soothed and comforted him. We have a baby who likes to be held, and it was so nice to be able to still do what I needed to do (even if what I needed to do was sit on my couch and blog), while meeting Harry’s needs.

When I was on leave, I was able to get stuff done around my house like laundry, Swiffering the floors and cleaning the kitchen, all while bonding with and calming my baby.

Us

When he was somewhere between 10 and 12 weeks old, I started putting him legs out in the wrap.

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It’s still one of his favorite places to be.

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And I am so SO excited for the opportunity to present one of you the chance to win your very own Sleepy Wrap. Hooray!

Mandatory entry requirement:

Want more chances to win?

  • Leave a comment below telling me what you love about babywearing, or why you plan to babywear if you’re still expecting.
  • Like These Prices on Facebook. {And then come back here and leave a comment. Or if you’re already a fan, leave a comment stating that you’re a fan.}
  • Tweet the following and then come back here and post a comment with a link to your tweet:

Oh baby, I love #babywearing! Win a @SleepyWrap from @johannaprice at http://theseprices.net/2011/05/wrap-your-baby-up/ #giveaway

Note: When leaving a comment, be sure you are not replying to existing comments. Reply comments are NOT logged in the overall count.

This giveaway closes on Tuesday, May 24, at 9 pm Minnesota time.

Winner will be picked via random number generator on random.org. Winner will be announced Wed., May 25.

Disclosure: Though Sleepy Wrap/NAP, Inc., is providing the item for the winner of this giveaway, I already owned my own wrap. And of course my opinions are “price”less.

The contest is open to US and Canada and the winner will have their color preference from the Sleepy Wrap Classic collection.

 
Filed Under: Raising Prices Tagged With: ,
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