Our New Babies

Check out these cuties that we got last night!

Allow me to introduce you to Eggley, Ember, Oreo, Omelet, Pepper, and Paisley:

Britain with Pepper

I think we're officially "farmers" now. 

Emily with Eggley - she was a little freaked out about holding her!

Alex with Omelet

The kids are completely crazy about them. We knew they would be. They've been thrilled about it ever since we told them we were considering getting some.


What I wasn't prepared for is how much Jaxon would love them! He's mesmerized by them and calls them "bahk-bahk", which is his attempt at a chicken noise. He also does this sharp intake of breath, like he's so excited, anytime we get near them. It's very cute!


Now I need to get the kids some cute spring outfits and take some Easter pictures outside with our baby chicks! How cute will that be?

Mabu Baby Rocks!

A few weeks ago, I reviewed Mabu Baby diapers and hosted a giveaway for them. They had been super generous with my package, throwing in some extra goodies that I also reviewed here. They had told me my winner would receive a starter kit, which is supposed to include 2 diaper covers with pad holders, 2 washable inserts, 2 disposable inserts, and 5 diaper liners. It's a pretty neat little kit! My winner, Debbie, was super excited to try out the kit and couldn't wait to receive it.


I got an email from her last night with this title "Whoa! My Mabu Baby Prize." She sent me a picture of everything they sent her:

The box is overflowing with goodies and she said it absolutely made her day! Neither of us had any idea they would send her so many great things to try out.  She's going to love those dishcloths - they are so soft and absorbent! Thanks Mabu Baby for being so generous with everything you sent to Debbie!


I love hearing from winners, and I've been very lucky that almost every winner of my giveaways has responded after receiving the prize, either to let me know how quickly the package came or to let me know how much they are enjoying it. It makes this so much fun for me! Thanks for being such great readers!

Consigning Your Children's Clothes

A friend introduced me to consignment sales last year. They are a great way to pick up some gently used kids clothes at great prices. Some deals I've scored in the past: Gap swim shirt (brand new with tags, $2), Gap hooded romper (like new, $4), Carter's outfits ($1 each), Kissy Kissy romper with shirt (new with tags, $5). The first couple of sales I attended I just shopped. The process of getting clothes ready for consignment seemed hard...all that pinning and tagging and pricing. 


But this past fall, I decided to see what I could make. I contributed a pile of Jaxon's clothes and a couple of baby items we weren't using anymore, like the bouncy seat and swing. The sale cost me $10 to enter, and they took 30% of all I sold. But I still made over $100 and I was very happy with that. Since I normally just donate or give away the kids clothing when they outgrow it, it was nice to make a little money to put towards some new outfits for them. 


I found that consigning kids clothes is actually very easy. There are typically guidelines for tagging and hanging but they are clear and the most difficult part is usually accumulating enough wire hangers (hint: most thrift stores sell these). Consignment sales charge a fee of around $5-$10 plus they keep 25-30% of whatever you sell. So if you sell $100 worth of clothing, you'd walk away with around $60-$70. 


The hardest part is trying to decide where to set the prices. For baby items such as Boppy pillows and toys, I suggest setting prices at 1/3-1/2 of what you paid for it, assuming the item is in great condition. For most clothing items, I suggest pricing your items at 1/3 of what you paid for it, unless it's a brand like Gymboree or a boutique brand in which case you can price it closer to 1/2 of what you paid. 

Here are a few more tips:


- Larger sizes sell better than infant sizes, mainly because bigger kids are harder on their clothes so there are usually fewer options in those sizes. 


- Take advantage of the 50% day that most sales offer. Usually you can mark your items to stay full price or allow them to be marked for either 25% or 50% off on the last day of the sale. If you're just getting rid of your items anyway, you have nothing to lose! Making $2 is better than making nothing at all!  


- Outfits sell better than single items. If you have a pair of overalls, try to pair it with a shirt or onesie instead of selling it by itself. Just make sure it matches and that both items are the same size.


- Make sure your items are perfectly clean and ironed. Yeah, I know. I don't like to iron either. But I iron for consignment sales. It makes the outfits look better on hangers and will appeal to more buyers. 

I made $166 from my first spring sale. It was a specialty sale that only took certain brands, so I still have other clothes the kids have outgrown. Luckily, there's another sale in our area starting next week and I'm currently getting the rest of the clothing ready to sell at that one and hoping to make some more money!

Want to find a consignment sale in your area? This site has a great listing of many sales.

What do you do with your children's outgrown clothing? If you consign, do you have any tips to add to this list?

Future Fortified: 1000 Days To Shape a Child's Life

If you've been following my blog for a while, you probably know that my husband's a pastor and that we run a food pantry out of the building where the church meets. We don't think anyone should have to go hungry, and believe there are enough resources out there to solve the hunger problem. We're called to feed those in our community, but we support other groups and organizations whose mission is to feed hungry people around the world. 


Did you know that there are currently 2 million people in the world who are malnourished? Malnourishment is not just a result of too little food, but also occurs when insufficient proteins and nutrients are consumed.


Future Fortified is one organization that is working to combat malnourishment. Future Fortified is a campaign of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). The purpose of the campaign is to help children and women in developing countries gain access to the essential nutrients they need to lead healthy lives. Feeding people a bowl of rice or other grain is great to keep them alive, but in order to lead healthy and lives, people must have vitamins and nutrients in their diets. 


Future Fortified works to provide home nutrition packets for parents to sprinkle onto their children's meals a few times a week. These packets contain about 15 nutrients including folic acid, Vitamin A, iron, and zinc. These packets cost as little as 3 cents each. They focus their efforts on women and young children because the first 1000 days in a child's life, from pregnancy to about age 2, can shape the child's life. Did you know that long term anemia (low iron) can cause a child to lose IQ points? I learned that at Jaxon's last appointment when our pediatrician was stressing the importance of giving Jaxon iron drops. Adequate nutrition is not just important for health, but for long term success in life. 


What I love most about Future Fortified is the approach the organization takes to improve nutrition. Instead of just shipping these packets to the countries that need them, they take a market based approach that helps to ensure the program is sustainable. They work with local governments and businesses to ensure that the product is available to the families who need it, at prices they can afford, since even the very poor buy some of the food they eat. These nutrition packets can be sourced and produced at local and regional levels, which provides continued support to the community. Future Fortified does not make money from the sales of the packets and 90% of donations to Future Fortified go directly towards funding programs in developing countries. The remainder goes to help raise awareness of the program and mobilize communities.


Want to learn more? You can read more about Future Fortified on their website. Want to help? You can donate here.  

Be sure to connect with Future Fortified by clicking the FB & Twitter buttons below!




“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf Future Fortified. To thank me for my contribution, Mom Central donated $20 to the Future Fortified campaign.”