Life Made Easy With Ergobaby

| Ergobaby provided the Omni 360 for the purpose of this review. |
| Within this post are affiliate links. Like always all words and opinions are 100% my own. |

Today I have the honour of sharing one of my favourite baby gear products with you! Let me introduce to you... Ergobaby! They are the makers of some really comfortable ergonomic baby carriers.

Flash back to my first pregnancy, I got wind of Ergobaby from a friend of mine and was gifted the Organic Original Carrier at my baby shower. I was immediately won over by a couple things: its ergonomic design that supports your baby hips properly; its UV protected sunhood; and that it was made from super soft organic cotton. I was a new mom with a babe that wouldn't play contently on her own, or stay sleeping for long periods of time, and because of that my sanity stretched very, very thin, very, very quickly! I needed to be able to go about my day like any other person, and this carrier was my saving grace! Ry would fall asleep within minutes and stay sleeping in it for way longer than if I were to put her down. It enabled me to complete simple chores and rest my aching arms.

Apart from the normal day to day use this carrier came with us everywhere... to the US, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Laos, South Korea... everywhere! I'm actually amazed that it survived all that we put it through, but it did! The only wear it showed was that it faded, and hello... I think that can be expected when you expose it to 9 months of daily scorching hot Thailand sunshine.

When we returned to Canada I sold our original because we scored big time getting a second hand (but still new in box) Ergo Sport along with the new infant insert (it's a way better design, good job Ergo!). I love this carrier, its black and sleek, its more lightweight and breathable than the original, and it has a more fitted design around the tummy/hip area, which for my body type I just felt way more comfortable in it. The only thing I feel it lacked in comparison to the original was the comfy padded shoulder straps.

Now we are the proud owners of the Omni 360! Ever since the 360 design came out I have had serious carrier envy! The day it arrived at our door I literally did a happy dance, Adelyne too, I think we were both equally excited! I'm also not going to lie, I kind of had some baby fever when we got it (I said kind of... no more babies, its not happening!). I just have loved these carriers so much raising our kids and would love to use this one to its fullest potential with a snuggly little newborn (someone lend me your baby! haha), and the added bonus is this design doesn't even need an infant insert, I love that!

Back to when it first arrived, Adelyne and I literally tried each and every position right away! It's just so versatile for the early stages of life, newborn right to toddlerhood! I have always loved the front carry - facing parent position, its always a winner when you want to connect with your babe with some warm snuggles or get a nap in on the go. The hip carry is great for giving your bub a little more visual to the outside world, and the position to get a breastfeed happening. The back carry, my personal fave, gives you more mobility and full use of your arms, and it allows your babe to see but still be able to snuggle if needed. And all new to us is the front carry - facing out position, this is Adelyne's favourite, she calls it her "seat", she gets to see everything around her and she just can't stop smiling when in this position!

The Omni brought back for me the comfy shoulder straps, it still sports the UV protect privacy hood, it has extra head support for babe if needed, it still has that fitted feel with added lumbar support, and they redesigned the handy zipper pocket all ergo's have, by moving it and making it detachable (hello modernized fanny pack!). I love their trendy design and basic colour options, they're all neutral enough to be like an added accessory to your outfit of the day. And the versatility... this carrier is seriously the bee's knees of all carriers, with the multitude of positions and the crossable shoulder straps it can fit all kinds of body types, men included (Ain't nothing more sexy than a baby wearing dad!), and we all know in the carrier world comfort is so important! With the Omni your bound to find at least one way that is comfortable for both you and your babe!

I honestly can't rave enough about Ergobaby and especially this new design of the Omni 360! The quality of these carriers is outstanding! It is and has been for 6 years an essential item for raising our kids. It lives in the car because I still use it frequently, and Adelyne is over 2 years old now! It's perfect for wandering around markets, malls, and grocery shopping ... you know those places where you don't want little hands touching everything. It's gives us the ability to always be on the go, never mind rushing home to get naps in, nap times happen anywhere, like when we're watching Daddy or Rylee play soccer. It lets us stay active as a family with hikes and the walks to get Rylee from the bus stop. This carrier is a dream, and I'm seriously going to grieve the day Adelyne, our last baby, grows out of it!

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Gettin' Ready for Summer With E-Cloth

|This product was sent to me for the purpose of an honest review, all opinions are 100% my own.|

Are you looking for a more natural way to clean around the house? For household products that are safe enough even for your kids to use and still get 99% of those nasty bacteria's? Then you need to give ECloth a try!

If you recall a little while back we partnered with E-Cloth showcasing a more natural approach to household cleaning with their glass cleaning cloth. Well today I'm super excited to share another one of their great products with you, the Universal Stone, and if you check out our Instagram you can enter to win one for yourself! (giveaway open to US/Canadian residents only)

Summer has finally arrived here on the West Coast and one way we love to spend our evenings is having a good ol' BBQ! Now, you may or may not be like us, and go to open up your barbeque after its winter hibernation and discover the loveliness of last years leftovers... whoops... barf!

That's where Ecloth's Universal Stone became our saving grace, this stuff has a clay base to it and is completely eco-friendly and free of nasty toxins so many cleaning products have these days. Cleaning the barbeque is not a chore I ever enjoy, but the universal stone amazed me how it cut through the built up grease and gunk!

I initially scraped the grill with our wire brush and removed all the lose grill and underneath metal parts. I then used the applicator sponge that comes with the stone, ran it under water, rubbed it on the stone, squished it a few times and with virtually no more effort than washing the dishes I had all the barbeque bits cleaned and looking almost new again!

Once I got all the barbeque bits back in their rightful spots I used the stone and sponge to clean the stainless steel and the glass polishing cloth to wipe it all streak free. Doesn't it look good!

I am seriously impressed with this product, and I continue to be. We use it regularly on our glass stovetop, which used to be a time consuming chore, now it takes one minute to clean even with the worst caked on, burnt on crud. I've also used it on our bathtub to remove heavy soap scum. And I've used it to clean and shine up the bottom of our pots and pans. I was even surprised by the versatility of the sponge, I thought for sure after the BBQ that it would be done for, but, it survived, it didn't even tear! It obviously turned black from all that grime but I've actually found that it essentially self cleans itself as I keep using it.

I absolutely love that it makes the hard chores easy, it cuts through grime with ease, and in essence saves me time (and sweat) to get back to fun things, like enjoying a glass of iced tea and eating a good ol' juicy burger! Now go win yourself one (check out owls + monsters on Instagram), and good luck!

Party Planning 101

| This post was published in cooperation with Paperless Post |

It's no secret I love planning themed birthday parties for my kids. It's not something I ever thought I'd do, and much to my husbands dismay, it's something I seriously enjoy doing! It takes a lot of hands on work, and frugal penny pinching, but the creativity behind planning a party to fit each child's current fave fad, and doing it with them is a lot of fun. 

Whether your throwing an indoor or backyard bash, with a few balloons and streamers, or bringing in the circus tent, today I have for you some tricks of the trade to make it all come together! Hopefully these tips will help keep you on budget, remind you why your throwing this party, and minimize the stress that can come when creating an amazing celebration. 

1. To Theme or Not To Theme? If your first reaction is that a themed party is going to rob you of every penny you own, stop, this is a myth. If you can't afford the marching band, blow up castles, and real life puppy party favors, then like me the dollarstores will be your best friend! You can be as elaborate as you want by doing things yourself, or just picking a theme that the dollarstore carries (princess, sports, Hawaiian, a specific color scheme...). Key point to remember is: know your limit, play within it! 

2. Remember Who Your Celebrating! This party is not about you, put your party planning dreams as aspirations aside for a moment and ask your child what they want. You may be surprised with the idea they come up with and getting them involved adds a whole new level of excitement for their special day. Rylee has picked her last two parties, a princess theme and a royal tea party, and Zach went with Paw Patrol on his third birthday. If your kids aren't old enough to verbalize an idea, go with what they are currently loving or something that you see in them that you want to showcase.

3. It's NEVER Too Early To Plan. Birthdays sneak up on you, if you can plan ahead of time this will be your saving grace! Especially if your a DIY'er! This doesn't mean you have to pick a date, but simply pick your theme, get your pinterest idea board going, and get a head start on some of those time consuming crafts (like a homemade pinata, princess crowns, or party games). Having your idea in your head may save you money too, you never know when you might come across some amazing clearance sale that fits your theme perfectly... and it gives you time to comparison shop while your just going about your regular day to day shopping.

4. Timing is Everything. Choosing what time of day is crucial for a fun filled celebration. Think about your child's nap times, schedule around it, the worst thing you can do is not take their needs into consideration... this correlates with remembering who your celebrating! Birthday Party's are overwhelming to begin with for little people, they are the center of attention, and the last thing you want is them to be throwing the worst kind of temper tantrum because grandma so and so got them the wrong color thingamajig! These episodes can theoretically be avoided with keeping their regular feeding and sleeping schedules in place! 

5. Picking a Date. This is my least favourite thing to do, its hard to find a day that works for everyone. But before making your invitations set in stone be sure to check with those essential guests (whether its that favourite aunt, grandparent, or best friend), you want to do your best to pick a day and time that those important people can be there.

6. Invitations! This is one of my favorite things to do. I have made them myself, I've ordered cards online, and most recently I've teamed up with Paperless Post to create a more eco-friendly alternative to party invitations by going digital for Adelyne's upcoming second birthday! Going digital is definitely more cost effective and in this technology run day and age your going to get a quicker response from people whether they can make it or not. Paperless Post has so many options to choose from and are super easy to customize, it literally took me less than an hour to completely make their "Tropicale" invite fit our "Twotti Fruitti" theme. And bonus, if your not ready to jump full on into the digital world of invites, you still have the option of ordering them to hand out or stick in the mail. And I just have to say my inner party planning nerd LOVES the matching envelope liners... these little pineapples + palms kill me!

| I received free product as compensation for this review. In no way are my words altered, all opinions are 100% my own|

Meme & Pearl Review & Giveaway!

// I received a product/service for this review. All opinions are my own. No other compensation was made //

Last week we received a new addition to the family, baby "Nicole", and isn't she the cutest little handmade doll you ever did see?

She is one of a kind and was made with love by Missy the wonderful creator of Meme & Pearl, a cute little etsy store that offers a VAST array of other adorable dolls as well as some accessories too!

Rylee got to pick Nicole out, and waited "patiently" for her to arrive, she asked almost everyday if her new doll was in the mail... 

When she arrived, Ry was having a bit of a down moment and I came into her room and told her there was something in the mail for her... she instantly went bugged eyed (wish I had the camera for that moment!) she opened the envelope up and was instantly in love hugging her new doll! So precious! 

The thing I love about lil Nicole is that she's different, you can't find a doll like her in ordinary stores.  For those who know me and my distain for plastic toys... you know that I TRULY love that she is made with eco friendly felt and 100% cotton! Her design is simple but so unique with her cutesy eyes, awesome hairdo, and the contrasting fabrics! I also love that you have the choice of picking dolls of different ethnicities or just totally eccentric ones with wild coloured hair and outfits! I also love they are washable, huggable, lightweight (awesome travel buddy), and are any age appropriate!

They are all just so awesome! And GUESS WHAT!?!?!?!

As an extra bonus for the month of April you lucky readers can enjoy 15% off any order over $10 with the code: OWLSANDMONSTERS

Oh and by the way... with each doll purchased Meme & Pearl donates a doll to a child in need through the charity CASA!

AND.....

One of you have the chance to win your choice of One Small Doll (shipping included) from Meme & Pearl (Giveaway is open to US/CAN residents only, ends April 20th at midnight PT)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

// I received a product/service for this review. All opinions are my own. No other compensation was made //

Tiny Prints Review // Snail Mail Challenge

// I received a product/service for this review. All opinions are my own. No other compensation was made //

Snail mail is sadly a dying art. Seriously, when was the last time you sat down to write someone a letter, thank you card, or even went out to buy a book of stamps? 

While we were in Thailand receiving care packages and little notes from home were so important. They kept us going through hard times & homesickness. And while emails and Skype are a great, quick, and easy way to keep in contact with your loved ones, there really is nothing like the feeling of receiving an unexpected (even expected) letter that shows someone is thinking of you, supporting you, and just plain ol' loving you, even though your a million miles away!

With our experience abroad, and the unexpected passing of my Dad I have really learned that its important to value and cherish the people we have around us. Our time with them is precious and we need to let our loved ones know that. Its so easy to get lost in the shuffle and feel unnoticed in this ever developing antisocial society we live in. Our time with our friends and family is precious and we need to let them know that... that they are loved, they are noticed, beyond the screens of Facebook, email, or text messages.

So with my new stationary essentials that Tiny Prints have graciously provided me I have been really racking my brain of who I want to send them to. (Tiny Prints are a brilliant online company that provide you with exclusive designs for all your stationary needs as well as some really great personalized gifts and/or home decor)

With my first set of stationary (first picture below), "Sublime Succulents", which are totally cute, right?! I love the sweet floral doodles and the simple touch of personalization with my name, I think these are perfect of sending quick little "just because", or "I'm thinking of you" notes. 

With my second set of stationary (second picture below), "Shining Pursuit", which I edited to be thank you cards. I originally thought I would save these for the obvious times you want to say thank you to someone, but as of the last couple days I've been thinking of using them for a much greater purpose! 

So here is my grand plan, with Thanksgiving right around the corner, I'm going to use my "Thank You" cards to send to some people in my life that I am truly thankful for (I think I'm going to need more than 10 cards though!). For these people they may not have any idea what kind of role they play in my life, and I want to acknowledge the importance of who they are to me, with this quote in mind:

"To the world you might be one person, 

but to one person, you might be the world"

So I challenge you all to keep this almost lost art of handwritten letters alive, I call it the #SnailMailChallenge. Sit down, think, reminisce, and begin to write. Write to those people in your life that mean the world to you, take advantage of this time you have, let the people you love so much in your life know just that, that you love them! Canadian Thanksgiving is in one month, and American in just under 2, so theres plenty of time...snail mail time included. Its always better to give than to receive, but who knows, maybe soon you'll have a little something waiting for you in your mailbox! 

Check out Tiny Prints if your looking for your own personalized stationary, there are so many designs to choose from. You can stock up on address labels, embossers, and even your own personalized stamps like my "Rosy Homestead" (third picture below). I'm telling you they got everything you need to get you going for all your snail mail endeavours! 

Also check out what else they have, I'm already prepared for Christmas with our "Brilliant Stripes" custom cards (third picture below). And never before have I been so excited to be organized, although I have to wait till the new year, with my new super awesome "Photo Memory Weekly Life Planner" (fourth picture below). All things O+M: ideas, new design, reviews, to do's ....everything! It will all finally have a place outside of my brain that I can look at, visualize, and go forth with proper direction!

// I received a product/service for this review. All opinions are my own. No other compensation was made //