Baby Fashion is a Passion

I'll admit it...from the moment I found out I was having a little girl right up until present day I have had a shopping addiction. Im especially a huge sucker for little clothing on sale and at discount prices. Who wouldn't want to find a $40.00 outfit for only $18.00? Frilly skirts, onsies with owls, and sherbet colored tights pull at my heartstrings and drain my wallet. You know you have a true baby fashion passion when you longingly look at baby boy clothes when you dont even have a baby boy. I envision my future little man in nautical themed clothing with mini light blue loafers. Hmmmm...baby fashion really has become a passion. I am even attempting to make my own little baby skirt this weekend for my 4 month old daughter. I bought a lovely owl printed fabric that is perfect for fall and plan on lining the bottom of the skirt with large rick rack. Anyways, if you have a passion for baby fashion but don't want to damage the bank account too much then consider the discounted baby stores below. I have shopped at them all and been very satisfied.

1) Totsy
2) Zulily
3) Gilt
4) BabySteals
5) Baby Half Off
6) Green Baby Bargains

You can also check out Amazon, Overstock.com and stores like TJ Maxx for great baby deals.

Happy Shopping!

The Tj Maxx Haul Video

A lot of ladies emailed me asking about my TJ  Maxx purchases, so I went ahead and made a video showing all of my purchases. Enjoy!

Mommy Shopping Haul : TJ Maxx

With all the shopping I do for my little pumpkin or for my friends and families little ones, its fun to just shop for me sometimes! I'll admit that today was one of those days that I shopped for little things for me, myself and I. I love shopping for home goodies at TJ Maxx. You can find a lot of hidden treasures there. Its basically a huge conglomerate of goods from many different stores. Today I found a hand towel holder for my guest bathroom for only $7.99 and I got two Ralph Lauren hand towels for the holder for only $3.50 each. They originally retailed for $12.99 each. I love a discount on good quality items!

Next up on my TJ Maxx run today I discovered this unique metal J. Raymond potpourri holder complete with turquoise potpourri and various sea shells. It is pretty good sized and smells amazing!! This one is going in my bathroom. I got it for $16.99 and it originally retails for around $40.00.

Of course I couldn't help but stop "briefly" by the baby section. =) I found various adorable girl outfits all for under $9.00 each. And im so excited to tell you guys I found a three piece nautical canvas artwork set from Baby Gap for only $7.00. I dont even have a little boy but I had to have this! I always told myself that when I have a little boy one day I want to do his nursery in a nautical theme.

I really had to steer clear of the kitchen section but I saw organic boutique cupcake mixes out of the corner of one eye and Le Creseut tea kettles out of my other eye! I also saw a ton of Halloween Decor at such discounted prices and Halloween isn't even until the end of next month! If you have a TJ Maxx in your area check it out, your bound to find some " hidden treasures".

Mommy Meal Monday: Easy Cheesy Bake

Yesterday night I needed to cook something up quick so I raided the pantry for odds and end ingredients. I came up with a easy pasta dish that I baked in the oven. In fact I whipped it up together so fast I didn't even think about documenting it properly for the blog! I thought about it as I was pouring it into the pan to go into the ove, so sorry about the lack of pictures. If you want to try it out here is what you need.

• 16 ounces pasta. Any type will do, I used bowtie.
• About 3 cups of pasta sauce. I used Prego Traditional. You can add more or less depending on how saucy you like it.
• 3 cups of shredded cheese. I used a 4 blend mexican shred.
• 8 ounces ricotta cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Paprika ( optional)
• Preheat your oven to 400

After cooking pasta on stovetop ( take it off right before it gets soft) mix it with the ricotta cheese, 2 cups of the shredded cheese, pasta sauce, salt and pepper.  Mix until totally blended up and pour into your 13 x 9 baking dish. Then pour the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese over the top and spread it evenly. This will become crispy while baking so that the top of your pasta dish has a nice cheesy crunch.

Then just for kicks I sprinkled paprika all over the top of the dish. Then pop it into your preheated oven. After about 20-25 minutes, it will be nice and hot with a bubbly baked top. Its kind of like a lasagne casserole...thats what comes to mind when I ate it.

Yummy and quick, I promise!

Nursing Cover Giveaway Winners...

OK ladies, sorry this posting is a few days late! I have been super swamped this past week but I have not forgotten you! I still will be posting the next giveaway for the month on here AND some information about an exchange for September/October. The 2 winners for this giveaway were chosen by placing your user names in a hat. Since I do not get a lot of entries this seems to be the easiest way but I am thinking of using Random.org for future giveaways because I think people would be more comfortable with this. The nursing cover winners are:
1) Robyn Stewart
2) NightAngel76

Congratulations! Email me at mrsmommytalk@gmail.com the following information:
- Where you would like your cover shipped.
- If you prefer the pink/cream cover or the navy/white or if you have no preference. If you both prefer the same  color I will give it to whoever I hear from first.

Thank you to those who participated and remember I have another giveaway which I will post about tomorrow.

Weightloss Wednesday: Week 2

I know its up a day late but I didn't have a chance to do much of anything yesterday! Better late than never though. I lost 4 pounds during week 1. Yay! Have a long ways to go though and its not easy. However, I have PCOS and want to TTC for #2 sometime next year and if I am to do that I need to get healthy! Have to keep the goal in sight!

Mommy Review Tuesday: Burp cloths from Etsy

You guys I have an official obsession with Etsy. For this Tuesdays mommy review I absolutely have to share a few items with you that I have recently purchased.  I purchased this amazing burp cloths because when I saw them I thought they were adorable. I never expected them to be such high quality with super attention to detail. I got one in a light pink with birds and flowers on it and the second one is a sage green and pink floral design.

Both of these handmade items were created with Alexander Henry fabrics. Love, love, love, love them. They are super soft, absorbent and just too dang cute. Plus its fun having something unique and handmade. I love how they came perfectly packaged with ribbons and handmade gift tags in case you are giving them to someone. These would definitely make great baby shower gift items.

The thing I love best about Etsy is that you are supporting ladies, the majority of them being mommies when you shop for baby items. If you want to check out these burp cloths you can find them at PLMDeZigns. She also makes adorable onesies, bibs and other unique baby items. I only paid $3.95 per each burpcloth.
 You know your a mommy when...You have fun picking out a cloth to clean up drool and spit up!

Mommy Meals Monday: Crockpot Teriyaki

Todays mommy meal needed to be quick, easy and nutritious. Nothing beats throwing a bunch of ingredients into a pot, turning a dial and coming home to a fully cooked dinner. Not to mention that it makes your kitchen smell amazing. This morning I was in a rush and I knew that I would be coming home later than usual. So I decided to make a quick crockpot meal. I decided to do a Chicken Teriyaki with Longbeans.

Here is the ingredients for 2-4 servings:
1) 2 lbs skinned, boneless chicken breasts cut into strips.
2) 2 cups of long beans cut into smaller sizes.
3) 1/2 cup of teriyaki sauce. I used Lawrys Teriyaki marinade with pineapple flavor.
4) 1/4 cup crushed pineapple.
5) 1/4 cup water.
6) Couple dashes salt and pepper ( optional ).

You literally throw all this in your crockpot, stir, place lid on top, turn this wonderful device on and you are done. My crockpot will have this meal cooked in 6 hours on the low setting and 4 hours on the high setting. You will need to refer to your crockpots user manual.

These are long beans. I picked them up from the farmers market and had never cooked with them before, nor did I have any idea what they were. I pretty much just threw them in to use them and they turned out very good. They are much like long string beans. You can substitue your long beans with string beans or any other vegetable that you prefer.

Do you know anything about long beans?

Scrapbooking...sort of...

I love scrapbooks, DIY projects and creative ways to preserve memories and photographs. However, lately I have not had any free time on my hands at all! I wanted to chronicle the first 3 months of my daughters life via a scrapbook but absolutely could not find time to do it with all the other things I have going on right now. So I decided to, as I call it, Halfway Scrapbook. I found an awesome lady who makes mini scrapbooks and sells them to ladies like me who love scrapbooks but don't have time to work on them. I recently just recieved a mini scrapbook album from her that is personalized and all ready to go. All I have to do is add my photos and text. I am in love with it!

Just look at how cute the inside is. And I love the ribboned binding. Will I always use pre-made scrapbooks? No, but it works out for right now. Plus I love that it is from Etsy so it is supporting a woman instead of a large corporation. Once I get this filled I will post pictures so you guys can see what it looks like when you finish it. This one will make a perfect keepsake in the future and a perfect coffee table item for now. =)

If you want to check out her Etsy shop, it is called KnitRelief.

Weightloss Wednesday : Week 1

You see that cute thing up there? I could easily blame her for my fatness but alas I know it was not her fault! I loved eating during pregnancy! I mean who doesn't? Oh wait....Miranda Kerr, Victoria Beckham, Angelina Jolie, Jessica Alba...i'll just stop now. I currently weigh 173.3 and have the goal of getting to 130. This is going to take a lot of work and dedication!


Today kicks off my first week of postpartum weight loss! I totally forgot to take a picture today so I will include one in Week 2. Thus the picture of what I ate for dinner will have to suffice. After having my baby girl 3.5 months ago, I think its about high time I get myself into action here. Chronicling this journey on my blog and YouTube channel will hopefully help me stay on track and motivate others to do so as well.
My plan for the weight loss is simple this time, as simple is usually better. For the first couple weeks I will consume only vegetables ( unlimited amounts), legumes, some fruits, tons of water and lots of lean proteins. I will re-assess this plan in a few weeks and decide what I can add in such as brown rice and such. I basically need to kick start my sluggish metabolism right now. I will be adding in some workouts slowly as well. In week 2 I will give you guys more details.

Here is to postpartum weight loss! If you are currently going through this as well or plan on it or have successfully completed it, please share! Also if you have a blog/vlog on this or know of someone who does please let me know so I can check it out!

Mommy Review Tuesday : Boon Grass

Behold the Boon Grass Countertop Drying Rack. It's most likely the most modern looking baby item I own and by modern I mean not all cutesy.  This two piece drying rack was so unique to me that I couldn't resist it especially since it isn't big and bulky like other bottle drying racks I have seen out there.

The green "grass" top that you dry your bottles bits and pieces on lifts off so you can empty the tray that catches any water drips. Its compact, simple and sleek. However, it may not work for you if you like to store lots of bottles at once on your drying rack.

I would say you can fit 3-4 bottles and all their inner workings on this tray. It sells for around 14 dollars in most baby stores. You may want to check out Amazon to see if you can find a better deal there. For more specs on this bad boy check it out on the Boon website.

Overall, I am happy with my Boon drying rack as I only use a few bottles at at time. After they dry I put them away in the cupboard. If you like to leave yours out on the drying rack ( you know how those things easily become storage units as well ) then this may be too small to hold your entire bottle supply.

Which rack do you use?

You better read my mommy's blog!

I decided today that in order to help me stay disciplined with my blogging and soon to be vlogging on my YouTube page, I want to try out a blogging schedule. I think I will have fun with a more focused approach to my writing. I usually tend to get so excited about so many different things that I just end up writing about none o of them. Here is how my upcoming schedule will play out.

Mommy Meals Monday ( Kind of like a meal of the day but only on Mondays ).

Mommy Review Tuesday ( product reviews on any product I am currently excited about or a shop/store/boutique/website ).

Weight loss Wednesdays ( Chronicling my postpartum weight loss journey. This should help me stay on track with my weight loss as you all will be reading about it! ) .

Random Mommy Thursday ( ahhh a freebie day, can vlog/blog on whatever I choose ).

DIY Mommy Friday ( Trying to get my creative juices flowing once again ).

So here is to more focused blogging and lots of fun!

September Kickoff...

Hi Mommies!
I cannot believe it is already September of 2011. Where in the world does the time go? My little one will be turning 4 months at the end of this month and I feel like she was just born yesterday!

A new month means a new giveaway over here in Mommy Talk world. I have two nursing covers to giveaway. They are brand new and ready to be shipped to the winner. One is girl themed and one could be for either a little boy or a little girl. If you are not a nursing mommy, don't worry I have another September giveaway that I will post about in a few days.

To enter this blog here is what you have to do:
1) Be a subscriber to this blog
2) Like ' Mrs Mommy Talk' on Facebook.  Like it here!
3) Leave a comment below letting me know one thing you would like to do with your little one in the month of      
    September.

This giveaway is open until September 15th at 5:00pm. Winner will be announced later on that evening.

Pictures of the nursing covers available below. The pink and cream cover is made by Udder Covers and the dark navy and white is made by Seven. Since their are 2 covers, 2 winners will be chosen.

Good luck and Happy September!