ExpediteSTL - IKEA Delivery

My previously-mentioned addiction to HGTV has also addicted me to IKEA. Unfortunately, there is not an IKEA in St. Louis, and almost every single item I've selected so far is "not available for sale" on the IKEA website. So, unless I could lure a friend to visit IKEA for me on a trip to Chicago, or unless I was making a trip myself, I was kind of screwed.

UNTIL...I found Expedite STL. So see, this is how my Craigslist addiction comes to my advantage. I saw a post about IKEA delivery on CL. I checked it out - it linked to a website. Basically, the owners of Expedite travel to IKEA once a month...they will pick up your items and either deliver them to your house or you may pick them up in Chesterfield. You pay a fee for their service, in addition to the cost of the items.

I used Expedite STL this summer to purchase some items - Excellent Service! They travelled on the weekend, contacted me on Monday to schedule a drop-off, and delivered to my house on Monday night. I couldn't have been more pleased.

The fee I paid - probably more than shipping would have been (had my items been available to purchase on the internet), but I also had smaller items. BUT, cheaper than I would have paid in gas travelling to/from Chicago. Verdict? Well.worth.it!!!

HGTV - IKEA - Toy Boxes

I'm an HGTV junkie - love it. I could maybe get away with just having that one channel, but a few of the designers annoy me, so maybe not. One of the shows I watch is Rate My Space...and on an episode this summer, Angelo commented about "these being toy boxes kids would actually use". Well, I wanted to know what they were, so I hunted them down - I went to the Rate My Space website and watched the reveal over and over again until I could match what I saw with the IKEA website...sad, isn't it?

So here are the items - and don't worry, I bought them and love them!

IKEA Snack Boxes - easy to assemble, stack one on top of the other, low enough for the boys to reach over and get their toys

IKEA Rill Caster - I will say that I haven't added the wheels onto the bottom of the boxes yet. I don't want the boys to be pushing the Snack Boxes around and then them fall. But Angelo recommended them, so I got them. :)

The Downfalls - the boxes have metal corners...worried me a bit, but so far, all is okay. The other thing I wish is that the Snack Boxes had a removable lid...to hide the contents sometimes. :)

Picky Sticky - The Original Picture Stickers

My friend Melissa has the best ideas...and since Genevieve is about 4 months older than the boys, I've had the opportunity to copy many of those great ideas. One thing Melissa did was take monthly pictures of Genevieve - with an iron-on attached to a onesie that depicts how old Genevieve is. Melissa made these at her old job, and I was able to get two sets of the onesies done for the boys. Because I had monthly pictures, I was able to do this for their 1st Birthday Invite (another idea I borrowed from Melissa):

Melissa no longer works at that job, so she can't apply the iron-on transfers anymore. However, I found Picky Sticky on Etsy, and she has some adorable stickers! From what I've read, her stickers are more of a picture-prop - they are not ironed-on, and then are removed after taking the picture. I like this idea because then I could have stuck the monthly stickers in the boys' baby books after taking each monthly picture. Plus, there are some onesies that I could have reused since the boys stayed in some sizes for a while. I currently have 22 monthly onesies (1-11 months) that I'm hanging onto...and not sure what I'm going to do with. Picky Sticky seems a bit more cost-effective while still achieving the same idea.

InchBug Bumpy Name Orbit Labels

If you have more than one child, or a child that goes to day-care, the InchBug Bumpy Name Orbit Labels are a must-have! These stretchy bands fit around all of the sippy cups that we have, as well as the bottles we used with the boys. My sister recommended these because many kids at day-care have the same kind of bottles that her son does...I bought them when we started using sippy cups. Much more high-class than the masking tape I was using to mark the bottles!

The Baby Registry

As I've mentioned, I'm a mom of twin boys. In the past 14-months, I've found that I hated some items that I registered for and found others that I can't live without. Since I have so many women in my life who are adding to their families, I've decided to make a list - well, two lists - the must-have's and the don't-bother with. :) Just to add a disclaimer - this is my opinion, but I will say that many of the must-have's were discovered by me because other mom's told me about them.

The Must-Have's

Nursery
Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe and/or Miracle Blanket (also known as 'the straight jacket') - When I was first registering, I thought the idea of these sort of blankets was ridiculous - why not just swaddle them with a receiving blanket? The boys were no more than 3 weeks old when I broke down and bought them...the boys weren't sleeping well because they would break out of the receiving blanket. We started with the SwaddleMe because it was cheaper and I could get it local - worked like a champ for Logan, but not for Connor. Connor still broke out of it, so we splurged for the Miracle Blanket. They work wonders!

Baby Buddies Size-It Closet Organizer - I must say that I don't personally have these, but I've recommended them to friends. I have the Sugar Booger ones from Babies R Us, and I hate them...total waste of money because the six hangers are pre-labeled Newborn, 3-6 month, 6-12 month, 12-18 month, 18-24 month, and toddler. Um, where the heck are the rest? I could have used a 0-3 month (after newborn), a 6-9 month, and a 9-12 month. So, to me they are missing three necessary ones. On the other hand, the Baby Buddies Organizers still include six hangers, but there are 15 labels, so you can remove when they've outgrown those and then add the ones you need. Plus, they are cheaper than the Sugar Booger ones!

Feeding
Fisher-Price Space Saver High Chair - seriously, my husband and I love this item. We love that it attaches to real chairs - in our small kitchen, it really is a space-saver (haha!). When the boys were really small and first started eating, we loved that these chairs reclined - it made it so much easier to get the food in their mouths because their head was already tilted back!

Bumkins Junior Bib - I probably did 5 months of regular food-feeding before purchasing these bibs because they are so darn expensive! But seriously, just buy them...don't bother with the smaller fabric bibs. Mike and I love how easy these are to clean - we can wash them in the sink with soap and water and then lay them out to dry, and they'll be dry by the next feeding time. The bib is large enough to basically cover their whole chest, and the sleeves prevent the boys from pulling the bib off - which they had been doing with the smaller bibs.

Bathing
Bath Rings - The brand that we have is Safety 1st, but apparently they don't make it anymore, so this looks the closest. With having two kids in the tub, I love the rings. It makes it so much easier on us because I know they are supported when sitting on the slippery surface. At 14-months old, the boys are figuring out how to get out of the rings, so it won't be long before they aren't useful for us, but these are well-worth the $5/each I paid - we've used them about six months...and probably could have started a bit earlier.

Munchkin Bath Friends Toy Organizer (Target) - I love this item because it's shape can be manipulated. It fits a ton of stuff inside, and since it has the netting at the bottom, all the water drains easily.

Summer Infant Tub Time Rinse N Pour Pitcher - This folds flat when not in use...a great space-saver!

I'm a Craiglist Addict...

I have an addiction to Craigslist. The addiction began many years ago, but has only intensified since having children. My rationale - the kids go through things so fast; if it's a kid-item that I can wash in the washing machine or wipe down with a Clorox wipe, then I'm all for buying it second-hand.

My current favorite kid item that was purchased off Craigslist is the Kangaroo Climber. Shortly after their 1st birthday, Logan decided he was going to be a climber. He climbs on the couch, the chair, boxes, etc., so I thought this would be a good purchase. It was a total steal! This retails new for $139.99, and I got it for $55. Plus, it had only ever been used inside (which I was pumped about since I wanted it for inside), and it looks brand new!

Here is a picture of Logan up top, Connor looking up,
and the boys' girlfriend Genevieve peeking out the window.

I'm picking up my new favorite mommy item today. It is a tv/entertainment center armoire...this is going to become my craft closet. (I guess that means I'm going to get crafty?) I've started accumulating fabric, sewing supplies, etc., and I've been on the Craigslist hunt for a sewing machine. Melissa (Genevieve's mom) and I are going to attempt to build a fold-out desk from the inside of this armoire so that I have a work space. Do you think it can be done? Any suggestions? (Leave them in my comment section if you do...)

This last picture is my inspiration for the fold-out desk...

Lovems - the boys' blankets

Suzanne and I had a booth at a craft fair last fall for Alphatography...that's where we first found Nancy and her Lovems. Lovems are these adorable hand-sewn blankets, with the head of a Beanie Baby attached to one corner, and the tail of that animal attached at the opposite corner.

Connor and Logan got their blankets for Christmas 2008; while it took some time, they are quite attached now! In fact, with Logan sick this week and the blankets getting repeatedly washed, it was time to order back-ups!

These are my current gift-of-choice for recent babies that have been born. I think I mentioned to Nancy today that I have given 5 as gifts! It's so nice for me because Nancy lives about 5 minutes from my house, so I can customize blankets especially for the person receiving it.

Connor and his Lovem - December 2008

Logan and his Lovem - December 2008

The boys fighting over a Lovem - July 2009