things i'm diggin

here are a few more things i thought i'd share with you...who knows, maybe i'll make this a monthly project - seems like that's the only way i actually get on here and blog!!

1. amazon subscribe and save - this feature is AWESOME for so many reasons. first, find your favorite items...so far, i've subscribed to pampers, gogo squeezes (portable fruit sauce - kellen digs these!), rice cereal and a couple of other go to snacks for kellen. you choose how often you'd like to send it (every 1, 2, 3 or 6 months.), can cancel anytime (even after your first shipment), free shipping AND 15% off the regular price. there are thousands of products - food and snacks, health and wellness, household supplies, personal care and beauty products, baby & child are products. how great not to have to run out to babies r us, the grocery store or target...instead, just have it delivered, for free and typically cheaper!

2. in honor of tax day - turbotax.com i've been using turbo tax for the last 9 years and it basically allows me to wait until the very last minute before sitting down at the computer and banging out those taxes. never a fun job, but turbo tax makes it easy for me!

3. wholesomebabyfood.com and onehungrymama.com - as i inch days closer to having a six month, the thought of feeding her some goodness other than her mama's milk is creeping into my mind. as i did with kellen, i plan on making the majority of her food. it's so much easier than it sounds and i actually found it very rewarding to steam up those great organic veggies and fruits, puree and then freeze in ice cube trays for a freezer full of fresh and healthy food for my babe. the wholesomebabyfood site was a good to site when i was making food for kellen. onehungrymama is one that i've only recently discovered in my quest to look for healthy and good recipes that i can make for the whole family. you see, kellen is a bit of a veggie snubber, so i've been trying to figure out ways to incorporate veggies into his diet and this site has a number of great meals that do just that! i love how you can search by age - so once maya is eating a wide range of foods, i'm hoping to pretty quickly transition her to table food so that we can all eat the same meal as a family!

4. csa's - community supported agriculture. we just signed up for our fourth season of our csa and while we're still a few months away from receiving our first week of veggies - i thought it'd be a good time to share with two sites with you all so that you too can sign up and embark upon a relationship with a local farm to share in the harvest and enjoy fresh, local fruits and veggies (another reason why it was so easy to make my own baby food - i had fresh, organic veggies delivered to my work weekly!). i'm lucky in that i have an option of two farms that will deliver my weekly harvest to my work - so it makes it super easy! most farms deliver to several different local famer's markets - so you should be able to find one that delivers to your neighborhood farmer's market! this year we actually decided to try out a new farm, really for no other reason than to check out something new! i feel a little guilty - like we are cheating on the farm we've gotten our harvest box from for the last three years - but i know that they always sell out their harvest boxes, so i'm just opening up a spot for someone else who has been wanting one! in fact, most farms sell out rather quickly - so if you are interested in joining a csa, i recommend you get on it fast! here's are a couple of websites that list local csa farms - Portland Area CSA Coalition and Local Harvest. my next quest is to find a farm that raises grass-fed beef and buy a portion of a locally and ethically raised and butchered cow. has anyone done this or have recommendations?

things i'm diggin

sometimes things are sooo good you just need to share! here are some things i'm diggin this month:

Cinnamon Bun ice cream by Tillamook

Cinnamon bun ice cream with sticky bun dough, praline pieces and a sweet streusel swirl. not normally a flavor i would choose, but sounded so interested and is OH, so good! (if you click on the link...please disregard the nutritional info...just enjoy the goodness!!!!)

Deal a day sites

i admit...i'm addicted! these sites post a deal (or more) a day and it's like a frenzy because of the "limited" quantity! i'm guessing many of these items are discontinued, out of season or overstock - but they have some GREAT things. reminds me of sample sales at work - people line up for hours ahead of time to score some great deals! some of my faves include: babysteals.com (1 new deal each day), kidsteals.com (1 new deal each day), greenbabybargains.com (1 new deal each day), mamabargains.com (multiple deals throughout the deal, 1 at a time, random), hautelook.com (multiple events on high end brands every day for women, men, kids and home) and gilt.com (another high end site with multiple brands for women, kids, home and gifts...they also have a travel and mens site). if you decide you want in on the action - and haven't registered at hautelook or gilt, let me know because if can send you a link and i think we'll both score some cash if you decide to make a purchase! fair warning - these sites can be addicting...they have some great things to buy!

Relish Meal Planning Service

i read about this on another blog that i read regularly and let me tell you - it's pretty cool! every thursday, they have a new menu with 15 different options. lots of variety - veggie, kid friendly, quick, etc. i believe they also have a gluten free version. anyway...you choose the 4 meals you want to make that week (or more if you want) and then download the shopping list for the week and all the recipes. if you don't like the options for that week, you can look in the archives of hundreds of recipes and choose those. the feature that i think i like the best (besides the shopping list!) is that you can submit your own recipes and then select from those as well. i've entered many of my favorites and they format for you in just a couple of days. oh and you can also adjust for the number of people you are cooking for - 2, 4, 6 or 8 and it adjusts both the recipes and the shopping list. super cool and makes grocery shopping easy peasy and eliminates the nightly grind of what are we going to have for dinner. i am loving it and i haven't even fully utilized it on a regular basis.

Etsy

i'm sure that many of you know about this site of handmade goodness! i just love looking at all the inspiring things that are on here and have made several purchases. very cool to support the individual artist/crafter and get unique, often one of a kind goods in return! things i've purchased include prints for kellen's bedroom, birthday crown, superhero cape, baby announcements, customized notecards, maya's baby book, reusable produce bags, and a big brother to be shirt for k. you can save favorite items and favorite shops. there are thousands and thousands and oh so much eye candy! also lots of inspiration. i found the design for kellen's first birthday invites on etsy, then made them myself!

some things i have my eye on include: these sweet prints, these notecards (would look so cute to have a few framed!), this happy birthday banner, possibly these decals for maya's space, poms (although i think i can make them myself!), and this awesome stuffed digger. there is so much more...but i couldn't possibly list it all! watch out...etsy can also suck you in!

that is what i'm diggin - what are you diggin lately?